State v. Hayes
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of rape and two counts of aggravated assault and sentenced to ten years in prison on each count, to be served concurrently. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the circuit court did not commit structural error by allowing the State’s reasonable doubt standard to be presented to the jurors during voir dire; (2) the State’s questioning during voir dire amounted to plain error, but Defendant’s substantial rights were not impacted by the prosecutor’s improper comments; and (3) the evidence was sufficient to support Defendant’s convictions, and therefore, the circuit court did not err in denying Defendant’s motion for judgment of acquittal.
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