Read US v. Wilson, 06-4180

Defendant's conviction for conspiracy to kidnap, a sentence of life imprisonment, and district court's denial of defendant's post-sentencing motions for a new trial are affirmed where: 1) given the strength of the government's case, the extensive evidence of defendant's guilt, the prosecution's limited use of challenged evidence during the trial, and the court's cautionary instructions to the jury, the erroneous introduction of a shooting did not affect the jury's verdict; 2) prosecution's closing arguments did not misstate the law of conspiracy or otherwise mislead the jury, nor did it prejudice defendant's trial so as to deny him due process; 3) defendant's written statement was admissible, and the district court did not err in using it in determining defendant's sentence; 4) district court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motion for a new trial based on the government's failure to turn over a statement to defendant prior to trial; and 5) district court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motion for a new trial.

Appellate Information

• Argued 05/13/2010
• Submitted 08/11/2010
• Decided 08/11/2010
• Published 08/11/2010

Judges

• AGEE

Court

• United States Fourth Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Robert Kelsey Kry, Sandra Wilkinson