The State, Respondent v. George Adams, Appellant

Summary

The court affirmed Adams's convictions for murder and armed robbery, holding that evidence of a closely preceding robbery and contemporaneous cocaine use was admissible to establish intent, motive, and the context of the charged crimes. It further held that the trial court incorrectly found a Batson violation and quashed the original jury, but that the error caused no prejudice because Adams had no right to a particular jury and the replacement jury was not challenged. The court also held that the trial court was not required to define reasonable doubt at Adams's request. Finney, Chief Justice, concurring, agreed with affirmance but would not have altered the state's existing Batson procedure.