Opinion ID: 1652376
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Evidence of a Coherent Picture

Text: We addressed this issue in a similar context in State v. Harris, 870 S.W.2d 798, 810 (Mo. banc 1994), cert. denied, 513 U.S. 953, 115 S.Ct. 371, 130 L.Ed.2d 323 (1994). In Harris, evidence was admitted in a murder case that the defendant had said he wanted guns to do a drive-by shooting and that he was going to a lounge to kill another individual. We stated, The general rule concerning the admission of evidence of uncharged crimes, wrongs, or acts is that evidence of prior uncharged misconduct is inadmissible for the purpose of showing the propensity of the defendant to commit such crimes. State v. Bernard, 849 S.W.2d 10, 13 (Mo. banc 1993). Exceptions to the general rule provide for the admission of evidence that tends to establish motive, intent, the absence of mistake or accident, or a common plan or scheme. Id. An additional exception is recognized for evidence of uncharged crimes that are part of the circumstances or the sequence of events surrounding the offense charged. State v. Wacaser, 794 S.W.2d 190, 194 (Mo. banc 1990); State v. Flenoid, 838 S.W.2d 462, 467 (Mo.App.1992); State v. Davis, 806 S.W.2d 441, 443 (Mo.App.1991). This evidence is admissible to present a complete and coherent picture of the events that transpired. Flenoid at 467. In this case, the evidence of Harris' planned use of the gun to commit a drive-by shooting was interconnected to and nearly contemporaneous with the murder of Willoughby, and it set the context for that offense. It is evidence that added to the complete and coherent picture of the murder and was, therefore, properly admitted. Id.See also State v. Skillicorn, 944 S.W.2d 877, 887 (Mo. banc 1997), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 118 S.Ct. 568, 139 L.Ed.2d 407 (1997); State v. Roberts, 948 S.W.2d 577, 591 (Mo. banc 1997), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 118 S.Ct. 711, 139 L.Ed.2d 652 (1998). As in Harris, these uncharged crimes were admissible to present to the jury a complete and coherent picture of the Koprowski robbery and murder, the Kuo robbery, and the theft of Lisa Smith's and Robert Herod's automobiles. All the crimes here, charged and uncharged, were part of a three day drug binge and crime spree. Between the early hours of April 11 and the morning of April 13, Morrow murdered two people, stole four cars, attempted to steal two more cars, and robbed three people. The time between the uncharged crimes and the charged crime of Koprowski's murder was less than thirteen hours. Although Morrow would have liked to limit the focus of the jury's attention to only five of the many crimes he committed during the crime spree, those crimes alone would not have fully and fairly presented a complete and coherent picture of the crimes charged and the whole truth to the jury.