State v. Speer

This case was certified to this court to resolve a perceived disparity in Wisconsin case law concerning the admission of "other crimes" evidence. According to the court of appeals, some case law suggests that in deciding whether to admit other crimes evidence the circuit court should predispose itself to exclude the evidence, while other case law indicates that the circuit court should begin with a presumption in favor of its admissibility. Additionally, we are asked to decide whether a circuit court's compliance or noncompliance with the sentencing guidelines statute can provide a defendant…