State v. Terwilliger

Opinion

ROGERS, C. J.

The primary issue in this case is whether a trial court’s failure to explicitly instruct the jury that the state bears the burden of disproving the defendant’s defense of premises theory beyond a reasonable doubt violates a criminal defendant’s due process right to a fair trial. The defendant, David B. Terwilliger, was convicted after a jury trial of manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm in violation of General Statutes § 53a-55a. The defendant appealed to the Appellate Court, which reversed the judgment of conviction and remanded the matter for a new trial.…