Opinion ID: 746275
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Trial Court Errors

Text: 29 Kilgore claims the trial court committed several errors which violated his constitutional rights.1. Coerced Confession 30 Kilgore asserts that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence several statements he made to the police. He alleges he was beaten and threatened by police officers, and that the statements he made were therefore physically and mentally coerced. The District Court was unconvinced by this allegation, however, because Kilgore never produced statements from any of the witnesses he claims can corroborate his assertions, including his mother and aunt, both of whom testified for him during the penalty phase of his trial without mentioning beatings or the noticeable injuries Kilgore asserts he received during the beatings. Additionally, four police officers testified that Kilgore was not beaten or threatened, but was in fact notified of his Miranda rights at the time of his arrest and at several times afterward. We see no error in the District Court's conclusion. 2. Lack of Jurisdiction 31 Kilgore argues that the information in lieu of indictment did not allege facts sufficient to base jurisdiction in the City of St. Louis. The information alleged that the killing took place in St. Louis County, outside the jurisdiction of the City. Before the District Court, Kilgore alleged that no element of the crime charged took place within the City's jurisdiction. Kilgore was charged with multiple crimes, however: first-degree murder, first-degree robbery, and kidnapping. The information asserted the City had jurisdiction because Wilkins was abducted in the City. Federal-court review of the sufficiency of an information is limited to whether it was constitutionally deficient; whether it comported with requirements of state law is a question for state courts. Johnson v. Trickey, 882 F.2d 316, 320 (8th Cir.1989). The inquiry for our Court, therefore, is not whether the information communicated the basis of jurisdiction in compliance with state law, but rather whether it gave Kilgore adequate notice of the potential charges against him so that he could prepare to contest those charges. Blair v. Armontrout, 916 F.2d 1310, 1329 (8th Cir.1990), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 825, 112 S.Ct. 89, 116 L.Ed.2d 62 (1991). The District Court held that since the information provided Kilgore with sufficient notice, it met the requirements of due process. We agree with that determination.