Henning v. Commissioner of Correction

Summary

The court held that the state violated the petitioner's due process right to a fair trial by failing to correct forensic testimony that incorrectly stated a towel contained blood. Because the state should have known the testimony was false or misleading, the respondent bore the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that the testimony was harmless, a burden not met given the testimony's role in explaining the absence of forensic evidence and supporting the credibility of the forensic witness. The judgment denying habeas relief was reversed, and the case was remanded for entry of judgment granting the petition and ordering a new trial.