State of Connecticut v. Peter Tarasco

Summary

The court affirmed the defendant's murder conviction and fifty-year sentence, holding that the sentencing court did not impermissibly penalize him for testifying in his own defense by considering his drug dealing. The information came from the presentence investigation report and independent trial testimony, and therefore did not establish a constitutional burden on the defendant's right to testify. Palmer, J., concurring, agreed with the result but would have expressly rejected the broader constitutional claim that a sentencing court may not consider a defendant's truthful, adverse testimony.