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Case No. 18-0209

For summaries from opinions prior to August, 2018, view PDF versions here

State of Iowa
v.
James Russell Walden Jr.

Appellee

State of Iowa

Appellant

James Russell Walden Jr.

Attorney for the Appellee

Darrel Mullins, Assistant Attorney General

Attorney for the Appellant

Randall L. Jackson

Court of Appeals

Court of Appeals Opinion

Opinion Number:
18-0209
Date Published:
Nov 27, 2019
Summary

            Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Polk County, Robert J. Blink, Judge.  AFFIRMED.  Heard by Doyle, P.J., and Tabor and Schumacher, JJ.  Opinion by Tabor, J.  (21 pages)

            James Walden Jr. appeals from his conviction for first-degree murder challenging an evidentiary ruling, a jury instruction, the sufficiency of the evidence, the weight of the evidence, and ineffectiveness of trial counsel.  OPINION HOLDS: We find the district court did not err in crafting an appropriate remedy when excluded evidence of sexual assault entered the record.  The court’s instruction was supported by the evidence, and the district court did not err in delivering it.  There was sufficient evidence to support the verdict, and it was not against the weight of the evidence.  Finally, we preserve the ineffective-assistance-of-counsel claim for a possible postconviction-relief proceeding.  We affirm. 

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