State v. Thomas

JAMES M. SMART, JR., Presiding Judge.

Michael Thomas appeals .his conviction of second-degree murder, for which he received a ten-year sentence. Thomas contends that he was prejudiced at trial because the court precluded him from presenting evidence that two witnesses against him had a motive to lie. We reverse the judgment and remand for a new trial.

Background

In the early morning hours of September 3,1999, Roy Love was severely beaten in the middle of a Kansas City street. He died of blunt head trauma thirty-six hours after the beating. The Jackson County prosecutor’s office charged Michael…