State v. James Adams

Citations

• 161 A.3d 1182
• 2017 WL 2656482
• 2017 R.I. LEXIS 90

Syllabus

The defendant, James Adams, appealed from a judgment of conviction of one count of first-degree robbery, two counts of felony assault, one count of second-degree murder, and one count of committing a crime of violence while possessing a firearm. Following the jury's guilty verdict, the defendant filed a motion for a new trial, which was heard and denied by a justice of the Superior Court. On appeal, the defendant maintained that he was entitled to a new trial because the weight of the evidence was insufficient to convict him and that the trial justice erred in deciding otherwise. The defendant also appealed the admission of certain evidence relating to cell phone data and analysis that was introduced at trial, which he claimed should have been excluded by the trial justice. The Supreme Court, after reviewing the extensive trial record, including exhibits and transcripts, held that the trial justice had articulated adequate grounds for denying the new-trial motion and had not overlooked or misconceived material evidence nor was he otherwise clearly wrong. The Supreme Court further held that the trial justice had not abused his discretion in admitting the evidence relating to cell phone data and analysis. Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the defendant's conviction on all counts of which he had been found guilty.