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Criminal Law-Arson-Exclusion of Fire Expert’s Testimony
Staff Report//November 26, 2025//
Defendant appealed his conviction for arson, trespass and burglary, arguing that the trial court abused its discretion in excluding the defense’s fire expert’s theory that a single point of origin of for the fire made arson unlikely as a cause.
Where the challenged testimony was cumulative of other testimony and not outcome-determinative, there was no abuse of discretion by the trial court.
Judgment is affirmed.
State v. Hopkins (MLW No. 84015/Case No. SD38670 & SD39097 – 5 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, Burrell, J.) Appealed from circuit court, Wright County, Carter, J. (William J. Swift, Columbia for appellant) (Renee Christine Warden, Jefferson City and John Andrew Tyrrell, Marshfield for respondent)
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