Rosales v. State

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The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals affirming Defendant's convictions, holding that this Court had jurisdiction to reach the merits of this appeal and that the trial court erred in excluding a witness' prior convictions for committing a violent crime in aid of racketeering (VICAR offense) for impeachment purposes but that the exclusion of those convictions was harmless.Defendant was found guilty of retaliation against a witness and participation in a criminal gang. The Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment of the trial court, holding that the trial court properly excluded a witness' prior VICAR offenses for impeachment purposes because those convictions involved violent crimes that were not relevant to credibility and were non-impeachable crimes. The Court of Appeals affirmed, holding (1) a witness' prior convictions for VICAR offenses are admissible for witness impeachment; and (2) although the trial court erred in excluding the witness' prior convictions for impeachment purposes, the court's error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. View "Rosales v. State" on Justia Law