State v. Butterfield

ZIMMERMAN, Justice:

Dale Butterfield appeals from his jury conviction of rape, a first degree felony. See Utah Code Ann. § 76-5-402 (Supp. 1989). Butterfield claims, inter alia, that the trial court erred in granting the State’s motion to close his trial to the public, that he did not waive his right to a public trial, and that his counsel rendered ineffective assistance by failing to object to the court’s closure order. We affirm.

We recite the facts from the record in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict. E.g., State v. Verde, 770 P.2d 116, 117 (Utah 1989). The victim, a friend of…