Smith v. State
Annotate this CasePetitioner Gary Smith was convicted at a jury trial of depraved heart second-degree murder and use of a handgun in the commission of a felony. The principle issue at trial was whether the decedent was murdered or committed suicide. Smith appealed, contending, inter alia, that the trial court erroneously excluded certain defense evidence relating to the decedent's state of mind. The Court of Special Appeals affirmed, concluding that the excluded evidence was too remote and not reliable. The Court of Appeals granted certiorari and reversed, holding that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting prosecution evidence of the decedent's 'normal' state of mind but refusing to admit equally relevant defense evidence of the decedent's 'depressed' state of mind. Remanded for a new trial.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.