State of New Hampshire v. Ashley Hayward

Although I agree with the majority that the trial court erred in ruling that evidence regarding threats or violent acts directed against the defendant by Tyler Dodge on occasions prior to the day of the robbery were irrelevant to her duress defense, I do not agree that this error requires the reversal of the defendant’s conviction.

I

Our traditional standard of review applicable to trial court evidentiary rulings is that the party claiming error must demonstrate that the trial court’s “ruling was clearly untenable or unreasonable to the prejudice of his case!’ State v. Deschenes, 156 N.H. 71,…