State v. Simmons

Summary

The court affirmed the defendant’s convictions for murder, home invasion, and first-degree burglary, concluding that the evidence permitted the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed the crimes. It also upheld the denial of a third-party culpability instruction because unidentified DNA on a common household hammer, considered with the surveillance and investigative evidence, did not directly connect another person to the crimes. The court further concluded that the prosecutor’s challenged comments were permissible arguments based on the evidence and reasonable inferences and did not deprive the defendant of a fair trial.