Sneed v. Burress

OPINION OF THE COURT BY

JUSTICE CUNNINGHAM

In 2012, Appellant, James L. Sneed, Jr., was indicted by the Bullitt County grand jury and charged with first-degree rape, first-degree sodomy, and first-degree incest. The alleged victim was Sneed’s granddaughter, referred to herein as Sarah.1 The matter proceeded to trial on July 29, 2014. During her opening statement, Sneed’s attorney commented that Sarah’s father—a scheduled witness for the Commonwealth—used untruthfulness as a mechanism for revenge. The Commonwealth objected and moved for a mistrial on the basis that defense counsel had…