North Dakota Supreme Court

State v. Kennedy

July 17, 20252025 ND 130

Summary

The court affirmed Kennedy's murder conviction and life-without-parole sentence. It held that Kennedy invited or failed to preserve his challenges to character evidence, did not establish obvious error from the prosecutor's closing argument, and failed to show an abuse of discretion in denying substitute counsel. The court also emphasized that counsel must support appellate arguments with an accurate record.