S-15-0370 State v. Laron Jones (Appellant)
Douglas County, Judge Duane Dougherty
Attorneys: Thomas C. Riley & Jessica C. West (Public Defender's Office) (Appellant) --- Kimberly A. Klein (Attorney General's Office)
Criminal: First degree murder; motion to suppress
Proceedings below: Following a jury trial, Appellant was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Issues: 1) It was plain error for the district court to deny Appellant's motion to suppress witness identification testimony at the time of the trial in violation of the fourth, fifth, and sixth amendments to the U.S. Constitution and Art. 1, Sec. 7 and 12 of the Constitution of the State of Nebraska, 2) it was reversible error for the district court to refuse jury instruction # 2 offered by Appellant which addressed the critical cross-racial identification issues in the case, 3) the district court abused its discretion by supporting a verdict based on evidence that is insufficient to prove Appellant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and 4) the sentence imposed on Appellant by the district court was excessive and thus an abuse of discretion.