The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the conviction against a Cedar Rapids man who stabbed his ex-girlfriend and beat her with a hammer. Errol Edward Decker was found guilty of attempted murder, burglary in the first degree, and willful injury for attacking his ex-girlfriend in her home.
Decker’s current lawyers contend the videotape of him repeatedly refusing to talk with a policewoman should not have been entered as rebuttal evidence in his trial. Decker, by the way, tried to represent himself at his trial, but the judge appointed an attorney for him.
Decker’s attorney then used an insanity defense. Prosecutors say they used the videotaped interview with a cop to show Decker’s demeanor a little less than 24 hours after the assault.
The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled Decker might have a case to make if a jury had seen the videotape in question, but Decker was tried by a judge and a judge alone convicted him of the crime — and the judge didn’t mention the video evidence in her ruling. So, Decker has lost his bid for a new trial.