State v. Cosby

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Beier, J.:

This is Lafayette Damon Ester Cosby’s direct appeal of his of first-degree premeditated murder conviction after a second trial. He raises four issues: (1) Whether evidence of a question Cosby asked police was properly excluded as hearsay; (2) whether a lesser included offense instruction on voluntary manslaughter should have been given; (3) whether evidence of premeditation was sufficient to support Cosby’s conviction; and (4) whether the prosecutor engaged in reversible misconduct.

Factual and Procedural Background

Cosby, Bouba Sembene, and…