JOHNSON V. COMMONWEALTH
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The Supreme Court of Kentucky affirmed the convictions of Jaikorian J. Johnson for second-degree manslaughter and four counts of first-degree wanton endangerment but reversed the sentence and remanded for a new penalty phase due to palpable error in the victim impact statement. Johnson was convicted for shooting dead one person and injuring another, arguing self-defense. On appeal, Johnson raised three issues: the exclusion of two witnesses' testimony regarding the victim's alleged criminal scheme at the time of shooting; the failure to direct verdicts on all four counts of wanton endangerment; and the impropriety and prejudicial nature of the victim impact statement. The court held that the exclusion of character evidence of the victim was not an abuse of discretion because it was irrelevant and inadmissible under KRS 404(b). The court also held that the directed verdicts for the four counts of wanton endangerment were justified because substantial danger existed for the people in the vicinity when Johnson fired his gun. However, the court found palpable error in the victim's mother's impact statement, which included biblical references urging the death penalty and unproven accusations of witness intimidation, thereby seriously affecting the fairness of the proceedings.
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