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New York Court of Appeals Reverses Murder Conviction Where Trial Court’s Evidentiary Rulings Deprived Defendant of ‘Opportunity to Present Complete Defense’
by Douglas Ankney
The Court of Appeals of New York reversed Deshawn Deverow’s murder conviction after concluding the trial court’s evidentiary rulings deprived him of “a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense.”
At 12:30 a.m. on December 29, 2012, a woman identified as B.M. called 911 …
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More from this issue:
- False Confession Generator: How Accusatorial Interrogations Undermine the Pursuit of Justice, by Anthony Accurso
- Arizona Supreme Court Announces Jury Unanimity Required Regarding Narcotic Type Under Possession Statute, by Anthony Accurso
- Against the Flow: How the National Registry of Exonerations Is Working to Turn the Tide of Wrongful Convictions Across U.S., by Benjamin Tschirhart
- Ninth Circuit Announces District Courts May Consider First Step Act’s Non-Retroactive Changes to Sentencing Law When Deciding Motion for Compassionate Release, by Douglas Ankney
- Across the Nation, Cops Use ‘Fog Reveal’ to Track More Than 250 Million Mobile Devices, by Douglas Ankney
- First Circuit Reverses Denial of Habeas Relief Where District Court Found Batson Error but Observed AEDPA, Deferred to State Court’s Finding that No Batson Error Occurred, by Douglas Ankney
- Federal Habeas Corpus: How to Raise an Actual Innocence Claim, by Dale Chappell
- Second Circuit Announces District Courts Must Provide Habeas Petitioners with Notice and Opportunity To Be Heard Before Dismissing Petition Sua Sponte Based on Stone’s Limitation on Fourth Amendment Claims, by Douglas Ankney
- Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Criminal Record Alone Does Not Justify Patfrisk, Gun Discovered in Waistband Suppressed, by Jacob Barrett
- Third Circuit: Defendant Entitled to Reasonable Opportunity to File Sentencing Memo Before Resentencing Under First Step Act, by David Reutter
- Fifth Circuit Denies Absolute Immunity for Prosecutor Who Fabricated Evidence in Murder Conviction and Death Sentence, by Douglas Ankney
- Prosecutors in These States Can Review Sentences They Deem Extreme. Few Do., by Charlie Lee, Matt Nadel
- Fourth Circuit Announces Substantive Reasonableness Review Applies to All Proceedings Under § 404 of First Step Act, Regardless of Whether Motion Is Granted or Denied, by Douglas Ankney
- Sixth Circuit Announces Criminal Forfeiture Under Fed. R. Crim. P. 32.2(b) Is Mandatory Claims-Processing Rule, Reverses $62.5 Million Money Judgments, by Douglas Ankney
- Colorado Supreme Court: Police Officer’s ‘Hunches’ Cannot Establish Probable Cause, Determination Requires Consideration of Facts Weighing in Favor and Against Probable Cause, by Anthony Accurso
- Kentucky Supreme Court Announces Obtaining Real-Time CSLI Data Constitutes a Search Under Fourth Amendment, Addressing Legal Question U.S. Supreme Court Explicitly Left Open in Carpenter, by Anthony Accurso
- New York Court of Appeals Reverses Murder Conviction Where Trial Court’s Evidentiary Rulings Deprived Defendant of ‘Opportunity to Present Complete Defense’, by Douglas Ankney
- Miami Police Officer Who Broke ‘Blue Code of Silence’ Being Investigated, by Casey Bastian
- Eighth Circuit: District Court Erred in Denying Government’s Motion to Dismiss Charges as Part of Plea Agreement, by David Reutter
- NIST’s Upgrade to Software Reference Library Makes Data More Accessible to Law Enforcement, by Douglas Ankney
- For $10 Billion, New Yorkers Get a Police Package Deal That Includes Corrupt Career Officers and Almost 1,000 Criminal Cases Tossed, by Douglas Ankney
- Indiana Supreme Court Announces Trial Rule 26(B)(3) Governs Whether Police Reports Are Protected Work Product, Expressly Overruling Keaton, by Douglas Ankney
- Variability in Records Requests Obscures Police Use of Surveillance, by Anthony Accurso
- U.S. Senator to Federal Agency: Investigate Abusive Use of Administrative Subpoena Power to Gather Bulk Financial Records, by Casey Bastian
- Fog Data Science, Your Hometown Data Broker, by Anthony Accurso
- Due Processless Civil Asset Forfeitures in Houston, Texas, by Edward Lyon
- News in Brief
More from Douglas Ankney:
- The Dramatic Increase in the Elderly Prison Population Is Fiscally and Morally Irresponsible, Oct. 1, 2026
- Second Circuit Affirms Denial of Qualified Immunity but Clarifies that 14th Amendment ‘Objective Reasonableness’ Is Standard of Review for Pretrial Detainee’s Claim of Sexual Abuse, Oct. 1, 2026
- California Supreme Court Announces Totality-of-Circumstances Framework Focused on Defendant’s Subjective Understanding Under § 1473.7(a)(1), Holding Immigration Consequences Advisement Is Relevant but Not Dispositive, Oct. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Conflicting Affidavits About Plea Acceptance Require Evidentiary Hearing on Ineffective-Assistance Claim, Oct. 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Vacates Award of Costs to Prison Officials, Revives Prisoner’s Claim Alleging Denial of Access to Functioning Toilets and Exposure to Other Prisoners’ Feces, Oct. 1, 2026
- Second Circuit Vacates Above-Guidelines Firearm-Trafficking Sentence Based on Failure to Assist Law Enforcement and Unexplained Reliance on Factors Already Included in Guidelines Range, Sept. 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Reverses Convictions, Holding Requirement That Defendant Testify Before Displaying Hand Tattoos Violates Fifth Amendment, Sept. 1, 2026
- Ohio Supreme Court Announces Postconviction DNA-Testing Orders Need Only Identify Statutory Reason to Satisfy R.C. 2953.73(D) “Reasons” Requirement, Sept. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Upholds Consultants’ Finding that Oklahoma Is Not Honoring Its Consent Decree to Provide Mental Health Treatment, Sept. 1, 2026
- Idaho Legislature Moves to Hide Execution Protocol from Judicial Scrutiny, Sept. 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Liability but Reverses Damages in Lawsuit Over Illinois Warden and Investigator Using Prisoner as Bait to Catch Staff Member Raping Her, May 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Failure to Protect (General), Damages, Evidentiary Ruling, Cruel and Unusual Punishment.
- Second Circuit Holds Exclusion of Evidence Corroborating Defendant’s Testimony About Third-Party Statements Bearing on Intent Was Error, Clarifying That Rule 404(b) Does Not Bar Non-Propensity Evidence Offered to Support Credibility, March 1, 2026. Evidentiary Claims, Abuse of Discretion Standard, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence, Character/Reputation/Propensity, Plain/Harmless Error.
- Kansas Supreme Court: Trial Court Erred by Admitting Evidence of Prior Crimes Without Proper Foundation Because State Failed to Prove Defendant Committed Those Crimes, Nov. 15, 2025. Lack of Evidence, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence, Prejudice - Potential for Undue, Character/Reputation/Propensity, Bad Acts Evidence.
- Third Circuit: Where Prosecutor “Flooded” Jury Trial With Evidence of Defendant’s Prior Bad Acts, Counsel Was Constitutionally Ineffective in Not Seeking Contemporaneous Limiting Instructions and Not Objecting When Evidence Went Beyond Limited Purpose –, Oct. 15, 2025. Jury Instructions, Strickland Standard, Failure to Preserve Challenge, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence, Bad Acts Evidence.
- ‘Sexome’ Bacteria Offers New Path to Justice in Sexual Assault Cases Where DNA Is Not Present, May 15, 2025. Evidentiary Ruling, Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- Federal Facial Recognition Technology Fails Again, Feb. 1, 2025. Computer Searches, Evidentiary Ruling, Forensic Sciences.
- Ohio Supreme Court Announces Self-Defense Jury Instruction Does Not Require Intent to Harm or Kill Assailant, Oct. 1, 2024. Defenses, Jury Instructions, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence.
- Third Circuit Orders Evidentiary Hearing on State Prisoner’s Petition Seeking Federal Habeas Relief Because Both State and Federal Courts Denied Relief Without Holding Hearing on IAC Claim That, if Proven, Would Entitle Him to Relief, Aug. 1, 2024. Evidentiary Ruling, Habeas Corpus, Ineffective Assistance of Counsel, Counsel - Effective Assistance of.
- Second Circuit Revives N.Y. Prisoner’s Suit Over Sing Sing Fire, 11 Other Prisoners Split $220,000 Settlement, Jan. 1, 2024. Failure to Protect (General), Fire Hazards, Administrative Exhaustion (PLRA), Summary Judgment, Evidentiary Ruling, Administrative Exhaustion.
- Tenth Circuit Announces District Court Erred in Applying Attempted Murder Cross-Reference Under U.S.S.G. § 2A2.1 Based on Malice Aforethought, Without Finding Intent to Kill, Nov. 1, 2023. Murder/Felony Murder, Unreasonable Application of Clearly Established Federal Law, Motive/Opportunity/Intent/Identity Evidence.





