Summers v. State

OPINION

A jury found Sheila Ann Summers guilty of first degree murder with the use of a deadly weapon. The jury also found that the crime involved depravity of mind and sentenced Summers to death. Summers has raised several assignments of error. We are persuaded that the district court erred in admitting into evidence a suicide note implicating Summers in the murder which violated Summers’ constitutional rights and constitutes reversible error. Accordingly, we reverse Summers’ judgment of conviction and remand for a new trial.

THE FACTS

On the evening of September 14, 1982, Joy Spinney visited…