self-defense
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Eagle County convictions reversed for prosecutors’ misconduct
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Eagle County man’s convictions earlier this month because a trial judge permitted a pair of prosecutors – including one who is now running for district attorney – to misstate the law on self-defense to jurors. A jury acquitted Robert Fergus-Jean of more serious offenses like assault and attempted murder, but convicted him…
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Eagle County convictions reversed for prosecutors’ misconduct
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Eagle County man’s convictions earlier this month because a trial judge permitted a pair of prosecutors — including one who is now running for district attorney — to misstate the law on self-defense to jurors. A jury acquitted Robert Fergus-Jean of more serious offenses like assault and attempted murder, but convicted him…
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Eagle County convictions reversed for prosecutors’ misconduct
Colorado’s second-highest court reversed an Eagle County man’s convictions earlier this month because a trial judge permitted a pair of prosecutors — including one who is now running for district attorney — to misstate the law on self-defense to jurors. A jury acquitted Robert Fergus-Jean of more serious offenses like assault and attempted murder, but convicted him…
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Colorado Democrats seek stricter requirements for concealed carry permits; Senate panel OKs ban on using cellphones while driving | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Today is Feb. 14, 2024, and here’s what you need to know: A panel of House lawmakers on Tuesday approved, on an 8-3 party-line vote, a bill that would require stricter requirements for those who hold or want to obtain concealed weapons permits. The measure from House Majority Leader Monica Duran of Wheat Ridge and…
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Federal judge rules Circle K could fire 72-year-old store clerk who tried to stop robber
A federal judge ruled last month that Circle K lawfully fired a 72-year-old convenience store cashier after she attempted to stop a knife-wielding robber from stealing cigarettes. Mary Ann Moreno was a 16-year employee of the company and was behind the register at a Westminster Circle K store when a man holding two hunting knives…
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Appeals court orders new trial for National Western Complex murder based on improper jury instruction
Colorado’s second-highest court last month ordered a new trial for a man who stabbed and killed his victim during a fight at the National Western Complex, concluding the trial judge failed to give a key jury instruction. In June 2020, Christopher G. Smith and Jared Villaluz-Jones were residing at a temporary homeless shelter at the complex…
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Appeals court orders prison riot charges reinstated against Fremont County inmate
Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday concluded a trial judge and a magistrate in Fremont County both mistakenly dismissed prison rioting charges against an incarcerated man when they should have found probable cause existed to proceed to trial. During a preliminary hearing in the case of Dreion M. Dearing, where the prosecution needed to demonstrate probable…
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Colorado Supreme Court to hear criminal appeals on racial bias, ‘Make My Day’ defense
The Colorado Supreme Court announced earlier this month that it will review multiple criminal cases, with issues ranging from racial bias in jury selection and the meaning of a parent-child relationship to the law justifying deadly force against home intruders. At least three of the court’s seven members must agree to hear a case on…
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10th Circuit overturns sentence for gang shooting because judge incorrectly applied law
The federal appeals court based in Denver overturned a defendant’s seven-year sentence related to a gang shooting because the trial judge did not understand Colorado law when he explained why self-defense did not apply. U.S. District Court Judge Daniel D. Domenico sentenced Lougary Eddington to 84 months in prison for being a felon in possession…
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Colorado appeals court overturns menacing conviction due to Boulder County judge’s error
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a woman’s felony menacing conviction because a Boulder County judge effectively barred jurors from hearing evidence suggesting she acted to defend herself against a sexual assault. In Michelle Nicole Couch’s 2019 trial, jurors learned that Couch had twice pulled a knife on the alleged victim while the two were…