United States First Circuit

Conviction and life sentence of defendant for his role in an arson that killed a mother and her infant daughter are affirmed where: 1) there was no error in the denial of defendant's motion to suppress statements made to ATF agents; 2) there was no error in the court's exclusion of hearsay statements offered by defendant and limits on cross-examination; 3) district court correctly found a jurisdictional nexus with interstate commerce; and 4) defendant was properly sentenced as the district court's failure to explain the sentence was not plain error, correctly applied the sentencing guidelines and the life sentence was substantively reasonable.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/03/2010
• Published 05/03/2010

Judges

• LYNCH, Chief Judge., Before LYNCH, Chief Judge, SOUTER, Associate Justice, and STAHL, Circuit Judge.

Court

• United States First Circuit

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• James L. Sultan, with whom Jonathan Harwell and Rankin & Sultan were on brief, for the appellant.


• For Appellees:
  
• Sangita K. Rao, Attorney, Criminal Division, Appellate Section, with whom Lanny A. Breuer, Assistant Attorney General, Carmen M. Ortiz, United States Attorney, and Robert Richardson, Assistant United States Attorney, were on brief, for the appellee.