Court Opinion

ID: 9575563
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:14:50.710903+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:48:25.967768
License: Public Domain

Gregory, Chief Justice, dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. The record in this case is devoid of any evidence the Solicitor’s office “knew” the videotape had any exculpatory value. There is nothing in the record to support the majority’s assumption the assistant solicitor was willing to drop the charges “because of’ the videotape. The critical inquiry under Youngblood is whether a criminal defendant can show bad faith in the State’s failure to preserve “potentially useful” evidence. 488 U.S. at —, 109 S. Ct. at 337, 102 L. Ed. (2d) at 289. Because I find no bad faith on the part of the State in its routine destruction of the videotape, I would affirm.