State v. Francis
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder. On appeal, Defendant argued, among other things, that he was entitled to a new trial because the trial court improperly forced him to choose between his constitutional right to counsel and his constitutional right to testify on his own behalf after defense counsel stated that he would be self-represented if he testified against their advice. The Appellate Division affirmed, concluding that Defendant waived his right to counsel when he elected to testify at trial. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) Defendant was not represented by counsel during his testimony; and (2) Defendant was entitled to a new trial because he did not voluntarily relinquish his right to counsel. Remanded for a new trial.
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