People v. Knox

The defendant was charged in the death of his four-month-old son, Xavier Knox, and convicted of first-degree felony murder, MCL 750.316(l)(b), with first-degree child abuse, MCL 750.136b(2), as the predicate. He was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. We must determine whether the admission of evidence regarding defendant’s past anger directed at the child’s mother, the child’s prior injuries, and the mother’s good character were plain errors affecting defendant’s substantial rights. The Court of Appeals, in a divided decision, affirmed the judgment of the trial…