People v. Brown
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of first degree murder, sodomy, and forcible lewd act on a minor. Defendant was sentenced to death for the murder conviction. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the trial court did not abuse its discretion in failing to exclude expert testimony that the victim died by drowning in association with sexual assault; (2) the trial court did not err in the remainder of its evidentiary rulings; (3) the evidence was sufficient to support the convictions; (4) defense counsel provided constitutionally effective assistance; (5) the trial court did not err by accepting Defendant’s waiver of his right to present mitigating evidence; (6) Defendant’s voluntary absence during trial did not violate the federal Constitution; and (7) Defendant’s constitutional challenges to the death penalty law and related jury instructions were without merit.
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