Eugene OR – According to the statement, due to a technicality that happened during this man’s interrogation, his defense argued his right to legal counsel was violated. And he successfully appealed for a new trial. His name is Erick Jaquin.
What happened in 2016 – According to the police report, the officers found the body of Jessica Elizabeth Frank under the floorboards of his home. A witness claimed Jaquin and Frank were fighting, before Jaquin stabbed her repeatedly.
During the 2018 trial, his attorney said prosecutors did not prove the charges, and advised the court not to draw quick conclusions. But the jury declared Jaquin guilty of murder a half hour later.
The DA’s office says the Court of Appeals found the trial judge should have suppressed Jaquin’s statements to detectives. The state Attorney General’s office declined to appeal the ruling to the Oregon Supreme Court. Given the backlog of cases, a new trial could take a year.