Legal documents filed in Pendleton appeal

Five months after the initial filing of an appeal to the North Dakota Supreme Court the legal brief on behalf of Salamah Pendleton has been made public.

Pendleton was convicted in the May 2020 shooting death of Grand Forks officer Cody Holte – and his mother Lola Moore.

Among the questions raised by Defense Attorney Kiara Krauss-Parr:  whether the district court created a structural error in denying Pendleton’s constitutional right to a public trial…whether he had a right to be personally present during jury selection….and the possibility of jury misconduct.

The court sentenced Pendleton to life in prison without parole.  He was also convicted of the attempted murder of Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Sergeant Kelly McLean and Corporal Ron Nord.

A date for oral arguments in the case has not been set.