State v. Antwon B.

236 Conn. App. 428 (2025) · Connecticut Appellate Court · November 25, 2025 · No. AC 48494

Summary

The Connecticut Appellate Court affirmed Antwon B.'s convictions for manslaughter in the first degree with a firearm, attempted assault in the first degree, and larceny in the third degree. The court held that sufficient evidence supported the attempted assault and larceny convictions. It also concluded that prosecutorial improprieties during examination and closing arguments did not deprive the defendant of a fair trial.

Holdings

  1. The evidence was sufficient to support the conviction because the jury reasonably could credit L's testimony that the defendant pulled the trigger while holding the gun to her face and infer that he intended to shoot her and cause serious physical injury.
  2. The evidence was sufficient for the jury to find that the defendant wrongfully took Shavrek's Ford Explorer without Shavrek's knowing consent.
  3. The evidence was sufficient to establish that the defendant intended permanently to deprive Shavrek of the vehicle at the time he took it, even though the vehicle was later left at the police station.
  4. The prosecutor improperly asked the defendant to comment on L's veracity, improperly referred during rebuttal to the defendant's responses to those questions, and improperly argued that the gun had jammed or misfired based on facts not in evidence. Nevertheless, the improprieties, individually and cumulatively, did not deprive the defendant of a fair trial.
  5. The prosecutor's limited use of "we" and "us" did not constitute prosecutorial misconduct or deprive the defendant of a fair trial.

Questions Presented

  1. Whether the evidence was sufficient to prove that the defendant intended to cause L serious physical injury and took a substantial step toward committing assault in the first degree.
  2. Whether the evidence was sufficient to prove that the defendant wrongfully took Shavrek's Ford Explorer without the owner's knowing consent.
  3. Whether the evidence was sufficient to prove that, when he took the vehicle, the defendant intended to deprive Shavrek of it permanently despite later leaving it at the police station.
  4. Whether prosecutorial improprieties during cross-examination and closing and rebuttal arguments deprived the defendant of a fair trial.
  5. Whether the prosecutor's limited use of first-person terms such as "we" and "us" improperly aligned the prosecutor with the jury or imposed a duty to convict.

Disposition

affirmed

Cases Cited (31)

  • State v. Lueders, 225 Conn. App. 612, 623-24, 317 A.3d 69, cert. denied, 349 Conn. 920, 321 A.3d 402 (2024)(followed)
  • State v. Catchings, 170 Conn. App. 564, 570-72, 155 A.3d 236, cert. denied, 325 Conn. 909, 158 A.3d 319 (2017)(followed)
  • State v. Carter, 317 Conn. 845, 852, 857-58, 120 A.3d 1229 (2015)(followed)
  • State v. Turner, 24 Conn. App. 264, 268, 587 A.2d 1050, cert. denied, 218 Conn. 910, 591 A.2d 812 (1991)(followed)
  • State v. Clark, 56 Conn. App. 108, 112, 741 A.2d 331 (1999)(followed)
  • State v. Sanchez, 92 Conn. App. 112, 118, 884 A.2d 1, appeal dismissed, 282 Conn. 787, 924 A.2d 844 (2007)(followed)
  • State v. Flowers, 161 Conn. App. 747, 752, 757, 129 A.3d 157, cert. denied, 320 Conn. 917, 131 A.3d 1154 (2015)(followed)
  • State v. Spells, 76 Conn. App. 67, 90-91, 818 A.2d 808, cert. denied, 266 Conn. 901, 832 A.2d 67 (2003)(followed)
  • State v. Anderson, 212 Conn. 31, 36-37, 561 A.2d 897 (1989)(followed)
  • State v. Singh, 259 Conn. 693, 706, 793 A.2d 226 (2002)(followed)

Showing top 10 of 31.

Cited In (0)

No citing cases on record yet.

Download CaseDownload Case DataDownload Case and DataDownload AI Instructions

Court Document

Open PDF
Loading document…

More from Connecticut Appellate Court Connecticut Appellate Court