Today the Nevada Supreme Court published an opinion reversing our client’s two convictions for the Nevada crime of rape. The justices held that the lower court committed a “structural error,” effectively voiding the guilty verdicts. So as it stands now, it is as if our client’s trial never took place.
Our client was originally arrested in 2010 on rape allegations. Three years later, he stood trial in the Eighth Judicial District Court. When the jury returned an unfavorable verdict, our legal team at Las Vegas Defense Group, LLC, promptly appealed.
We pointed out to the Nevada Supreme Court that the trial judge plainly violated Nevada law (NRS 16.030(5)) by failing to administer an oath to the jury pool prior to beginning jury selection. In the published decision, Nevada Supreme Court Justice Michael Cherry agreed that the trial judge’s mistake compromised the integrity of the judicial process. Accordingly, Nevada’s highest court threw out the guilty verdicts, and our client’s case is now being remanded back to the lower courts for a new trial.
- To read the Nevada Supreme Court’s published opinion, click here.
- To listen to our attorney Michael Becker argue the appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court, click here.
- To read the case filings including our appellate briefs, click here.
Read our articles about another Las Vegas Defense Group client winning an acquittal of rape in Pahrump and a Las Vegas Defense Group client winning a dismissal in an attempt murder case.
