Supreme Court upholds meth conviction of California woman who claimed she was a ‘blind mule’

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Defense attorneys argued that a Homeland Security agent’s testimony broke a rule of evidence that expert witnesses cannot give opinions on a defendant’s mental state. The court did not agree.

on Thursday upheld the conviction of a California woman who said she did not know about a stash of methamphetamine hidden inside her car.Delilah Guadalupe Diaz was sentenced to seven years in prison after on drug charges after Border Patrol agents discovered methamphetamine worth nearly $370,000 stashed inside the car door panel as she crossed the U.S.-Mexico border.Diaz contended the car belonged to a boyfriend and that she did not know the drugs were inside.

Diaz appealed her conviction, arguing the agent’s testimony broke a rule of evidence that expert witnesses cannot give opinions on a defendant’s mental state. Lower courts had split on that distinction. Judges in some parts of the country have allowed more general expert testimony about mental state while others kept it out, her lawyers argued.Dear Abby: Now that I'm the bride, I need to have an awkward talk with my friendMiss Manners: I know her compliments aren't for real.

 

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