On Monday, October 28, 2024, 9NEWS reported that Judge Tomee Crespin, a district court judge in Adams County, has come under scrutiny following the reversal of a murder conviction due to her controversial analogy during jury instructions. The Colorado Court of Appeals determined that Crespin’s explanation of reasonable doubt was flawed, leading to the overturning of the conviction of Gary Lynn Wideman.
Wideman, 42, was initially convicted in November 2019 of murdering Brenda Lee Martinez, a 37-year-old bartender, and wounding three others during a shooting at a Thornton sports bar in 2018. He faced serious charges, including first-degree murder after deliberation with extreme indifference, five counts of attempted first-degree murder, and three counts of first-degree assault. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 100 years in February 2020.
However, in October 2023, the Colorado Court of Appeals found that Crespin’s analogy, which compared reasonable doubt to purchasing a house with defects, was misleading. During jury selection, she asked jurors to imagine discovering a dream home that had a crack above the closet door, suggesting that even if they found defects, they should only vote to acquit if more doubts arose. This line of reasoning inadvertently implied that jurors should require more significant doubts before considering a verdict of not guilty, which the appellate court deemed problematic.
The three-judge panel highlighted that Crespin’s analogy could have confused jurors regarding their responsibilities, ultimately impacting the fairness of the trial. Consequently, Wideman was resentenced to 48 years in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree assault on October 16, 2024.
Source: 9NEWS
