Category: Utah Appellate Decisions
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State v. McDonald (2025 UT App 172)
The Utah Court of Appeals has thrown out an aggravated assault conviction after finding that the defense attorney gave jurors the wrong definition of the word “likely.” This mistake confused…
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State v. Menzies, 2025 UT 38
August 30, 2025 – The Utah Supreme Court has halted the execution of death row inmate Ralph Leroy Menzies, ruling that the district court erred when it denied his petition…
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State v. Barner, 2020 UT App 68
In this appeal the court addressed their standard for review when looking at an issue of a district court’s denial of a motion for a directed verdict.
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State v. Diviney, 2021 UT App 106
This appeal involved multiple issues, including the claim that the trial court improperly denied a motion for directed verdict. The Court discussed the proper standard of review for this issue.
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State v. Canton, 2013 UT 44
How should a court determine the ordinary meaning of nontechnical terms of a statute?
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State v. Pham, 2016 UT App 105
What evidence is sufficient to support a finding of serious bodily injury?
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State v. Ricks, 2013 UT App 238
Did sufficient evidence support a conviction for depraved indifference murder?
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Strickland v. Washington, 466 U.S. 668 (1984)
What must be established in a claim of ineffective assistance of counsel in criminal cases?
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State v. Frausto, 2002 UT App 259
What words in jury instructions should the court offer further definition for?
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State v. Couch, 635 P.2d 89 (Utah 1981)
When must a court further define terms of common usage given in a jury instruction?
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State v. Abonza, 2025 UT App 101 – Analysis
In State v. Abonza, 2025 UT App 101, the Utah Court of Appeals delivered a sharp reminder: Police need probable cause at the moment of arrest, not a prediction that…
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State v Hintze, 2022 UT App 117
This appeal involves a question of whether a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to a speedy trial was violated after the State did not prosecute the case for over two years…