S-22-0934 State of Nebraska (Appellee) v. Makhi Woolridge-Jones (Appellant)
Appeal from the District Court for Douglas County, Judge James M. Masteller
Attorneys: Christine A. Mori (Asst. Douglas County Public Defender for Appellant) and Jordan M. Osborne (Asst. Attorney General for Appellee)
Criminal: Expert Testimony and Excessive Sentence
Proceedings below: After a jury found Appellant guilty of second-degree murder, second-degree assault, and two counts of use of a weapon to commit a felony, the district court sentenced him to fifty (50) to eighty (80) years in prison, a concurrent ten (10) year to twenty (20) year prison term, and two, separate consecutive prison terms for a mandatory minimum of five (5) years to ten (10) years, respectively. On its own motion, the Supreme Court ordered this case to be transferred from the docket of the Court of Appeals to its docket.
Issues: Appellant makes the following assignments of error: 1) The district court erred when it sustained the State’s Motion in Limine and excluded the expert opinion testimony of Dr. Colleen Conoley at trial; 2) The district court erred in finding sufficient evidence to warrant convictions beyond a reasonable doubt on the charges of second degree murder, second degree assault, and two counts of use of a deadly weapon (firearm) to commit a felony; and 3) The district court abused its discretion and imposed an excessive sentence that failed to account for Appellant’s age, educational experience, and social background.