Tag: john kellner
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Colorado legal experts weigh in on ‘truth in sentencing’ measure
Colorado voters earlier this month approved a ballot measure that increases the amount of time an individual convicted of certain violent crimes must serve before being eligible for parole and removes parole eligibility for those with two previous violent crime convictions. Proposition 128 passed with over 62% of the vote, which proponents said reflects Coloradans’ desire for…
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Prosecutorial misconduct, error-prone judge’s decision prompt appeals court to overturn homicide conviction
Misconduct by two prosecutors and a Douglas County judge’s decision to bar crucial testimony prompted Colorado’s second-highest court on Thursday to reverse a woman’s vehicular homicide conviction. Jurors convicted Jennifer Lea Woodruff of killing her coworker, Christopher Roberts, in a car accident along Interstate 25. The defense’s theory was that Woodruff’s medical condition caused her…
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‘Tough’ or ‘soft’ on crime? That framing misses the point, experts say | COVER
Amid the often-polarizing debates over crime at the state Capitol, the officers and experts who actually deal with criminal cases on a daily basis argued that to judge Colorado based on whether it is “soft” or “hard” entirely misses the point. The goal, they said, is to strike just the right balance. Veer too far…
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Ex-Douglas County judge’s errors stack up as appeals court reverses another conviction
Colorado’s second-highest court last week overturned a Douglas County defendant’s convictions because of an error by former District Court Judge Patricia Herron, continuing a pattern of reversals in her cases. Herron retired late last year, having been an 18th Judicial District Court judge since 2016. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Colorado Attorney…