State v. Smothers

On October 9,1973, this Court, as part of its Rules of Criminal Procedure, provided for pretrial discovery in criminal cases. See present Rule 25. Rule 25 represents an attempt to provide the process due the people of Missouri (the public, the victims, and the accused) in the administration of criminal justice. Mo.Const., art. I, §§ 2 and 10. See ABA Standards Relating to Discovery and Procedure Before Trial (1970).

This appeal is the latest in an alarming number of cases involving noncompliance with the rule that have reached our appellate courts. See, e. g., cases where the state has failed…