State v. Oscar Muralles
Citations
- 154 A.3d 925
- 2017 WL 774605
- 2017 R.I. LEXIS 27
Syllabus
The defendant, Oscar Muralles, appealed from a judgment of conviction after a jury found him guilty of two counts of first-degree child molestation and two counts of second-degree child molestation. On appeal, the defendant contended that the trial justice erred in denying his motion for a new trial because, in the defendant's view, (1) the trial justice overlooked and misconceived the evidence and (2) the verdict failed to truly respond to the evidence and failed to do substantial justice between the parties. Specifically, the defendant argued that the trial justice erred in denying his motion for a new trial due to what he characterized as a lack of credibility on the part of the complaining witness and another witness and inconsistencies in their testimonies. The Supreme Court held that the trial justice conducted the proper analysis in passing upon the defendant's motion for a new trial. The Court concluded that the trial justice did not overlook or misconceive any material evidence in his determinations. Accordingly, the Court affirmed the Superior Court's judgment of conviction.
How courts have described this case
Verbatim parenthetical descriptions written by other courts when citing this decision. Ranked by citation-network relevance.
- noting that a defendant who chooses to testify at trial runs the risk “that if disbelieved, the trier of fact may conclude that the opposite of his testimony is the truth”
- acknowledging that the “trial justice did not discuss every inconsistency or improbable fact that defendant alleges[,]” but nevertheless, that the trial justice did not commit clear error in denying a motion for a new trial
- “We apply * * * a deferential standard of review [to a trial justice’s credibility determinations] because a trial justice, being present during all phases of the trial, is in an especially good position to evaluate the facts and to judge the credibility of the witnesses.”
Source: CourtListener parenthetical corpus (CC0).
Judges: Flaherty, Goldberg, Indeglia, Robinson, Suttell
Read full opinion on CourtListenerCited by
8 cases in this archive cite this case.
- State v. Tavell D. YonSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2017-06-09· cited 6×
- State v. Joseph OgoffaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2017-05-16· cited 3×
- State v. Chaquiro BlandinoSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2017-10-30· cited 3×
- State v. Francisco GuerreroSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2019-04-23
- State v. Cesar VazquezSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2021-12-02
- State v. Robert RegoSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2021-12-20
- State v. Edward DelossantosSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2023-03-13
- State v. Joseph ColettaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2025-07-09
Cites
24 cases in this archive are cited by this case; the 20 most cited are listed.
- State v. MattatallSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 1992-02-21· cited 87×
- State v. TexieiraSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2008-04-03· cited 65×
- State v. ImbrugliaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2007-01-16· cited 58×
- State v. MoralesSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2006-04-18· cited 42×
- State v. DiCarloSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2010-02-01· cited 41×
- State v. GuerraSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2011-02-15· cited 41×
- State v. James PaolaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2013-01-25· cited 37×
- State v. AdefusikaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2010-03-02· cited 37×
- State v. Lawrence ClaySupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2013-11-20· cited 26×
- State v. JimenezSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2011-12-14· cited 25×
- State v. JensenSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2012-04-10· cited 24×
- State v. FerreiraSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2011-06-23· cited 20×
- State v. RosarioSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2012-01-24· cited 20×
- State v. BunnellSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2012-06-22· cited 20×
- State v. Charles MitchellSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2013-11-27· cited 19×
- State v. John H. SilvaSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2014-02-03· cited 17×
- State v. Jose LopezSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2016-01-15· cited 17×
- State v. José GonzalezSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2012-12-10· cited 16×
- State v. Darnell HieSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2014-06-27· cited 15×
- State v. James LaPierreSupreme Court of Rhode Island· 2012-12-14· cited 11×
Sourced from CourtListener / Free Law Project (CC0).
This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.