United States v. Deleon

by
Defendant was convicted of the second-degree murder and assault of his eight-year-old stepson. On appeal, defendant challenged his murder conviction and sentence. Among the issues defendant raised was a claim that the introduction of statements describing prior acts of abuse that the child made during a meeting with a social worker violated the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment. Applying Supreme Court precedent beginning with Crawford v. Washington, the court concluded that the primary purpose of the meeting between the child and the social worker was nontestimonial and therefore held that the admission of the child's statements did not violate defendant's constitutional rights. Finding no merit in any of defendant's other claims, the court affirmed the judgment. View "United States v. Deleon" on Justia Law