Tag: Utah Appeals Criminal Cases
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State v Smith, 2025 UT App 35 – Destroyed Evidence
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…
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State v Johnson, 2025 UT App 13
In Utah, when a criminal defendant requests a jury instruction for an affirmative defense, the court must give that instruction if evidence has been presented providing any reasonable basis for…
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State v Chadwick, 2024 UT 34
In State v. Chadwick the Utah Supreme Court reviewed whether jury instructions provided by the district court violated the Unanimous Verdict Clause of the Utah Constitution. Facts Chadwick was charged…
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State v Molina, 2024 UT App 172
Facts Mr. Molina was offered a plea deal by the State, entailing a favorable State sentencing recommendation. Before the guilty plea was entered, however, the State withdrew their offer, claiming…
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State v Willden, 2024 UT 37
This appeal pertains to the Utah Rules of Criminal Procedure, specifically rule 16(b)(4) which exempts a defendant from disclosing discovery materials that would be considered attorney work product. Facts In…
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State v Salazar-Lopez, 2024 UT App 61
Facts Mr. Salazar-Lopez “pled guilty to multiple sexual offenses against a child” that were committed while he was also a minor. At the time these offenses occurred Utah Code 76-3-209…
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State v Sparling, 2024 UT App 59
Facts During a lawful traffic stop for various vehicle infractions (a missing license plate, broken brake light, etc.) and “suspicious” driving behavior, officers discovered that the driver, Mr. True Sparling,…
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State v Kufrin, 2024 UT App 86
Facts In 2021, Michael Kufrin was convicted of having murdered his girlfriend Peggy in 1988. The facts leading to the eventual discovery of Peggy’s murder, Kufrin’s conviction, and the current…
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State v Tran, 2024 UT 7
Facts In September, 2015 a grandmother did not arrive to pick up her eight-year old grandson from school despite previously always arriving on time to pick up the child. The…
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State v Begay, 2024 UT App 63
In 2021, Defendant faced charges for offenses allegedly committed in the 1990s. The Utah Court of Appeals dismissed the case due to statute of limitations issues, shedding light on what…
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State v Correa, 2024 UT App 69
Facts: In 2020 Sergio Correa was stopped by a police officer, leading to the discovery that Correa did not have a valid driver license as well as being under the…
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State v Cesspooch, 2024 UT App 15
The Utah Court of Appeals addressed two related issues in this appeal from a conviction for possession of drug paraphernalia. These issues included: The defendant was accused of possession of…