The People of the State of New York, Respondent v. Howard S. Wright, Appellant

Summary

The New York Court of Appeals reversed the Appellate Division and ordered a new trial, holding that defense counsel was ineffective for failing to object to the prosecutor’s misrepresentations of DNA evidence during closing argument, and that such prosecutorial misconduct deprived the defendant of a fair trial. The court also rejected the defendant’s claim that the evidence was legally insufficient.