Konopasek v. Indiana
Annotate this CaseIn June, 2008, Appellant Joshua Konopasek attended a house party in Rochester. At some point, he got into an altercation with another party-goer. The evening ended with Appellant shoving the other party-goer to the ground and stomping on his head. Appellant would later be charged with battery causing serious injury. Appellant claimed self-defense. On direct examination, Appellant’s attorney elicited testimony from him regarding his probationary status. On cross-examination, the State inquired further about appellant’s probation. Defense counsel objected that the state’s inquiry was irrelevant. The trial court overruled the objection. Petitioner was found guilty as charged, and sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, with six suspended and credit for time served. On appeal, Petitioner argued that there was insufficient evidence to convict him of battery, and that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting the evidence elicited by the State on his probation. The appellate court affirmed the trial court. The Supreme Court agreed too, holding that the State’s elicited testimony on the length of Petitioner’s suspended sentence was relevant and admissible. Furthermore, the Court found the evidence sufficient to support his conviction. The Court affirmed the lower courts’ decisions.
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