State v. Stapp

Defendant was convicted of one count of first-degree assault, ORS 163.185.1 Defendant and the victim, Johnson, had been drinking together. After Johnson put defendant in a headlock and punched him in the head several times, defendant retrieved a knife from his backpack and repeatedly stabbed Johnson. Defendant asserted that he had acted in self-defense. During the jury trial, defendant testified that he had never stabbed anyone before. The state successfully argued that defendant’s testimony could be impeached on cross-examination through questioning about a prior, unrelated incident, in…