State v. Simpson

CLARK, Presiding Judge.

James B. Simpson was convicted in a bench trial of arson in the second degree, § 569.050 RSMo 1978, and was sentenced to a term of two years. He appeals contending that the trial court erred (1) by admitting into evidence a confession obtained during custodial interrogation, and (2) by denying his motion for acquittal because the state failed to prove the fire was of incendiary origin and, hence, no corpus de-licti was shown. Affirmed.

On January 23, 1979, an alarm alerted fire fighters to a blaze in progress at a residence in Edgerton, Missouri. The property was rented…