State v. Riker

Deborah Riker raised the defense of duress to charges of delivery and possession of cocaine. She claimed that a police informant, Rupert Burke, coerced her into the crime with verbal threats. She also contended that her history as a battered woman in other relationships should have been made known to the jury, and she offered the testimony of an expert on the subject. The trial court instructed the jury on duress and allowed Riker to make a brief statement to the jury about her earlier batterings. However, the trial court disallowed the testimony of the expert witness. Riker claims that…