Supreme Court revises felony sentence
Four Indiana justices decided that a man who pleaded guilty to Class B felony possession of cocaine should have been sentenced to 12 years instead of 20.
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Court of Appeals upholds murder convictions
A man convicted of two murders failed in his appeal to the Indiana Court of Appeals, which ruled Monday that a Lake Superior Court did not err in allowing testimony about conflicting statements in reference to the fatal shootings.
Court affirms guilty but mentally ill sentence in DUI, resisting case
A six-year sentence for a man who fled from Greensburg police while intoxicated, crashed his van, injured his passenger and ran from the scene was affirmed Friday by the Indiana Court of Appeals.
7th Circuit upholds 300-month sentence
The United States Sentencing Guidelines aren’t susceptible to vagueness challenges, so a defendant’s claim that the career offender sentencing guideline is unconstitutionally vague failed, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled.
Man’s murder sentence upheld in abduction slaying
A man convicted of murder in Allen County will continue to serve a 65-year sentence after the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that the callousness of the crime merited the consideration of numerous aggravators.
COA: Sex offender registration statute not unconstitutional
The Indiana Court of Appeals held that a man who was convicted of violating requirements of the Indiana sex offender registry statute failed to show evidence of ex post facto law.
Attempted murder sentence upheld in Martinsville school shooting
A Martinsville teen who as an eighth-grader shot and seriously wounded a classmate will continue to serve a 35-year sentence with five years suspended for his attempted murder conviction as an adult.
COA finds court made several errors in sentencing
A trial court erred in sentencing a man who was on probation for one offense when he committed another, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
Revocation of probation was court error
A trial court erred when it revoked a man’s probation, because it failed to consider several factors before issuing that order, Indiana’s Court of Appeals ruled.
Defendants’ drug sentences ineligible for reduction
The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the sentences of six members of a Gary street gang for various crack cocaine and other offenses, finding none of the men are eligible to have their sentences reduced based on the retroactive crack cocaine amendments to the sentencing guidelines.
Defendant’s fleeing justifies delayed arrest
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the revocation of a man’s suspension for probation violations after finding the trial court did not err in ordering the man serve the remainder of his originally suspended sentence.
COA rules on first impression possession of marijuana issue
A woman’s objection over how much marijuana was being attributed to her led the Indiana Court of Appeals to apply for the first time Supreme Court precedent regarding possession of marijuana.
Judges uphold revocation of probation
The Indiana Court of Appeals affirmed the revocation of a man’s probation after he admitted a violation to the judge at his hearing on petition to revoke.
Man not prejudiced by lawyer’s failure to advise about deportation
A defendant’s trial counsel was deficient by not advising his client about the risk of deportation following a guilty plea, but the defendant wasn’t prejudiced by the performance, the Indiana Court of Appeals concluded.
Attorney sentenced to 8 years for theft
Stacy Sheedy, the Indianapolis attorney and accountant who pleaded guilty to theft charges for misappropriating nearly $600,000 from a guardianship account and family trust, was sentenced to eight years in prison Thursday.
Judges affirm denial of motion to withdraw plea
The trial court did not err when it denied a defendant’s motion to withdraw his guilty plea after his attorney failed to discover that the state could charge him with being a habitual offender in only one of the two separate causes that were filed against him, the Indiana Court of Appeals ruled.
5th Amendment right against self-incrimination not violated
The Indiana Court of Appeals ruled that because a defendant’s attorney asked a detective whether the defendant admitted to molesting his girlfriend’s daughter, the defense opened the door to the prosecution to ask about the scope of the interview. The defendant claimed his Fifth Amendment rights were violated when the detective said the defendant asked to “stop speaking” during the interview.
COA reverses conviction based on continuing crime doctrine
The Indiana Court of Appeals has reversed one conviction against a man charged with multiple offenses for stabbing his wife.
Judges affirm denial of post-conviction relief
The Indiana Court of Appeals has upheld the denial of a man’s request for post-conviction relief because he couldn’t prove that his trial or appellate counsel were ineffective.
7th Circuit upholds sentence for drug offenses
Dealing with the issue for the first time, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has held that a certificate of appealability is needed for the part of a case that challenges the denial of collateral relief.