State v. Isaiah Pinkerton

Syllabus

The defendant, Isaiah Pinkerton, appealed from a judgment of conviction and commitment following a jury trial held in the Providence County Superior Court. On appeal, the defendant contended that the trial justice erred in denying his motion to suppress cell phone records obtained through a search warrant and his motion to suppress evidence from a particular DNA buccal swab obtained with his consent. The Supreme Court determined that, when read in the context of the totality of the circumstances, the affidavit satisfied the standard that probable cause existed as to the likelihood that the defendant committed the shooting on August 1, 2021, and that evidence relevant to that crime would be found in his cell phone records. With respect to the evidence obtained through the buccal swab, the Supreme Court concluded that deference was accorded to the trial justice's findings of fact and that upon de novo review, no evidence whatsoever was produced that the defendant's will was overborne when he consented to the buccal swab. The Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of conviction.