State of Minnesota, Appellant, vs. Nicholas Lee Hill, Respondent
Supreme Court of Minnesota
1. The corpus delicti statute, Minn. Stat. § 634.03 (2024), which bars a conviction based solely on a confession, is satisfied for both completed offenses and attempt offenses when there is independent evidence that reasonably tends to prove the defendant committed the charged offense. 2. Respondent’s conviction for attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct does not violate the corpus delicti statute, Minn.
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1. The corpus delicti statute, Minn. Stat. § 634.03 (2024), which bars a conviction based solely on a confession, is satisfied for both completed offenses and attempt offenses when there is independent evidence that reasonably tends to prove the defendant committed the charged offense. 2. Respondent’s conviction for attempted first-degree criminal sexual conduct does not violate the corpus delicti statute, Minn. Stat. § 634.03, because the State’s evidence independent of respondent’s confession reasonably tends to show that respondent committed the offense. Reversed and remanded.
1Opinion of the Court
STATE OF MINNESOTA IN SUPREME COURT A23-0560 Court of Appeals Gaïtas, J. State of Minnesota, Appellant, vs. Filed: July 23, 2025 Office of Appellate Courts Nicholas Lee Hill, Respondent. ________________________ Keith Ellison, Attorney General, Saint Paul, Minnesota; and Mary F. Moriarty, Hennepin County Attorney, Robert I. Yount, Adam E. Petras, Assistant County Attorneys, Minneapolis, Minnesota, for appellant. Cathryn Middlebrook, Chief Appellate Public Defender, Adam Lozeau, Assistant State Public Defender, Saint Paul, Minnesota, for respondent. ________________________ SYLLABUS 1. The…
2Cases cited17 opinions
- State v. SpreiglSupreme Court of Minnesota · 1965
- State v. DernSupreme Court of Kansas · 2015
- State v. PakhnyukSupreme Court of Minnesota · 2019
- State v. KoskelaSupreme Court of Minnesota · 1995
- State v. McLarneSupreme Court of Minnesota · 1915
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