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7^th Circuit Court of Appeals
United States of America v.  Devontae Martin
23-3086
Criminal. Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Hammond Division. Judge Phillip Simon. Affirms Devontae Martin’s life sentence for his role in a July 2017 federal drug offense in which a fellow drug dealer shot and killed a local car wash owner believed to possess a substantial stash of cocaine. Finds the district court did not construe the sentencing guidelines generally or specifically as limiting its discretion to sentence Martin to something less than life imprisonment. Also finds that the district court did not sentence Martin based on inaccurate information. Attorneys for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Hammond: Philip Benson, Joseph Cooley, Thomas Mahoney, Joel Mathur, Thomas McGrath, David Nozick, Caitlin Padula, Kimberly Schultz. Attorneys for the defendant: Mark Psimos, Thomas Patton, Matthew Fech.

Indiana Court of Appeals
Christopher Delgado v. State of Indiana
24A-CR-708
Criminal. Affirms Porter Superior Court Judge Mary DeBoer’s allowance of the state to play the post-arrest video for the jury in Christopher Delgado’s case. Finds the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the video to be shown. Reverses Delgado’s conviction for resisting law enforcement as a Class A misdemeanor. Finds the conviction violates Indiana’s protection against double jeopardy. Remands to the trial court with instructions to vacate this conviction. Reverses Delgado’s conviction for false informing as a Class A misdemeanor. Finds the state did not present sufficient evidence to support Delgado’s conviction for false informing. Remands with instructions for the trial court to vacate that conviction and enter judgment of conviction and sentence Delgado on one count of false informing as a Class B misdemeanor. Finally, finds the bad reputation & influence condition is unconstitutionally vague, and the inmate and driver’s license conditions are not reasonably related to the goals of probation. Reverses and remands with instructions for the trial court to clarify all three of these conditions with greater specificity. Attorney for appellant: James Harper. Attorneys for appellee: Attorney General Todd Rokita, Deputy Attorney General Megan Smith.