Kerns v. State

ORDER

Dawayne Kerns appeals the judgment denying his Rule 29.15 motion after an evidentiary hearing. 1 In his motion, Kerns asserted various claims stemming from the prosecutor’s comment during closing argument that the jury had not heard any evidence that the victim had a motive to lie. Before trial, the court granted the State’s motion to exclude testimony regarding “[a]ny speculation as to why the alleged victim might he about the offense.” Kerns argues that the prosecutor’s comment during closing argument improperly referred to this excluded evidence. He claims that trial and appellate…