HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut appeals court has ordered new trials for a Hartford man serving 18 years in prison for sexually assaulting three children.
A three-judge panel of the state Appellate Court on Monday overturned the convictions against 44-year-old Devon Dean.
The judges said Superior Court Judge John Carbonneau Jr. violated Dean’s rights to a fair trial and an impartial jury by holding one trial for allegations involving all three children. The judges said there should be three trials - one for each child.
A state jury in Hartford in 2011 convicted Dean of multiple counts of first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a minor.
It’s not clear if the state will appeal to the Connecticut Supreme Court. A message was left Monday for the prosecutor handling the case.
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