Court of Appeals hears arguments in State v. Mendoza over juror contact and lost glove evidence

The Utah Court of Appeals heard argument at 9:30 a.m. on the appeal in State of Utah v. Alex Mendoza, focusing on whether an alleged juror's outside contact and the loss of a pair of gloves required a new trial or dismissal.

Appellant's attorney Hannah Levitt Howell told the three-judge panel that Mendoza raised two errors: first, that a juror received extraneous, prejudicial information and had contact with an outsider; and second, that the state was responsible for losing potentially exculpatory evidence. Howell said the record suggested "the juror believed this was a big gang case, when there was no evidence that mister Mendoza was affiliated with the gang," and argued the trial court should have held an evidentiary hearing rather than resolve the issue on affidavits from the defendant's supporters.

Why it matters: juror contact or exposure to extraneous information can undermine a defendant's right to a fair trial, and lost evidence that could be exculpatory can trigger relief if it creates a reasonable probability of a different outcome.

Howell asked the panel to consider…