United States v. Jones

DECISION

HODGSON, Chief Judge:

The appellant was convicted of the unpremeditated murder of his nine month old infant son by shaking him to death. He was sentenced to a dishonorable discharge, total forfeitures of all pay and allowances, 20 years confinement and reduction to airman basic.

Appellate defense counsel have assigned six errors for consideration. For reasons that will become apparent later in this opinion we shall only address the claim that the trial judge erred in admitting, over defense objection, evidence of “prior bad acts” by the appellant.

It is a well established principle of…