Opinion ID: 1440035
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of Evidence of Attempt to Purchase Gun

Text: Defendant alleges that the court erred in permitting the State to call as a witness Michael James, an acquaintance of Defendant who worked at a nearby surplus supply store. Mr. James was prepared to testify that Defendant asked him whether he knew where Defendant could purchase a gun, as Defendant wanted to rob someone. Before Mr. James testified, Defendant filed a motion in limine to exclude his testimony entirely, alleging that the fact he asked Mr. James about buying a gun was irrelevant since the victims were not killed with a gun. He further argued that it would be unduly prejudicial to admit evidence that he said he wanted to use the gun to rob another, for this would constitute evidence of another crime. The State argued that Defendant's inquiry about a gun only four days before the murders tended to prove deliberation and thus was relevant to the crimes charged. The court ruled that the State could present evidence that Defendant tried to buy a gun shortly before the murders, but that the fact that he said that he wanted to use the gun in a robbery was irrelevant. In accordance with these rulings, Mr. James testified that four days prior to the murders, Defendant entered the store, made small talk about what he had been doing and about needing money, and indicated that he did not want to get home while his wife was there because it might cause conflicts. Mr. James then testified that Defendant asked him where he could get a gun, but that he replied that he did not know where to get one, and the conversation ended. Defendant again argues on appeal that his inquiry about a gun was irrelevant, and should have been excluded entirely, since the murders were not committed with a gun, so there was nothing to connect them to his inquiry. Trial courts have broad discretion to admit or exclude evidence at trial. State v. Johns, 34 S.W.3d 93, 103 (Mo. banc 2000), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 1012, 121 S.Ct. 1745, 149 L.Ed.2d 668 (2001). Unless this discretion was clearly abused, error will not be found. Id. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting testimony that Defendant inquired about purchasing a gun. Other Missouri cases have permitted introduction of evidence of a defendant's attempt to buy a weapon in order to show a plan to commit a crime or to show proof of deliberation. [1] Intent is a state of mind, and it may be inferred from all the circumstances. State v. Ray, 945 S.W.2d 462, 468 (Mo.App. W.D.1997). [2] Defendant admits that, standing in isolation,  perhaps the gun would tend to prove deliberation, but argues that this could not be the case where, as here, he admittedly said he wanted the gun to rob someone, not to commit murder. He concludes that, by allowing Mr. James to testify that he tried to buy a gun, but excluding the evidence that he said he wanted to use it to rob another, the prosecutor engaged in misconduct and contorted the truth by impermissibly tying his question about getting a gun to the difficulties Defendant had with his wife, thereby implying that he wanted a gun to kill her. But, the reason the prosecutor did not and could not ask about the reason Defendant said he wanted the gun was that defense counsel had moved to preclude such testimony. The court simply granted this motion. Defendant cannot now complain of error in a ruling he requested. [3] Defense counsel made no attempt to bring out the remainder of the conversation on cross-examination, nor did counsel ask the court to change this ruling.