Free Newsletter
Criminal Law-Assault-Self-Defense
Staff Report//June 24, 2026//
Defendant appealed his conviction for first-degree assault and armed criminal action, arguing that the trial court erred in denying his motion for judgment of acquittal because the state failed to prove he did not act in self-defense. Defendant also challenged the sentence imposed by the trial court.
Where a jury could have found that defendant lacked reasonable belief that deadly force was necessary to prevent the use of unlawful force against him, the trial court did not err in denying a judgment of acquittal.
Judgment is affirmed.
State v. Clemmons (MLW No. 84878/Case No. ED113421 – 11 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Navarro-McKelvey, J.) Appealed from circuit court, City of St. Louis, Ribaudo, J. (Nathan T. Swanson for appellant) (Garrick F. D. Aplin for respondent)
Legal Tech
- How ransomware tactics against law firms are changing
- How large language models are leveling the personal injury playing field
- Attorney Share, Lawmatics integrate to automate law firm referrals
Latest Opinion Digests
- Criminal Law-Second-Degree Rape-Sufficiency of Evidence
- Criminal Law-Witness Tampering-Sufficiency of Evidence
- Criminal Law-Post-Conviction Relief-Abandonment by Counsel
- Criminal Law-Filing Criminal Charges-Attorney General Aid
- Criminal Law-Civil Commitment-Sexually Violent Predator
- Criminal Law-Assault-Prosecutorial Misconduct
- Real Property-Prescriptive Easement-Public Right of Way
Top stories
- 8th Circuit reverses shoreline use permit revocation
- Missouri Bar committee seeks input on rural legal service gaps
- Appeals court orders new look at conversion therapy case following Supreme Court ruling
- Jury finds seat belt maker liable in $40.5M child injury case
- Injured motorist recovers policy limits, plus medical damages in under a year
- Mother obtains six-figure settlement after rear-end crash leads to lifelong pain
- 8th Circuit affirms denial of preliminary injunction against SB 751
- New dedicated coverage of tech challenges facing law firms and legal departments
