State v. Forcier

AMDAHL, Chief Justice.

The main questions in this criminal appeal are whether any error in admitting defendant’s exculpatory statement during the state’s case-in-chief is subject to harmless error analysis and, if so, whether the error was indeed harmless. Answering both questions affirmatively, we reverse the decision of the court of appeals and reinstate the judgment of conviction.

Defendant, age 21, and the complainant, age 23, are two young men who, during their adolescent years, were victims of sexual abuse by complainant’s father. Defendant, however, in addition to being a victim, was…