State v. Gerrier

The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed Appellant’s conviction of gross sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact, and furnishing liquor to a minor, holding that the court did not err in determining that Appellant was competent to stand trial.Appellant entered conditional guilty pleas to all three charges. On appeal, Appellant argued primarily that the court erred when it determined that he was competent to stand trial. The Supreme Judicial Court affirmed, holding (1) the party seeking the determination of incompetence must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant is incompetent to proceed; and (2) the trial court in this case correctly allocated the burden of proof, applied the appropriate evidentiary standard, and did not err in finding Appellant competent to stand trial. View "State v. Gerrier" on Justia Law