State v. Gomes

Summary

The court held that the defendant's deportation did not moot his appeal because reversal could remove the reputational stain of his criminal conviction. On the merits, the court held that the trial court's investigative-inadequacy instruction created a reasonable possibility that the jury was misled and that the error was harmful because the state's case largely depended on the victim's identification. The court therefore reversed and ordered a new trial.