by Benjamin Keller | Apr 16, 2025 | Utah Appellate Court Opinions
Facts of the Case Lightel pled guilty to multiple counts of sexual exploitation of a minor based on his possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM or child pornography). An adult convicted of this offense in Utah generally must register as a sex offender for life....
by Benjamin Keller | Mar 20, 2025 | Criminal Defense, Utah Appellate Court Opinions
Smith was convicted by a jury at trial on a felony charge of rape. He raised several issues on appeal, including multiple claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, and a claim that the district court erred when denying his motion to dismiss based on destruction of...
by Benjamin Keller | Mar 3, 2025 | Utah Appellate Court Opinions
Facts of the Case Johnson and Chris were friends who regularly hung out at Johnson’s residence. One night Chris came to Johnson’s house, angered over a dispute with Johnson involving lottery tickets. Johnson’s son informed Chris that his father did not want to talk to...
by Megan Fowles | Feb 24, 2025 | Utah Appellate Court Opinions
Facts: In In re K.M., the case concerns a long-standing guardianship dispute over K.M., a minor. K.M.’s maternal grandmother initially petitioned for a protective order seeking custody in 2016, citing concerns over the child’s mother’s mental health. In...
by Benjamin Keller | Feb 19, 2025 | Criminal Defense, Utah Appellate Court Opinions
Facts of the Case In 2024 Flores filed a notice of appeal seeking review of a conviction from 2016 for sexual abuse of a child. Flores explained in a letter to the Second District Court that he had attempted to file his notice of appeal in November 2016 by depositing...
by Benjamin Keller | Feb 19, 2025 | Utah Appellate Court Opinions
At trial Taylor was convicted by a jury of one count of sodomy on a child. Taylor later appealed that conviction on grounds that the district court judge abused their discretion by failing to strike two potential jurors from the jury pool. Facts of the Case During...
