In OCCA case No. N 2014-153, Harris appealed his conviction for First Degree Murder. In a published decision, the court affirmed the death sentence, finding sufficient evidence of his crime and rejecting claims of an incomplete trial record. One judge dissented. [occa_caption]
In OCCA case No. F-2010-307, the appellant appealed his conviction for first-degree murder. In an unpublished decision, the court decided to affirm the conviction but vacated the sentence for re-sentencing. One judge dissented, suggesting a modification of the sentence to life imprisonment instead of life without the possibility of parole.
In OCCA case No. SR-2007-134, Patricia Campbell appealed her conviction for Second Degree Felony Murder. In an unpublished decision, the court decided that the trial court properly sustained the demurrer to the evidence, meaning it found the evidence insufficient to support the charge of Child Neglect. The court also ruled that the trial court had the authority to allow Campbell to plead to the lesser crime of Second Degree Manslaughter. No judge dissented in this opinion.
In OCCA case No. F-2005-440, Zachary Michael Hudson appealed his conviction for First Degree Manslaughter. In an unpublished decision, the court decided to affirm his conviction but modified his sentence. One judge dissented. Zachary Hudson was tried by a jury for First Degree Murder, but the jury found him guilty of the lesser offense of First Degree Manslaughter. They recommended a punishment of twenty years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The trial judge followed this recommendation when he sentenced Hudson. After the trial, Hudson raised several points of error in his appeal. He claimed he was not given a fair trial because he thought the court was too involved and was biased toward the State. However, the court found that the judge was simply ensuring that witnesses understood the questions and did not show any partiality. Hudson also argued that there wasn't enough evidence to support the conviction for manslaughter, and he believed the jury instructions were incorrect. The court found evidence that Hudson fought with the person who died, left, returned, and then ran over that person with his car. This evidence led the court to believe that the jury could find Hudson guilty, as they might think he acted out of anger or passion rather than by accident. Hudson’s last point was about not having the jury instructed on the 85% Rule, which explains how much of a sentence must be served before someone can be eligible for parole. The court agreed that the jury needed this information and decided to modify Hudson's sentence from twenty years to fifteen years in prison while keeping the $10,000 fine. In summary, the court affirmed the conviction but modified the sentence because they wanted to ensure that the jury had clear information about parole eligibility, which would help them make informed decisions.
In OCCA case No. F-2002-1509, Dontrell Maurice Baird appealed his conviction for trafficking in illegal drugs, possession of controlled dangerous substances, and possession of CDS without a tax stamp, as well as unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. In an unpublished decision, the court decided to affirm the convictions but required resentencing on the trafficking and possession charges, while upholding the sentence for the possession of drug paraphernalia. One judge dissented. Baird was convicted in the District Court of Payne County on multiple drug-related charges. The jury sentenced him to a total of 82 years in prison across four counts, with some sentences running concurrently and others consecutively. However, Baird appealed on several grounds, claiming that his right to due process was violated due to incorrect jury instructions on punishment, that evidence for some charges wasn't sufficient, and that his sentences were excessive. The court found that errors in the jury instructions affected the punishment range for three of the counts. Both Baird and the State agreed that the jury was not properly informed about the range of penalties for trafficking in cocaine base, possession of marijuana, and possession of CDS without a tax stamp. Baird's prior convictions complicated the appropriate classification of his current offenses, leading to confusion that the jury was not guided through properly. The court established that it would have been correct for the jury to be told about the proper punishment ranges, based on Baird's prior crimes. Given these mistakes in the instructions, the court decided to send the case back for resentencing on those counts without requiring a new trial. Despite Baird's claims that he was deprived of effective legal counsel, the court ruled that the issues raised concerning the jury instructions were enough to grant leniency in this case. The other claims, focusing on the sufficiency of evidence and whether the cumulative errors affected the trial's fairness, were found not to necessitate any further relief. Thus, the court upheld Baird's convictions but needed to correct the sentencing errors related to trafficking and possession charges, while confirming the sentence for unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia as appropriate.