Court bolsters defendant's right to cross-examine witnesses [View all]
Source: AP
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday buttressed a criminal defendant's right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses, ruling in favor of a New York man who was convicted of killing a 2-year-old boy on Easter Sunday in 2006.
By an 8-1 vote, the justices held that defendant Darrell Hemphill's constitutional rights were violated when a judge allowed jurors to read another man's testimony that prosecutors used to undermine Hemphill's defense. The man, Nicholas Morris, was unavailable at the trial.
Hemphill argued that Morris fired the 9-millimeter handgun whose stray bullet killed the child in the Bronx. Morris had initially been charged with the killing and illegal possession of a 9-millimeter gun. Police searching Morris’ apartment found a 9-millimeter cartridge and .357-caliber bullets on his nightstand.
The trial judge allowed jurors to see a statement Morris made when pleading guilty to the lesser charge of criminal possession of a .357 revolver. The plea deal made no mention of the 9-millimeter weapon.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/court-bolsters-defendants-right-to-cross-examine-witnesses/ar-AASYH7R
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