In Lincoln, Nebraska, the Nebraska Supreme Court upheld the murder conviction of a Grand Island man, Donald Anthony, and rejected his appeal on Friday.
Anthony, aged 36, was found guilty of the stabbing death of Said Farah in February 2022 at an apartment in east Grand Island. He received a life sentence for murder along with convictions for two felony weapons offenses.
Hall County Public Defender Jerry Piccolo filed an appeal to the state Supreme Court on behalf of Anthony. Piccolo argued in court documents that District Court Judge Patrick Lee had made several mistakes, including:
- Allowing testimony from two witnesses regarding Anthony’s whereabouts in St. Paul when police were searching for him after the murder.
- Permitting testimony from a witness that was based on a related video.
- Refusing testimony from the same witness regarding whether the victim, Said Farah, was intoxicated at the time of the murder.
- Dismissing statements from an investigator concerning remorse and the investigator’s belief in Anthony’s statements.
In a ruling issued on Friday morning, the Supreme Court dismissed Piccolo’s arguments, stating that Judge Lee had not erred in his evidentiary decisions, and upheld Anthony’s murder conviction.
Apart from the life sentence, Anthony also received a 30-50 year term for using a deadly weapon to commit a felony and a 3-4 year term for possessing a deadly weapon as a prohibited person.
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