State v. Trotter

I. INTRODUCTION

Harold Jay Trotter was convicted of child abuse, child abuse resulting in death, and manslaughter of Christopher Churchill, the son of Tammy Churchill, Trotter’s girl friend at the time of Christopher’s death. The main issue on appeal is whether the trial court committed reversible error when it allowed evidence of prior bad acts relating to Trotter and his ex-spouses at trial. Trotter argues that such evidence is inadmissible under Neb. Evid. R. 404(2), Neb. Rev. Stat. § 27-404(2) (Reissue 1995), because the only purpose for such evidence was an improper purpose, i.e., to show…