Ryan John Sanders, Petitioner v. State of Alaska, Respondent

Summary

The Alaska Supreme Court held that the trial court improperly excluded a deceased witness's recorded statement concerning the victims' plan to confront and assault Sanders. The court concluded that the victims' statements were admissible under the state-of-mind and residual hearsay exceptions, that the trial court applied an unnecessarily demanding reliability standard and improperly refused to consider corroborating evidence, and that the error was not harmless. The court reversed Sanders's convictions and remanded for a new trial.