Supreme Court of Connecticut
State v. Patrick M.
September 2, 2022344 Conn. 565
Summary
The court held that the circumstantial evidence was sufficient to support the defendant’s murder and firearm-possession convictions, and that the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting evidence of his threatening conduct toward the victim’s former partner. It nevertheless concluded that the prosecutor improperly used the defendant’s post-Miranda silence during closing argument and that the state failed to prove the constitutional error harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The convictions were therefore reversed and the case was remanded for a new trial.