Hansley v. State

Summary

The Supreme Court of Delaware reversed Hansley’s convictions because the trial court improperly excluded a former police officer’s testimony that Hansley was a cocaine-addicted prostitute. The testimony was relevant to Hansley’s defense that another person controlled the heroin and that she lacked constructive possession and intent to deliver it, and the error was not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The court did not reach Hansley’s constitutional claim because the evidentiary error independently required reversal.