Two years ago, Nez Perce County District Court Judge Brudie heard motions from the defense council of Leotis B Branigh III requesting a new trial. Mr. Branigh had been found guilty of first degree murder in 2008 in front of a jury. During the trial, Mr. Branigh decided to represent himself and his attorneys were “advisory” only. After the guilty verdict, Mr. Branigh requested a new trial be ordered due to “insufficient assistance of counsel”. After Judge Brudie heard the arguments and held an evidentiary hearing, he reversed the jury’s guilty verdict and ordered a new trial be given to Mr. Branigh. The Nez Perce County Prosecutor’s Office, under Chief Civil Prosecutor Nance Ceccarelli, brought the case to the Court of Appeals for Idaho with the assistance of the Idaho Attorney General’s Office. The Court of Appeals reviewed the case and published in their ruling on December 8, 2023: “The district court did not have authority to consider a waived claim on remand and erred in granting relief on that claim.” Mr. Branigh has been denied a new trial and will continue to serve his Murder in the First Degree sentence.
“After 15 years of fighting to keep Mr. Branigh in prison, I am thrilled the Appeals Court overturned Judge Brudie’s decision. My office can now focus our time and resources on the multiple other murder cases we have pending,” said Prosecutor Justin Coleman. “I especially want to thank Chief Civil Deputy Ceccarelli for her many hours of hard work on this case.”
