Where a defendant challenged her convictions for charges including first-degree murder, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing officers to testify about the meaning of slang terms used by the defendant such as “getting her wings” and ...

Tagged with: Deliberation First-Degree Murder Slang Terms

Where a defendant in a first-degree murder case challenged the exclusion of evidence that others had motives to kill the victim, the defendant did not present any evidence that would directly connect another individual to the shooting, so the trial ...

Tagged with: First-Degree Murder Inadmissible Testimony Motive Evidence

Defendant appealed from his conviction of first-degree murder and armed criminal action following defendant’s stabbing of his live-in girlfriend after the victim accused defendant of cheating on her. Where testimony about statements made by the victim’s mother when police arrived ...

Tagged with: confrontation clause First-Degree Murder

Where a defendant convicted of first-degree murder after a joint trial with a co-defendant challenged his death sentence, including the aggravating and mitigating factors considered by the jury and the instructions received, the defendant did not show that the district ...

Tagged with: Death Sentence First-Degree Murder jury instructions

Defendant was convicted of first-degree murder for a killing that had occurred more than 30 years ago. On appeal, defendant argued that there was insufficient evidence for the jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim’s murder was ...

Tagged with: First-Degree Murder Sufficiency Of Evidence

Where defendant, who was convicted of first-degree murder, argued that the trial court erred in refusing to admit evidence of an alternative suspect, the court did not err because the defendant did not show a direct connection as required, and ...

Tagged with: Alternative Suspect First-Degree Murder Video Surveillance

  Where a defendant in a first-degree murder claimed that the trial court erred in allowing the state to argue facts in closing argument that were not admitted at trial, the prosecutor may argue reasonable inferences from the evidence, and ...

Tagged with: Closing Argument First-Degree Murder hearsay

State v. Hooper (MLW No. 71666/Case No. SD35025 – 23 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District, Francis Jr., J.)

Tagged with: Attorney-Client Calls Criminal Law First-Degree Murder Sufficiency Of Evidence

State v. Bowens (MLW No. 71498/Case No. ED104738 – 31 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Clayton III, J.)

Tagged with: Alternative Perpetrator Consent To Search Criminal Law First-Degree Murder

State v. McBenge (MLW No. 69900/Case No. ED102147 – 40 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Clayton III, J.)

Tagged with: Accomplice Liability Criminal Law Deliberation First-Degree Murder

State v. McBenge (MLW No. 69899/Case No. ED102277 – 46 pages) (Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District, Clayton III, J.)

Tagged with: Accomplice Liability Criminal Law Deliberation First-Degree Murder