State v. Saunders

HALL, Chief Justice:

Defendant appeals from his convictions of burglary, 1 theft, 2 possession of a firearm by a restricted person, 3 and being a habitual criminal. 4 He was accused of these offenses in connection with an incident in April 1982, in which a home in Sandy, Utah, was broken into and various property, including firearms, was stolen.

Before trial, defendant’s counsel moved to sever the firearm count from the remaining charges. The motion was denied. Trial on the burglary, theft, and firearm counts proceeded before a jury. The primary evidence against defendant was the testimony of…