Beads v. State
Annotate this CaseA jury convicted Petitioners Cyrus Beads and Joseph Smith of several crimes against the person of three victims as well as several related offenses, including use of a handgun in the commission of a crime of violence. The court of special appeals consolidated Petitioners' appeals and affirmed their convictions. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the trial court erroneously overruled objections to unfairly prejudicial comments made by the prosecutor, (2) the trial court erroneously concluded that the cross-examination of Smith's trial counsel "opened" the door to testimony that Smith had previously been incarcerated, and (3) because the trial court failed to take any corrective actions in response to the improper arguments and inadmissible evidence, these erroneous rulings were not harmless. Remanded for a new trial.
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