State v. Pierce
Annotate this CaseAfter exiting his brother’s truck at a busy intersection, Pierce fatally shot Toala. After receiving his Miranda warnings, Pierce claimed that he acted in self-defense. His statement was later suppressed. There were multiple witnesses, who disagreed about whether Toala was aggressive or threatening toward Pierce. The Utah Supreme Court affirmed Pierce’s conviction for manslaughter by imperfect self-defense as supported by sufficient evidence. The court rejected an argument that the trial court committed plain error by failing to “sua sponte” cut off the prosecution’s questions and comments about the differences between Pierce’s trial testimony and what he told the police. The law concerning any error was not clear at the time of trial.
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