State v. Raynor
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The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the appellate court affirming Defendant's conviction of murder, holding that the appellate court improperly upheld the trial court's denial of Defendant's motion for a Porter hearing on the reliability of ballistics evidence based solely on the holding in State v. Legnani, 951 A.2d 674 (Conn. 2008).
On appeal, Defendant argued that reports issued by the National Academy of Sciences called into question the reliability of methodologies employed in firearm and toolmark examinations and that a Porter hearing was necessary to determine if such evidence was admissible. The trial court construed Legnani by concluding that a Porter hearing on the reliability of firearm and toolmark examinations was not necessary. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the trial court erred in denying Defendant's motion for a Porter hearing based solely on Legnani without considering new evidence offered by Defendant, and the error was not harmless.
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