Lapointe v. Commissioner of Correction

Summary

The court held that the prosecution violated the petitioner's due process rights by withholding a note indicating that the fire may have burned for only thirty to forty minutes, because the evidence could have supported an alibi when combined with expert testimony and Martin's testimony. It also held that the petitioner's first habeas counsel rendered ineffective assistance by abandoning the related Brady claim, and that the nondisclosure undermined confidence in the conviction. The court therefore affirmed the order granting habeas relief and requiring a new criminal trial.