Ruling raises new questions about remote testimony in court
ASSOCIATED PRESS - The ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court, photographed Thursday, Jan 13, 2021, reversed the statutory rape conviction of Rodney A. Smith from St. Louis. The court found that an investigator's video testimony violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confront the witnesses against him. Unlike many pandemic-era cases, the trial judge went ahead despite the defendant's objections. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
The ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court, photographed Thursday, Jan 13, 2021, reversed the statutory rape conviction of Rodney A. Smith from St. Louis. The court found that an investigator's video testimony violated the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to confront the witnesses against him. Unlike many pandemic-era cases, the trial judge went ahead despite the defendant's objections. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
An overturned conviction in Missouri is raising new questions about video testimony in criminal court cases nationwide, and the ruling could have ripple effects through a justice system increasingly reliant on remote technology as it struggles with a backlog of cases during the coronavirus pandemic.
Missouri’s highest court on Tuesday reversed the statutory rape conviction of Rodney Smith in a case from St. Louis, finding that an investigator’s video testimony violated the defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to confront the witnesses against him.
https://krcgtv.com/news/local/ruling-raises-new-questions-about-remote-testimony-in-court