State v. Treven Leonard

Summary

The Rhode Island Supreme Court affirmed the Superior Court’s judgment of conviction, upholding the trial justice’s denial of both the motion to pass the case and the motion for a new trial. The Court found that the prosecutor’s closing remarks did not impermissibly shift the burden of proof and that the cautionary instructions cured any prejudice. It also held that the complainant’s childhood trauma testimony was relevant and not unduly prejudicial, and that the defendant had waived certain arguments by failing to object timely.