State v. Edwards
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The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the district court judge denying Defendant's motion for a new trial on the basis of DNA testing results, holding that the district judge did not abuse her discretion by concluding that there was no "reasonable probability" the DNA results would have changed the original trial's outcome.
Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to possess with intent to sell hallucinogenic drugs, and aggravated robbery. Approximately a dozen years later, Defendant filed a request for DNA testing on some items found at the crime scene. The district judge granted the request. Defendant filed a motion to set aside his conviction or grant him a new trial in light of the DNA test results. The district judge denied the motion, concluding that the new DNA evidence was "not reasonably probable to lead to a jury reaching a different result." The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the district judge did not abuse her discretion in denying relief.
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