Criminal Law: Murder-Sufficiency of Evidence

Defendant appealed from his conviction for murder and related offenses. On appeal, defendant challenged the sufficiency of evidence, argued that the trial court abused its discretion in sentencing him to life without parole where he presented evidence of his underdeveloped mental state and argued that he was entitled to a new trial due to juror bias.

There was sufficient evidence to support defendant’s conviction where defendant’s decision to bring a gun with him to the scene of the crime served as sufficient evidence to infer a deliberate purpose to use the gun in the underlying robbery.

Judgment is affirmed.

State v. Perkins (MLW No. 74702/Case No. ED107622 – 15 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Sullivan, J.) Appealed from circuit court, City of St. Louis, McGraugh, J. (Lisa M. Stroup, for appellant) (Daniel N. McPherson, for respondent)