State v. Tony Reverdes

Syllabus

The defendant, Tony Reverdes, appealed from a judgment of conviction of five counts of first-degree robbery and three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery. On appeal, the defendant claimed that the trial justice erred by (1) failing to exclude certain statements the defendant made regarding firearms during a post-arrest police interview and (2) denying his motion for a new trial. <br><br>The Supreme Court concluded that the trial justice did not err in failing to exclude the defendant's statements made regarding firearms during his post-arrest police interview. Specifically, the Court concluded that the trial justice did not abuse his discretion in admitting the defendant's statements pursuant to Rule 404(b) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence. The Court also determined that the trial justice had not violated Rule 403 of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence when he decided not to preclude the admission of the defendant's statements. Lastly, the Court concluded that the trial justice did not err in denying the defendant's motion for a new trial because the verdict was not against the weight of the evidence.<br><br>Accordingly, the Supreme Court affirmed the judgment of the Superior Court.<br><br>