By Michael Karlik | Colorado Politics
A Morgan County prosecutor undermined the fairness of a defendant’s trial by making improper comments about his decision to invoke his constitutional right to silence, Colorado’s second-highest court ruled last week.
The prosecution charged Ronald Wayne Gentry with felony menacing after he allegedly put a bullet in the chamber of a gun and pointed it at a neighbor who was feuding with Gentry’s mother. Jurors considered whether Gentry acted in self-defense, but convicted him. He received a sentence of probation, jail and community service.
Jurors heard Gentry had received a Miranda warning but then agreed to speak with a sheriff’s deputy. She told Gentry there were multiple eyewitnesses saying they saw Gentry point a gun, at which point Gentry invoked his right to silence. He believed the deputy already concluded he was at fault and decided to wait to speak with an attorney.
READ THE FULL STORY AT COLORADO POLITICS