State v. Chandler

The opinion of the court was delivered by Biles, J.:

*716 In a criminal prosecution, the State's obligation is to ensure its case is vigorously, but properly, championed to bring about a just conviction-not merely a win. Prosecutors are the State's instrument in fulfilling this duty. When they fail, our system **659 fails, and the safeguards protecting the constitutional right to a fair trial strain to the breaking point. That is what happened in this case. To its credit, the State belatedly concedes one serious prosecutorial error, although there were more. We reverse Dana L. Chandler's…