State v. Bashaw

The defendant, Darren Bashaw, appeals his conviction for two related first degree assault charges. See RSA 631:1 (1996). He asserts that the Superior Court (Perkins, J.) erroneously instructed the jury on self-defense and impermissibly precluded him from cross-examining the victim about a prior theft. We reverse and remand.

The jury could have found the following facts. The defendant and several co-workers were staying in the Greystone Motel in Gilford. Also at the motel was the victim, Calvin Dunn, III.

On the evening of March 31,1999, Dunn, the defendant, and some of the defendant’s…