State v. Thompson

RONALD R. HOLLIGER, Judge.

Arthur Scott Thompson appeals from his conviction and sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole for first-degree murder (§ 565.020, RSMo 2000). Thompson raises ten points on appeal including the sufficiency of the evidence, errors in evidentiary rulings and voir dire, and two points of claimed instructional error. We find that the court properly denied Thompson’s motion for judgment of acquittal but erred in failing to follow the Notes on Use under MAI-Cr 3d 304.04 and to modify the verdict director on first-degree murder. We discuss the remaining…