san miguel county
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Colorado Supreme Court upholds child abuse convictions despite faulty jury instruction
The Colorado Supreme Court decided on Monday that a San Miguel County jury properly convicted a defendant of child abuse resulting in death, even though the instructions potentially allowed jurors to avoid finding that the child abuse resulted in death. The court agreed unanimously that the jury instructions for finding Madani Ceus guilty of a…
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Colorado justices weigh potentially faulty jury instruction in child abuse case
Members of the Colorado Supreme Court questioned on Tuesday whether a San Miguel County jury convicted a defendant of child abuse resulting in death, even though the instructions potentially allowed jurors to avoid finding that the child abuse resulted in death. Previously, the state’s Court of Appeals reversed the convictions and 64-year prison sentence of…
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San Miguel County’s mining regs threaten Colorado’s uranium revival | OPINION
By Marjorie Haun In southwestern Colorado’s historic mining town of Telluride — now a haven for the uber-rich, the San Miguel County Commission recently approved mining regulations that will effectively halt new uranium exploration and mining in the county’s mineral rich west end. The vote, delayed nearly two years amid hearings and opposition from rural…
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San Miguel County judge intends to resign as discipline authorities seek alternate resolution
A San Miguel County judge and the Colorado Commission on Judicial Discipline informed a disciplinary panel last week that new information about the judge’s health has come to light suggesting further proceedings may not be appropriate, and the judge will instead resign from the bench. The Colorado Supreme Court suspended County Court Judge Sean K.…
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Panel member ejected from one judge’s discipline case, as second judge challenges protocols in his proceeding
One member of a panel adjudicating the misconduct allegations against a county court judge has been replaced due to her alleged non-responsiveness, at the same time a different county court judge is objecting to the intended protocols in his own disciplinary case. Following voters’ passage of constitutional Amendment H in November 2024, adjudication of serious…
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San Miguel County judge suspended, discipline commission harbors ‘serious concerns’ about conduct
A San Miguel County judge who failed to respond for months to disciplinary authorities’ requests to explain himself is now facing allegations that his misconduct infected two dozen cases and forced some litigants to wait years for decisions. Documents filed in the matter of County Court Judge Sean K. Murphy also alleged several bizarre incidents,…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear cases on rezoning via ballot box, defaulting defendants
The justices may also intervene in two ongoing criminal cases
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Defendant’s ‘extreme religious beliefs’ did not render her incompetent, appeals court rules
Colorado’s second-highest court decided last week that a defendant’s “extreme religious beliefs” did not render her incompetent to proceed, nor did they invalidate her decision to represent herself at trial. A three-judge panel for the Court of Appeals did not believe Ika Eden had any mental health issues that interfered with her ability to understand…
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Colorado Supreme Court to review case of spiritual leader found guilty of child abuse
The Colorado Supreme Court announced on Monday that it will review whether the Court of Appeals correctly overturned a woman’s felony convictions for child abuse resulting in death due to an inadequate jury instruction. Hannah Marshall, 8, and Makayla Roberts, 10, were discovered dead and decomposing in a vehicle located on Frederick “Alec” Blair’s Norwood farm…
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Felony child abuse convictions overturned in high-profile case due to instruction error
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed a woman’s felony convictions for child abuse resulting in death last month after concluding the instructions that a San Miguel County judge provided the jury did not include the necessary language. Hannah Marshall, 8, and Makayla Roberts, 10, were discovered dead and decomposing in a vehicle located on Frederick “Alec” Blair’s Norwood…