People v. Curtis

Defendants James Curtis and Andrew Ryder were found guilty of armed robbery in a bench trial. We reverse the convictions and remand for a new trial because of the violation of defendants’ sixth amendment right to counsel after adversarial judicial proceedings had been initiated against them and because of the exploitation of the results of that constitutional violation at trial.

On July 18, 1979, two men entered a liquor store at about 10 p.m., near closing time. They pretended to be customers and then wielded guns and removed a gun from a part-time security guard, Fred Kennie. They also took…