State v. Hood

HAGEN, Judge:

¶ 1 Howard Wayne Hood appeals his convictions for rape and forcible sodomy. Before trial, Hood sought to exclude evidence that he had been excommunicated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, arguing that the evidence was inadmissible "other act" evidence under rule 404(b) of the Utah Rules of Evidence. The district court admitted the evidence to explain the context of Hood's relationship with the alleged victim. We conclude that this was a proper, non-propensity purpose and that the evidence was relevant to assessing the victim's credibility on the question of…