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Prior Misconduct Evidence In Missouri, Bradley D. Kuhlman

Missouri Law Review

Although the rules and exceptions regarding the admissibility of evidence of prior misconduct during criminal trials are well established, the theories and logic underlying the black letter law have apparently eroded to mere words. State v. Sladek' and State v. Bernard were two recent opportunities for the Missouri Supreme Court to examine the law of uncharged misconduct evidence. Unfortunately, the majority opinions in these cases did not address the central problems with this area of evidence but instead, they sidestepped the issues and created a new unprincipled exception The new exception, signature modus operandi/corroboration, ignores the central reason that prior …