Newman v. State (Majority)
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was found guilty of capital murder and sentenced to death. The Supreme Court affirmed Defendant's conviction and sentence. Later, Defendant petitioned the Supreme Court to reinvest jurisdiction in the circuit court to allow him to seek a writ of error coram nobis, alleging that he was incompetent at the time of trial and that the prosecutor had withheld exculpatory evidence in violation of Brady v. Maryland. The Court granted Defendant permission to pursue coram nobis relief on both grounds. The circuit court denied the petition for writ of error coram nobis, finding that Defendant had been competent to stand trial and that the prosecution did not fail to disclose exculpatory evidence. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the circuit court abused its discretion in denying Defendant’s petition where the record illustrated that Defendant’s cognitive deficits and mental illnesses interfered with his ability to effectively and rationally assist counsel. Remanded for a new trial.
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