State v. Michael Patino

Justice Flaherty, for the Court.

The defendant, Michael Patino, appeals from a judgment of conviction for second-degree murder, in violation of G.L. 1956 § 11-23-1, after a jury found him guilty of murdering his girlfriend's six-year-old son. For that crime, he was sentenced to a term of life imprisonment. On appeal, the defendant claims that he is entitled to a new trial because the trial justice made three errors, two of which relate to the trial justice's jury instructions and one of which arises from the admission of certain testimony at trial. For the reasons set forth in this opinion, we…