Supreme Court of Connecticut
State v. Robert R.
August 6, 2021340 Conn. 69
Summary
The court held that the trial court violated the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel by preventing defense counsel from arguing that the complainant planted DNA evidence on a paper towel, because that theory was supported by reasonable inferences from the trial evidence and was central to the defense. The court also held that the complainant’s testimony was sufficient to establish the force element of first-degree sexual assault, despite the defendant’s failure to preserve that claim. The court declined to decide the challenge to the sexual-abuse expert’s qualifications because the evidentiary record could differ at retrial.