Hines v. People

Defendant John M. Hines was charged with burglary and found guilty by a jury. By writ of error, he urges reversal on the ground that the prosecution’s questioning and closing argument brought forth impermissible references concerning the fact that defendant had exercised his Fifth Amendment right to remain silent when questioned by the police. We agree, and therefore, reverse the judgment and remand this cause for a new trial.

The defendant was accused of burglarizing an apartment from which he removed a color TV set. A resident of the building saw the burglar remove the TV set and obtained…