State v. Allen

Gene Allen stands convicted by an Ada County jury of aggravated battery. On appeal he contends that the prosecution should not have been allowed to present evidence of a prior, unrelated felony conviction; that the trial court erred in rejecting certain jury instructions on self-defense; and that the evidence was insufficient to support the jury’s verdict. For reasons explained below, we find the first issue to be dispositive. We vacate the judgment and remand the case.

The background facts may be summarized briefly. Allen and another man became involved in a dispute over a parking space near…