State v. Craft

Opinion

ROTH, Judge:

¶ 1 Justin Paul Craft appeals his convictions for aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary, both first degree felonies. See Utah Code Ann. §§ 76-6-203, -302 (LexisNexis 2012). While we reject Craft’s claim that the eyewitness identifications were unreliable, we ultimately vacate Craft’s convictions and remand for a new trial based upon trial counsel’s ineffective assistance in failing to move for a mistrial due to a detective’s statement that codefendants had placed Craft at the scene of the crime.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 On March 12, 2013, at around 2:00 a.m., a man (the witness)…