Criminal Law: Hearsay- Outside Confession- Jury Instruction

Where a defendant in a first-degree murder case challenged the trial court’s refusal to allow evidence that another person had confessed to the double murder, the defendant failed to establish that the hearsay statements were exonerating, and the statements also failed to meet the three required indicia of reliability, so the judgment is affirmed because the defendant did not show that the trial court erred in sustaining the state’s objection to his proposed jury instruction regarding the credibility of a witness, and he did not show a violation of his right to a speedy trial.

Judgment is affirmed.

State v. Lucas (MLW No. 72262/Case No. WD80862 – 19 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District, Witt, J.) Appealed from circuit court, Boone County, Crane, J. (Evan J. Buchheim, Jefferson City, for respondent) (Ellen H. Flottman, Columbia, for appellant).