People v. Bonds

In the present appeal we encounter the contentions of the defendant that the rule barring hearsay testimony was improperly invoked so as to preclude her defense at trial. Following a jury trial, Stephanie Bonds was convicted of first degree murder of her 10-week-old son and sentenced to a term of 45 years’ imprisonment. On appeal, she contends that the trial court’s erroneous evidentiary rulings precluded her from offering prior inconsistent statements of her own witness as impeachment and as declarations against penal interest. She also requests that the mittimus be corrected to reflect only…