Williams v. State

Argued Before: Barbera, C.J. Greene, * Adkins, McDonald, Watts, Hotten, Getty, JJ.

Greene, J.

**339 In this case, we consider whether the trial court committed harmless error when it denied the Petitioner's motion for new trial where the trial court gave a pattern jury instruction that erroneously omitted an element of the sole offense for which the petitioner was convicted. On November 21, 2016, a jury in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County convicted Petitioner Craig Williams ("Mr. Williams") of first-degree child abuse. On December 1, 2016, Mr. Williams filed a Motion for New Trial…