James v. State
Annotate this CaseAfter a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of aiding and abetting aggravated robbery. Defendant appealed, arguing that the district court denied him the right to due process by declining to instruct the jury on his defense of duress. The Supreme Court reversed and remanded for a new trial, holding that Defendant was denied his right to a fair trial when the district court refused to instruct the jury on Defendant’s defense of duress after Defendant testified and admitted the elements of the crime. Given the evidence presented in this case, Defendant was entitled to a jury determination as to whether he had a reasonable opportunity to avoid the crime.
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