Louisiana appeals court overturns iPhone killing conviction
HOUMA, La. (AP) — A Louisiana appeals court has overturned a 22-year-old man's murder conviction and life sentence for a shooting during a holdup for an iPhone.
The 1st Circuit Court of Appeal says Leron Calloway of Houma must get a new trial on charges accusing him of shooting 66-year-old Connely Duplantis while robbing him of an iPhone 5 in 2013.
The Courier reports that the appeal court ruled on April 12 that prosecutors should not have been allowed to present evidence about two unrelated holdups. The court's opinion says that evidence might have prejudiced jurors, leading them to consider the prior acts rather than the strength of the evidence in the shooting on Nov. 24, 2013.
Prosecutors say they will ask the Louisiana Supreme Court to review the case.