Justia Maine Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

After a jury-waived trial, Appellant was convicted of aggravated criminal trespass and unlawful sexual contact. Appellant appealed his conviction, contending that, because he was motivated by his subconscious thoughts, was experiencing a blackout, and was under the influence of prescription drugs and alcohol during the encounter with the victim, he was not consciously aware of his acts and therefore did not act with the requisite culpable state of mind when he entered the victim's dwelling without her permission and subjected her to sexual contact without her consent. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that, in this instance, substantial evidence existed to show that Appellant's actions were taken knowingly and with intent. View "State v. Kepner" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of domestic violence assault. Defendant appealed, arguing that the State's closing argument contained comments that impermissibly drew attention to her decision not to testify in her own defense. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the trial court, holding (1) the prosecutor's statements were accurate recitations of the state of the evidence and did not expressly or implicitly comment on Defendant's failure to testify or suggest that the evidence must be accepted because it was unrebutted; and (2) therefore, the statements did not constitute misconduct. View "State v. Bean" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of three counts of murder and one count of arson. The trial court imposed three concurrent life sentences on the murder convictions and a consecutive fifteen-year sentence on the arson conviction. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment and the sentences, holding that the trial court did not err in (1) denying Defendant's motion to suppress statements that he made to the police, as the confessions were made voluntarily and their admission at trial did not violate Defendant's Fifth Amendment rights; (2) declining to instruct the jury concerning the potential consequences of a verdict of not criminally responsible by reason of insanity; and (3) sentencing Defendant. View "Maine v. Ormsby" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of theft by misapplication of property and securities fraud. Defendant appealed, contending that the court's jury instructions impermissibly shifted the burden of proof onto him to prove his innocence. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the burden of proof was not improperly shifted onto Defendant to prove his innocence where (1) there was no obvious error in the instructions the trial court gave because, as a whole, the instructions correctly stated the law; and (2) the court correctly stated the State's burden of proof and Defendant's presumption of innocence several times during the jury selection, at the beginning of the trial, in its final instructions, and in its written instructions sent to the jury room. View "State v. Philbrook" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of unlawful sexual contact and unlawful sexual touching. This was the third trial held after two mistrials in this case. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the trial court did not err in (1) delcaring a mistrial at the second trial; (2) denying Defendant's motion for a new trial filed after the third trial on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct in the prosecutor's gestures during the third trial, which Defendant claimed telegraphed the prosecutor's personal opinion or witness credibility; and (3) failing to limit, on its own initiative, alleged misstatements of law and fact that the prosecutor made in closing argument and in rebuttal at the third trial. View "State v. Carey" on Justia Law

Defendant pled guilty to unlawful trafficking in a scheduled drug. Defendant appealed, arguing that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained from a warrantless administrative inspection of a bus on which he was a passenger and a search of his person. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that even if the police violated the Fourth Amendment while conducting the warrantless administrative inspection of the bus, the court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress, as Defendant's voluntary consent to a dog sniff was sufficiently attenuated from the bus inspection, and the dog's alert on Defendant constituted sufficient probable cause for the agents to proceed with the search of Defendant's person. View "State v. Ntim" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of murder and sentenced to a term of thirty-eight years incarceration. Defendant subsequently filed two motions for a new trial, both of which were denied. Defendant appealed, asserting that the State's alleged failure to disclose evidence pursuant to Brady v. Maryland and the discovery of new evidence after trial entitled him to a new trial. The trial court denied both motions. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the undisclosed evidence, although helpful to Defendant, did not undermine confidence in the jury's verdict; and (2) to the extent that the newly discovered evidence would be admissible at a new trial, it consisted primarily of impeachment evidence that was cumulative of the evidence the jury heard at trial or concerned a witness not critical to the State's case, and therefore, it was not clear the evidence would change the outcome of the trial. View "State v. Twardus" on Justia Law

Defendant entered a conditional guilty plea to aggravated operating after habitual offender revocation, operating after habitual offender revocation, and criminal OUI. Defendant appealed, arguing, inter alia, that the lower court erred in denying his motion to suppress because the officer who stopped his vehicle lacked an objectively reasonable suspicion for stopping his vehicle. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the record supported the conclusion that the officer who stopped the vehicle Defendant was operating had a subjective and objectively reasonable suspicion that the operator of the vehicle was operating while under the influence of intoxicants; and (2) the lower court did not err in declining to dismiss the charges arising from operating after revocation. View "State v. Spiegel" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted for multiple offenses of unlawful sexual contact, unlawful sexual touching, and assault. On appeal, Defendant challenged, inter alia, the trial court's denial of his motion to suppress evidence obtained from his computer pursuant to a search warrant. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the court did not err in denying Defendant's motion to suppress, as (i) the search warrant was supported by probable cause, and (ii) a clerical error in the jurat of the warrant affidavit did not affect the validity of the search warrant; and (2) the trial court did not clearly err in admitting testimony concerning sexually suggestive websites that Defendant viewed on his home and work computers. View "State v. Vrooman" on Justia Law

Defendant pleaded guilty to the intentional or knowing murder of his wife. The sentencing court imposed a final sentence of forty years in prison. Defendant appealed his sentence. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) the sentencing court did not err in applying the first step of the sentencing analysis required by Me. Rev. Stat. 17-A, 1252-C(1) in setting Defendant's basic sentence; (2) Defendant's argument that availability of basic sentence information implicates all criminal defendants' equal protection and due process rights failed; and (3) the court appropriately considered objective, factually reliable information in placing Defendant's conduct along a continuum of seriousness. View "State v. Nichols" on Justia Law