State v. Letica
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Ines Letica was found guilty of first degree assault and armed criminal action. During voir dire, defense counsel used peremptory challenges to strike four Caucasion females from the panel, to which the State raised a reverse-Batson objection, alleging that a certain venireperson was struck with the peremptory challenge on the basis of gender, race or ethnic origin. The circuit court sustained the objection as to the venireperson. The Supreme Court affirmed the circuit court's judgment, holding (1) the circuit court erred when it ruled prematurely on the reverse-Batson challenge and did not require the State to demonstrate that racial or gender discrimination was the motivating factor for the peremptory strike, but the error was harmless under the facts in this case; (2) the evidence was sufficient to sustain the verdict; (3) Letica's sentences did not constitute plain error; (4) there was no prosecutorial misconduct in this case; and (5) the admission into evidence of certain photographs did not constitute manifest injustice or miscarriage of justice.
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