Commonwealth v. Kartozia

PRESENT: All the Justices COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA OPINION BY v. Record No. 240294 CHIEF JUSTICE S. BERNARD GOODWYN JUNE 5, 2025 LUKA KARTOZIA FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA In this appeal, we consider whether the circuit court erred in denying a jury instruction, proposed by the defendant, regarding a good-faith claim-of-right defense to a trespassing charge. I. BACKGROUND Just after midnight on February 23, 2022, security guard Herman Austin observed Luka Kartozia near a back entrance of Turnberry Tower, a condominium high rise. Kartozia’s presence there was unusual for several…