State v. Lawrence
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of felony theft. Defendant was sentenced to ten years in prison. Defendant appealed, arguing, among several other arguments, that the prosecutor committed plain error requiring reversal by stripping Defendant of the presumption of innocence. Specifically, Defendant challenged the prosecutor’s comment during closing arguments that the presumption of innocence had been removed from Defendant. The Supreme Court agreed with Defendant. The Court reversed the judgment and remanded the cause for a new trial, holding that the prosecutor’s comments during closing arguments constituted prosecutorial misconduct and required reversal of Defendant’s conviction.
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