State of Minnesota v. Joseph Christen Thoresen

Summary

The court affirmed Thoresen’s conviction for first-degree premeditated murder and life sentence without release. It held that independent evidence sufficiently corroborated the accomplice’s testimony under the governing statute and that the district court did not abuse its discretion by declining specialized credibility instructions because the general instructions adequately covered the relevant considerations. The opinion also declined to adopt or decide whether to adopt a federal rule concerning instructions on testimony by drug addicts.