State v. Barber

MARK D. PFEIFFER, Judge.

Arnold Stephen Barber (“Barber”) appeals the judgment of the Circuit Court of Adair County, Missouri (“trial court”), finding him guilty, after a jury trial, of two counts of tampering with a witness in violation of section 575.270 RSMo 2000. We reverse the judgment and remand for a new trial.

Factual and Procedural Background

In 2007, R.C. (“Mother”) and J.C. (“Stepfather”) (or collectively, “the family”) ran a family business in Kirksville, Missouri. In August of 2007, Mother and Stepfather learned from their fifteen-year-old son, Z.C. (“Minor”), that Minor claimed to…