Case Title: State v. Mark Melvin

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: new-jersey

Court: New Jersey Supreme Court

Date: 2021-09-23T00:00:00Z

Document:
SYLLABUS

This syllabus is not part of the Court’s opinion. It has been prepared by the Office of the
Clerk for the convenience of the reader. It has been neither reviewed nor approved by the
Court. In the interest of brevity, portions of an opinion may not have been summarized.

                       State v. Mark Melvin (A-44-19) (083298)
                   State v. Michelle Paden-Battle (A-13-20) (084603)

Argued February 1, 2021 -- Decided September 23, 2021

PIERRE-LOUIS, J., writing for a unanimous Court.

       One of the most important tenets of the criminal justice system is the finality of a
jury’s verdict of acquittal. These consolidated appeals test that principle through a
common legal issue: whether a trial judge can consider at sentencing a defendant’s
alleged conduct for crimes for which a jury returned a not guilty verdict.

       In State v. Melvin, Melvin was indicted on nine counts in connection with a fatal
shooting in a restaurant, including charges of murder, aggravated assault, and weapon
possession and drug offenses. At the conclusion of the trial, the jury found Melvin guilty
of unlawful possession of a handgun but remained deadlocked on the outstanding counts.

        With the discretion to sentence Melvin to an extended term of ten to twenty years,
the trial court sentenced Melvin to the maximum, citing United States v. Watts,