State v. Horton
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, John Horton was convicted of first-degree felony murder. During the jury deliberations, Horton moved to suspend deliberations in order to give the defense time to analyze additional evidence it had received. The district court concluded that it did not have the authority to suspend the jury deliberations to allow for he introduction of additional evidence. Horton appealed, contending that the district court committed reversible error when it held that it had no jurisdiction to reopen the evidence after the jury began deliberating. The Supreme Court agreed and suspended the appeal with directions to remand, holding that a district court has broad discretion to determine whether a party may reopen its case, including the authority to suspend jury deliberations, to allow for the introduction of additional evidence.
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