Justia New Hampshire Supreme Court Opinion Summaries

Defendant Michael Francis appealed his conviction of possessing heroin with the intent to dispense. He argued on appeal to the Supreme Court that: (1) the Superior Court erred in denying his motion to suppress evidence obtained from a search of a vehicle; and (2) the Superior Court erred in denying his motion to dismiss based upon insufficient evidence that he possessed the heroin found in the vehicle. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Francis" on Justia Law

In 2008, defendant Michael Addison was convicted of the 2006 capital murder of Manchester Police Officer Michael Briggs and sentenced to death. The New Hampshire Supreme Court subsequently affirmed defendant’s conviction for capital murder, concluding that his sentence was not imposed under the influence of passion, prejudice or any other arbitrary factor, and that the evidence was sufficient to support the jury’s findings of aggravating circumstances. As part of its compulsory review, the Supreme Court addressed “[w]hether the sentence of death is excessive or disproportionate to the penalty imposed in similar cases, considering both the crime and the defendant.” The Court concluded that the defendant’s sentence was neither excessive nor disproportionate and, accordingly, affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Addison" on Justia Law

Defendant Makenzy Thelusma was convicted by jury of possession of heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. Defendant appealed, arguing that: (1) an inculpatory statement he made to the police should have been suppressed; and (2) the evidence was insufficient to support his heroin and cocaine convictions. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Thelusma" on Justia Law

Defendant Stanley West, II was convicted by jury on three counts of simple assault and one count of resisting arrest or detention. At trial, defendant objected to the trial court's proposed jury instruction on the defense of premises. The trial court overruled the defendant's objection. At the close of the State's case, defendant moved to dismiss the resisting arrest or detention charge, arguing that the State presented no evidence that the police officer attempted to arrest or detain the defendant. The trial court denied the motion. On appeal to the New Hampshire Supreme Court, defendant argued that the trial court erred: (1) by instructing the jury that the defendant must exhaust all non-violent alternatives before using force in defense of premises; and (2) by denying his motion to dismiss the resisting arrest or detention charge for insufficient evidence. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. West" on Justia Law

Defendant Josiah Mayo appealed after a jury convicted him of first degree assault with a deadly weapon, and reckless second degree assault. On appeal, he argued that the Superior Court erred by: (1) failing to instruct the jury that his use of force in defense of his cousin was justified if he reasonably believed that his cousin was not the initial aggressor or provoker; (2) denying his motion to dismiss the first degree assault charge on the grounds that his shod foot could not constitute a deadly weapon under RSA 625:11, V (2007); and (3) allowing the admission of evidence of the defendant’s prior convictions for impeachment purposes. Given that there was some evidence both that the cousin was the initial aggressor or provoker and that defendant was unaware of his cousin’s aggressive and/or provocative actions, the Supreme Court could not conclude that the trial court’s erroneous instructions did not affect the verdict, and therefore were harmless, beyond a reasonable doubt. Accordingly, the Court held that this error required that defendant’s convictions be reversed and that he be granted a new trial. View "New Hampshire v. Mayo" on Justia Law

Defendant Jason McGill appealed his conviction by jury of felony delivery of an unlawful article to a prisoner On appeal, he argued that the superior court erred in its instructions to the jury that in order to convict, it had to find that defendant acted "knowingly." Defendant argued the proper mens rea for the crime was "purposely." The Supreme Court agreed, reversed and remanded for further proceedings. View "New Hampshire v. McGill" on Justia Law

Petitioner John Doe appealed a superior court order granting summary judgment to the State on his declaratory judgment action. In that action, petitioner sought a ruling that RSA chapter 651-B was unconstitutional as applied to him, because it violated the prohibition against retrospective laws and the due process clause of the State constitution. Petitioner pled guilty to two counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault which occurred in 1983 and 1984. On January 1, 1994, the petitioner became subject to registration as a sex offender. According to the petitioner, he was not aware of this requirement until 2004, but since then he has complied with all of the registration requirements. Since an injury in 2006, the petitioner has been permanently disabled. He must use a cane to get around and he must use a scooter to travel any significant distance. Due to his injury and subsequent disability, the petitioner’s physicians have recommended that he obtain public housing in order to meet his medical needs. The petitioner sought housing through the Manchester Housing Authority and was initially approved. However, his approval was revoked because of his status as a registered sex offender. Upon review, the Supreme Court found that RSA 651-B was intended by the Legislature as regulatory, but due to petitioner's disability and difficulties with housing, the statute exceeded "simply burdening or disadvantaging the petitioner, and we can no longer find that the effects are 'de minimus.'" "Absent the lifetime-registration-without-review provision, [the Supreme Court] would not find the other effects of the act sufficiently punitive to overcome the presumption of its constitutionality." The Supreme Court further concluded that the act could be enforced against petitioner consistently with the constitutional prohibition against retrospective laws only if he was promptly given an opportunity for either a court hearing, or an administrative hearing subject to judicial review, at which he was permitted to demonstrate that he no longer posed a risk sufficient to justify continued registration. The Court therefore affirmed in part, reversed in part, and remanded for further proceedings. View "John Doe v. New Hampshire" on Justia Law

A jury convicted defendant Brian Craig on one count of criminal threatening, one count of witness tampering, and one count of stalking. The convictions arose from a series of messages defendant posed on his Facebook page that were directed towards his victim. Defendant unsuccessfully moved to dismiss all three charges, and on appeal, argued that the trial court erred in not dismissing the charges as to witness tampering and stalking (defendant did not appeal criminal threatening). Finding the evidence was sufficient to sustain the charges against him, and that the trial court did not err in its judgment, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Craig" on Justia Law

Defendant Robert Towle was convicted by jury on four counts of aggravated felonious sexual assault for engaging in fellatio and anal penetration with his minor son, and on four counts of criminal liability for the conduct of another for encouraging his wife and another adult to engage in sexual acts with his minor son. The trial court sentenced defendant to serve 57 to 114 years in prison and ordered defendant to have no contact with the victim, the reporting witness, and his other minor son. On appeal, defendant raised two challenges to his convictions and one challenge to his sentence: (1) the trial court erred by permitting the State to use prior statements to refresh the victim's recollection when the victim had not demonstrated an inability to recall the relevant event; and (2) the trial court erred by permitting the State to introduce testimony referring to inadmissible photographic evidence. In addition, defendant argued that the trial court erred by imposing the no-contact order. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Towle" on Justia Law

After a jury trial, defendant Kevin Balch was convicted on two counts of burglary, six counts of receiving stolen property, and six counts of violating the armed career criminal statute. On appeal, defendant challenged the sentence imposed pursuant to the armed career criminal statute, and argued that the trial court erred by construing it to: (1) permit a conviction and sentence for each individual firearm he possessed on a single occasion; (2) require that each sentence be served consecutively rather than concurrently; and (3) prohibit the trial court from deferring some or all of said sentences. Finding no reversible error, the Supreme Court affirmed. View "New Hampshire v. Balch" on Justia Law