Latest Case: State v. Turner (Criminal Law)

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State v. Turner

Docket: SC20186

Opinion Date: February 18, 2020

Judge: D’Auria

Areas of Law: Criminal Law

The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Appellate Court affirming Defendant's conviction of felony murder, robbery in the first degree, and conspiracy to commit robbery in the first degree, holding that Defendant was not entitled to any review of his unpreserved claim that the trial court improperly failed to conduct a hearing before admitting certain evidence. Specifically, on appeal Defendant argued that the trial court erred by failing sua sponte to conduct a hearing pursuant to State v. Porter, 698 A.2d 739 (Conn. 1997), before admitting expert testimony regarding cell phone data and corresponding cell tower coverage maps. The Appellate Court held that Defendant's claim was unpreserved and unreviewable under State v. Golding, 567 A.2d 823 (Conn. 1989), because it was evidentiary, not constitutional, in nature. The court further declined to review the claim under the plain error doctrine or under its supervisory authority over the administration of justice. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that because Defendant failed to establish that any evidentiary error occurred, Defendant was not entitled to review of his unpreserved claim.