State v. Solstad — Speculative fear did not establish compulsion defense
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed negligent homicide, holding that speculative fear of a pursuing driver did not require acceptance of a compulsion defense.
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Appellate Procedure
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State v. Hassan — Court affirms child-sex-abuse convictions
The Utah Court of Appeals rejected four ineffective-assistance claims and held that body-camera footage of a victim’s post-disclosure demeanor was properly admitted.
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Dahl v. Dahl — Court orders new review of marital trust assets
The Utah Court of Appeals upheld the divorce-date valuation of trust assets but vacated their distribution because the trial court did not resolve tracing and dissipation issues.
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State v. Garza — Court affirms aggravated-murder conviction against trial challenges
The Utah Court of Appeals affirmed an aggravated-murder conviction, rejecting challenges to voir dire, graphic evidence, intent testimony, jury instructions, and trial counsel’s performance.
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State v. Connelley — Court vacates credit-card convictions and orders PSI review
The Utah Court of Appeals vacated three credit-card convictions under merger doctrine and required an on-record resolution of presentence-report objections, while affirming consecutive sentences.