State of Utah, Plaintiff and Appellee v. George Wesley Hamilton, Defendant and Appellant

Summary

The court affirmed Hamilton's second-degree murder conviction, holding that the circumstantial evidence, including fingerprint evidence, was sufficient for a reasonable jury to find guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. It also held that the trial court properly refused a proposed special instruction on fingerprint evidence because such evidence is evaluated like other circumstantial evidence. The court did not decide whether evidence that Hamilton had previously abused his girlfriend was improperly admitted, concluding instead that any error was harmless. Justice Stewart concurred separately, stating that the fingerprint instruction could be appropriate in a case lacking other significant identity evidence and that the prior-abuse evidence was admissible.