State of Missouri v. Demetrick Taylor

Demetrick Taylor appeals from a judgment convicting him of one count of possession of a controlled substance, under section 195.202,1 and imposing a sentence of 16 years in prison, as a prior and persistent drug offender. On appeal, Mr. Taylor claims the trial court abused its discretion by excluding testimony from a witness to Mr. Taylor’s arrest and violated his due process right to allocution during his sentencing hearing by announcing the sentence the trial court intended to impose before Mr. Taylor had an opportunity to present mitigating evidence. Because the ■witness’s testimony was…