Supreme Court of Rhode Island
State v. Mark Sampson
July 8, 20112011 R.I. LEXIS 112
Summary
The Rhode Island Supreme Court vacated Mark Sampson’s conviction for second‑degree child abuse because his waiver of counsel was not knowing, intelligent, and voluntary, violating his Sixth Amendment rights, and because the trial justice erred in interpreting the statute by deleting the word “serious.” The Court remanded for a new trial and instructed the lower court to determine the seriousness of the injury. Justice Goldberg dissented, arguing the waiver was valid and the conviction should stand.