Latta, Roger v. LaPorte County Sheri

Order

On February 14, 1989, the house of Roger and Jacqueline Latta burned down. Their son Brad, age 2, died in the blaze. Investigators decided that the fire was deliberate and that the Lattas had set the blaze. A jury convicted them of arson and, because of Brad’s death, felony murder. The convictions were affirmed on direct appeal. After the Lattas had served 11 years in prison, however, the Supreme Court of Indiana held that they were entitled to collateral relief because their lawyer had furnished ineffective assistance. Latta v. State, 743 N.E.2d 1121 (Ind.2001). The prosecutor decided…