State v. Brown

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Luckert, J.:

Akira Brown was convicted of first-degree premeditated murder after James Cooper died of a single gunshot wound to the head. According to the prosecution’s theory, the shooting was motivated by animosity between rival street gangs. Several eyewitnesses identified Brown as the shooter and, after several hours of interrogation, he confessed. In defense arguments to the jury, Brown’s attorney suggested police focused on Brown as the suspect within a few minutes after the shooting and, con sequently, ignored evidence pointing to other suspects.…