Opinion ID: 1440035
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: guilt phase allegations of error

Text: Defendant claims that Alice Rouse, the jury foreperson, engaged in intentional misconduct by failing to respond affirmatively when the judge asked the venire panel whether you or any of your loved ones or close relatives have ever been the victim of a crime. Defendant contends that this constituted intentional nondisclosure by Ms. Rouse, because in filling out her jury questionnaire she had checked the box marked yes next to the question, Have you or any relatives been a victim of a crime? Admitting that he failed to preserve this issue for review because he did not raise the alleged discrepancy until the motion for new trial, Defendant asks for plain error review under Rule 30.20. Plain errors affecting substantial rights may be considered in the discretion of the court if it appears on the face of the record that the error alleged so substantially affected defendant's rights that a miscarriage of justice or manifest injustice would occur if the error were not corrected. Rule 30.20. Whether manifest injustice occurred depends on the facts and circumstances of the particular case, and the Defendant bears the burden of establishing manifest injustice amounting to plain error. State v. Campbell, 26 S.W.3d 249, 256 (Mo.App. W.D.2000). Defendant argues that the juror's conduct deprived him of the right to challenge Ms. Rouse for cause or peremptorily and so caused him to be sentenced by eleven jurors and an intermeddler. A prospective juror must have an open mind, free from bias and prejudice. State v. Wheat, 775 S.W.2d 155, 158 (Mo. banc 1989), cert. denied, 493 U.S. 1030, 110 S.Ct. 744, 107 L.Ed.2d 762 (1990). Prospective jurors have a duty to answer all questions fully, fairly, and truthfully during voir dire. State v. Jackson, 412 S.W.2d 428, 432 (Mo.1967); State v. McKee, 856 S.W.2d 685, 690 (Mo.App. S.D. 1993). The failure to respond to an applicable question can deprive counsel of information needed to exercise a peremptory challenge or challenge for cause. State v. Martin, 755 S.W.2d 337, 339 (Mo.App. E.D.1988); State v. Endres, 698 S.W.2d 591, 595 (Mo.App. E.D.1985). In determining whether to grant a new trial, the court must determine whether a nondisclosure occurred at all, and, if so, whether it was intentional or unintentional. If unintentional, a new trial is not warranted unless prejudice resulted from the nondisclosure that may have influenced the jury's verdict. Aliff v. Cody, 987 S.W.2d 439, 444 (Mo.App. W.D.1999); State v. Landers, 969 S.W.2d 808, 811 (Mo. App. W.D.1998). On the other hand, bias and prejudice will normally be presumed if a juror intentionally withholds material information, Portis v. Greenhaw 38 S.W.3d 436, 443-44 (Mo.App. W.D.2001). Intentional nondisclosure occurs: 1) where there exists no reasonable inability to comprehend the information solicited by the question asked of the prospective juror, and 2) where it develops that the prospective juror actually remembers the experience or that it was of such significance that his purported forgetfulness is unreasonable. Williams by Wilford v. Barnes Hosp., 736 S.W.2d 33, 36 (Mo. banc 1987). In addition, [a] party who claims misconduct affecting a juror is required to call such fact to the court's attention as soon as he learns of it and has the opportunity to do so. Salkil v. State, 760 S.W.2d 142, 145 (Mo.App. S.D.1988). Whether the requirements for grant of a new trial are met in a particular case based on juror nondisclosure rests in the sound discretion of the trial court. Portis, 38 S.W.3d at 443. Here, defense counsel had Ms. Rouse's questionnaire responses during voir dire, yet he failed to bring to either her or the court's attention the fact that she did not respond when asked whether close family members or loved ones had been the victim of a crime, although she had indicated in her questionnaire that a family member had been such a victim. Defense counsel says they did not notice the alleged discrepancy until the motion for new trial. Yet, the purpose of the questionnaire is to assist in examining the potential jurors during voir dire. It was a matter of trial strategy how counsel wished to use the questionnaire. That counsel chose not to cross-check Ms. Rouse's questionnaire with her oral responses until after trial should not provide the basis for granting a new trial. It would be unfair to do so where the discovery of the response in a timely manner was entirely within the control of counsel. The burden is on defendant to probe into any area on voir dire which is considered to be grounds for disqualification. State v. Walton, 796 S.W.2d 374, 379 (Mo. banc 1990). This was the basis on which the trial court denied the motion for new trial, stating: Well, it's apparent that I know that the partiesthe attorneys were furnished with those questionnaires and the information was on her questionnaire. If it wasn't part of trial strategy, they could havethey had the opportunity, of course, to question the witness if she forgot the point about being a victim if she didn't come forward to the Bench. She had informed us that she had been the victim of a crime. If you wanted to inquire further, you mayyou could have done so, counselor. The court acted within its discretion in so ruling. Moreover, even had the issue been timely raised, a defendant alleging juror misconduct during voir dire must present evidence through testimony or affidavits of any juror, or other witness either at trial or at the hearing on his motion for new trial. Portis, 38 S.W.3d at 445. Furthermore: defendant has the burden of proving his allegations on a motion for a new trial.... In order to prove intentional concealment by a juror, the defendant must, at a minimum, allege intentional concealment in his motion for new trial and file an affidavit from the juror setting forth the facts surrounding the alleged concealment which reveals prejudice to the defendant. State v. Potter, 711 S.W.2d 539, 541 (Mo. App. E.D.1986). Here, Defendant failed to offer either an affidavit or testimony of Ms. Rouse, or other evidence that she in fact did have a relative who had been the victim of a crime, or any evidence as to why she did not respond to the judge's inquiry. Defendant offered only the jury questionnaire. But, the question asked on the questionnairewhether the jurors had any relative who was the victim of a crimewas broader than the one asked during voir dire were any loved ones or close relatives the victim of a crime. So far as the record shows, Ms. Rouse's answers to both questions may have been true, for a juror may reasonably define relative differently than loved one or close relative. Cf. Banks v. Village Enterprises, Inc., 32 S.W.3d 780, 789 (Mo.App. W.D.2000) (commonly understood meaning of phrase immediate family does not include nephews, nieces or other collateral relatives). Or, she may have simply checked the wrong box on her questionnaire and not have a relative who was the victim of a crime. Because of counsel's failure to call the juror or otherwise establish the facts, this Court could only speculate as to whether any nondisclosure occurred at all, much less intentional nondisclosure. Compare Martin, 755 S.W.2d at 339-40 (juror disclosure found intentional where party presented evidence that she failed to disclose her son's father had been murdered); Endres, 698 S.W.2d at 595-96 (party proved intentional nondisclosure where party presented evidence that juror failed to disclose her half-brother was murdered). The trial court did not err in denying the motion for new trial on this point.
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.
The State planned to call a prison informant named David Cook as part of its case-in-chief. Mr. Cook shared a cell with Defendant for a few days. Mr. Cook was to testify that Defendant had confessed that he killed his wife after arguing with her over some kind of sex case. Defense counsel filed a motion in limine to exclude evidence of the sexual nature of the pending case, arguing that it was irrelevant to the murders and would unduly prejudice him. He further argued that Mr. Cook's testimony should be entirely excluded on various grounds. On three occasions before trial, defense counsel urged the court to rule on this motion. Immediately prior to voir dire, the court ruled that the State could elicit that Defendant told Mr. Cook that he faced an impending trial, but kept under advisement the question whether the State could mention the sexual nature of the charges. After voir dire, but prior to opening statements, the court ruled that the State could elicit that Defendant's earlier trial involved sexual allegations or misconduct, but could not mention that the victims were his daughters. Defense counsel requested permission to re-open voir dire to ask whether the jurors could be fair and impartial upon hearing such evidence, but the court refused the request. Mr. Cook testified in accordance with this ruling. Defendant now asserts numerous errors in regard to his testimony. 1. Refusal to Re-Open Voir Dire. First, Defendant argues that the judge erred in refusing to re-open voir dire once he ruled that Mr. Cook could mention the sexual nature of the pending charges. But, the court did not preclude defense counsel from questioning the venirepersons during the voir dire proper as to whether they could be open-minded upon hearing evidence about the sexual nature of the charges. [4] Defense counsel made a strategic choice to refrain from asking them about their reaction to allegations of sexual misconduct out of fear that the jurors would hold this information against his client and out of hope that the court would not admit this evidence. This was not unreasonable trial strategy. Counsel's real objection is with the timing of the court's ruling the fact that it did not occur until after voir dire. Defendant cites no authority for the proposition that the court was required to rule on his motion prior to voir dire. Even if the court had done so, its ruling would not have been binding, for a ruling in limine is interlocutory in nature; it is a `preliminary expression of the court's opinion as to the admissibility of evidence' and is subject to change during the course of the trial. Wilkerson v. Prelutsky, 943 S.W.2d 643, 646 (Mo. banc 1997), quoting, Brown v. Hamid, 856 S.W.2d 51, 55 (Mo. banc 1993). Of course, once the trial court ruled, counsel, using hindsight, wished he had asked additional questions on voir dire. But, that is true in any case in which a party has avoided a topic on voir dire in the hope of a favorable ruling during trial. To find error in failing to either rule before trial or re-open voir dire here, this Court would have to hold that in every case in which a judge holds a motion in limine under advisement or changes an in limine ruling, the judge must give counsel an opportunity to re-open voir dire. Unsurprisingly, counsel cites no authority for such a proposition, which would entirely change the nature of both voir dire and in limine practice. This invitation to make such a change in Missouri practice is rejected. 2. Evidence of Sexual Nature of Pending Charges. Defendant argues that, apart from the timing of its ruling, the court erred in failing to preclude Mr. Cook and other witnesses from mentioning the sexual nature of the charges in the pending trial in which Amanda and Sondra were set to have testified. He argues the sexual nature of the charges was irrelevant to whether he killed Sondra and Amanda and was introduced only to show his propensity to commit a crime and to unduly prejudice him. While Defendant is correct that evidence of prior uncharged misconduct is inadmissible for the sole purpose of showing the propensity of a defendant to commit such acts, State v. Smith, 32 S.W.3d 532, 550 (Mo. banc 2000), it is admissible to show motive, intent, absence of mistake or accident, common scheme or plan, identity, or signature modus operandi. State v. Roberts, 948 S.W.2d 577, 591 (Mo. banc 1997), cert. denied, 522 U.S. 1056, 118 S.Ct. 711, 139 L.Ed.2d 652 (1998). The offered evidence must be both logically relevant, in that it has some legitimate tendency to establish directly the accused's guilt of the charges for which he is on trial, and also legally relevant, in that its probative value outweighs its prejudicial effect. State v. Bernard, 849 S.W.2d 10, 13 (Mo. banc 1993). A trial court enjoys considerable discretion in the admission or exclusion of evidence, and, absent clear abuse of discretion, its action will not be grounds for reversal. State v. Hall, 982 S.W.2d 675, 680 (Mo. banc 1998), cert. denied, 526 U.S. 1151, 119 S.Ct. 2034, 143 L.Ed.2d 1043 (1999). Here, the evidence of the sexual nature of the charges was not admitted to establish Defendant's propensity to commit sexual assaults, but to help establish the motive for his crimes. The support of a wife and stepchild in a case alleging sexual misconduct would be very important, and the lack of such support could be devastating. The anger that their decision not to testify might have engendered would explain the savage ferocity of his attacks, something that the jurors might not fully appreciate if they did not know the sexual nature of the pending case. Moreover, as discussed below, Mr. Cook testified that Defendant specifically mentioned the sexual nature of the pending charges when explaining why he killed his wife and stepdaughter, and the jury was free to believe Mr. Cook's testimony. The trial court carefully balanced the prejudicial nature of the proffered evidence with its probative value and excluded evidence that the two prior victims were Defendant's children. The admitted evidence was relevant to motive. 3. Cross-Examination of Mr. Cook. Mr. Cook testified that Defendant said he had an argument with his wife about some kind of sex case in which she refused to testify for him and then he got really mad at her and he started smacking her around and he started stabbing her. Mr. Cook testified that Defendant said he turned around and his stepdaughter or daughter was there and heshe was screaming and crying and he grabbed her and started strangling her and stabbed her too. He further testified that Defendant talked about a financial motive for the murder and said he had tried to make it look like a burglary and to develop an alibi that he was fishing. Defendant claims the trial court abused its discretion by unduly limiting his cross-examination of Mr. Cook regarding Mr. Cook's motive to lie. In particular, he claims he was precluded from showing that Mr. Cook was an inherently unreliable prison snitch. The trial court has broad discretion in determining the permissible scope of cross-examination. State v. Oates, 12 S.W.3d 307, 313 (Mo. banc 2000). The court did not abuse that discretion here. The court gave defense counsel broad latitude in cross-examining Mr. Cook about his motive to lie. Counsel brought out on cross-examination that when placed in Defendant's cell, Mr. Cook had pending felony burglary and escape charges, that Mr. Cook met with the police on the night of Defendant's arrest to secure arrangements for protective custody in another facility in exchange for repeating to police what Defendant told him, and that the State reduced the charges against him one month after he cooperated with them against Defendant. During cross-examination, Mr. Cook admitted that he was hoping for some help and hoping for some benefit for this testimony. While the court did prohibit further cross-examination about the length of Mr. Cook's crime spree, about his girlfriend's pregnancy, and about the fact that a bar he burglarized belonged to his uncle, these issues were at best marginally relevant to his credibility and would have added little to the substantial attacks on Mr. Cook's credibility already made by defense counsel. The court did not err in limiting cross-examination. [5] 4. Special Credibility Instruction. Defendant also argues that the court should have given a special instruction, in addition to MAI-CR3d 302.01, informing the jury about the special lack of reliability of prison snitches. He recognizes that this is inconsistent with normal Missouri practice, which provides for instructing the jury with a single instruction addressing the principles relevant to determining credibility, see, e.g., State v. Silvey, 894 S.W.2d 662, 671 (Mo. banc 1995), and which leaves the application of these principles to particular witnesses to argument of counsel. He further recognizes that Missouri's instruction is usually adequate. But, he notes, a few jurisdictions, such as California, Oklahoma, and Montana, provide for special credibility instructions about informant testimony. He argues Missouri should follow their lead. MAI-CR3d 302.01 properly advises the jury to consider all the circumstances surrounding the testimony of a witness, including any interest the witness may have in testifying. It also directs the jury to consider any other matter that has a tendency in reason to prove or disprove the truthfulness of the testimony of the witness. These principles are the ones that govern all determinations of credibility in Missouri. Defense counsel brought out Mr. Cook's motive for lying on cross-examination and, during closing argument, told the jury that Mr. Cook walked in this courtroom with a deal in his pocket and a lie on his lips. While defense counsel may feel that the approach taken by some other states is a better one, he has failed to show that Missouri's approach is inadequate or that the jury was not adequately instructed in this case. Moreover, he has failed to rebut the presumption that the jury followed and understood the instruction as given. State v. Madison, 997 S.W.2d 16, 21 (Mo. banc 1999).
Defendant contends the trial court erred by admitting evidence that he sodomized Amanda, thereby weaving suppositional evidence of sexual innuendo with Amanda throughout the trial. Evidence is relevant if it tends to prove or disprove a fact in issue or corroborates other relevant evidence. State v. Rousan, 961 S.W.2d 831, 848 (Mo. banc 1998), cert. denied, 524 U.S. 961, 118 S.Ct. 2387, 141 L.Ed.2d 753 (1998), quoting, Brown v. Hamid, 856 S.W.2d 51, 56 (Mo. banc 1993). It is elementary that relevant evidence should not be admitted if it causes prejudice wholly disproportionate to the value and usefulness of the offered evidence..... Id. The evidence of sodomy supported the State's theory of a sexual motive for the crimes. It included evidence of finding Defendant's sperm on Amanda's bed sheet. Defendant concedes this evidence is certainly suspicious, but argues there is no way to determine when the sperm got on the bed sheet. To the contrary, the State presented evidence that one stain on the sheet contained a mixture of genetic components consistent with both Amanda's and Defendant's DNA. He also presented evidence that some of the sperm was found on top of the blood on the sheet, indicating that it was deposited after Amanda was stabbed. Dr. Douglas Anderson, a pathologist, offered his expert medical opinion that the condition of Amanda's body indicated acts of sodomy. Police discovered her lying face down on the floor, partially undressed. The presence of a large amount of blood on the mattress indicated that her body had been draped over the side of the bed. Moreover, her rectum was abnormally enlarged. Two aspects of the condition of her clothes also tended to indicate that she had been undressed while she was killed. First, there was evidence that she had been sloppily or hastily redressed. Second, she was stabbed 21 times, but her shirt had 32 cuts. This evidence indicated that her shirt had been pulled up and bunched together as the knife passed through the fabric. The State presented this evidence to demonstrate that Defendant did not act impulsively but rather committed a planned sexual attack on Amanda and murdered her in order to keep her quiet. The trial court could have reasonably concluded that the evidence of sodomy was, taken as a whole, legally relevant because it provided the jury with a complete picture of the crime, and tended to show deliberation, motive, and animus on Defendant's part, and that it was not unduly prejudicial in light of its probative value. The jury was free to believe or disbelieve all, part, or none of the testimony of Dr. Anderson. State v. Hineman, 14 S.W.3d 924, 927 (Mo. banc 1999).
Defendant contends the court erred in admitting three graphic photographs. Generally, even gruesome photographs are admissible if they: (1) show the nature and location of wounds, (2) enable jurors to better understand the testimony at trial, and (3) aid in establishing an element of the State's case. State v. Rhodes, 988 S.W.2d 521, 524 (Mo. banc 1999). The court has broad discretion in deciding whether to admit or exclude photographs under this standard. State v. Feltrop, 803 S.W.2d 1, 10 (Mo. banc 1991), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1262, 111 S.Ct. 2918, 115 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1991). Its decision will not be overturned absent an abuse of discretion. State v. McMillin, 783 S.W.2d 82, 101 (Mo. banc 1990), cert. denied, 498 U.S. 881, 111 S.Ct. 225, 112 L.Ed.2d 179 (1990). Here, Defendant claims the pictures served only to infect the trial proceedings with shock value and to inflame the passions and prejudices of the jury. Although the State agrees the photographs were graphic, it argues their probative value outweighed their prejudicial effect. The State used all three photographs in conjunction with the testimony of Dr. Anderson. The first photograph showed Amanda's enlarged rectum, which the expert indicated could have been caused by strangulation or sexual assault. Both causes were consistent with the State's theory of the case, namely, the manner in which Defendant attacked Amanda, and corroborated other evidence of sexual assault. Dr. Anderson testified that the second photograph showed the nature and location of a wound to Amanda's head and an area of bleeding that was consistent with blunt trauma to her head. This supported the State's theory that Defendant subdued Amanda by a blow to her head. The third photograph showed the effect of a stab wound that penetrated Amanda's lung and lacerated her pulmonary arteries. It was relevant to show the location and nature of Amanda's wounds and the cause of her death and was also used to support the State's argument that the orientation and depth of this stab wound was such that it required purposeful decision-making by the killer. Because the photographs showed the nature and extent of Amanda's wounds and aided in establishing the State's case and in helping the jury understand it, their admission was not error. Insofar as the photographs tend to be shocking or gruesome it is because the crime is of that sort. State v. Clemons, 643 S.W.2d 803, 805 (Mo. banc 1983). See also State v. Middleton, 995 S.W.2d 443, 462 (Mo. banc 1999), cert. denied, 528 U.S. 1054, 120 S.Ct. 598, 145 L.Ed.2d 497 (1999). To exclude graphic evidence solely because it is graphic would deprive the State of evidence when it needs it the most: the evidence would be inadmissible to prosecute what are typically the most serious crimes. State v. Johnson, 930 S.W.2d 456, 462-63 (Mo.App. W.D.1996). The court did not err in admitting these photographs. [6]
Defendant argues the court abused its discretion in failing to sua sponte declare a mistrial after the prosecutor told the jurors at three points in his closing argument in the guilt phase, without objection, that any verdict less than first-degree murder would be an insult to Sondra and Amanda. The trial court enjoys broad discretion in controlling the scope of closing argument, and its ruling will be cause for reversal only upon a showing of abuse of discretion resulting in prejudice. Johns, 34 S.W.3d at 116. Courts especially hesitate to find plain error in the context of closing argument because the decision to object is often a matter of trial strategy, Middleton, 995 S.W.2d at 456, and in the absence of objection and request for relief, the trial court's options are narrowed to uninvited interference with summation and a corresponding increase of error by such intervention. State v. Clemmons, 753 S.W.2d 901, 907-08 (Mo. banc 1988), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 948, 109 S.Ct. 380, 102 L.Ed.2d 369 (1988). To find an abuse of discretion, the prosecutor's statements must have had a decisive effect on the jury's determination. State v. Armentrout, 8 S.W.3d 99, 111-12 (Mo. banc 1999). The defendant in Smith also complained that the prosecutor said, anything less than murder in the first degree to those to [sic] people is an insult. 32 S.W.3d at 552. This Court found no error, reasoning that the comment appeared during an appropriate discussion of whether defendant's actions constituted first-degree murder and was isolated, brief, and not emphasized. Id. No less important was the fact that the comment did not intimate to the jury that it would have to explain its actions to friends or family after the trial. Id. As in Smith , the comment here did not warrant a mistrial. Although the prosecutor repeated the comment, it appeared in the context of an appropriate summation of whether Defendant's actions constituted first-degree murder. Here, too, the comment did not suggest to the jurors that they would have to explain their verdict to family and friends.
Defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence that he argued with Sondra on several occasions prior to the murders and that his employer had let him go. He now suggests that this constituted character evidence that tended to put him in a bad light. At trial, however, defense counsel objected only on the grounds of speculation and relevancy. A party may not raise a new claim of error on appeal. State v. Driver, 912 S.W.2d 52, 54 (Mo. banc 1995) (To preserve an objection to evidence for review, the objection must be specific, and the point raised on appeal must be based upon the same theory.). Accordingly, only plain error review will be accorded. Rule 30.20. Such review is to be used sparingly and does not justify review of every trial error that has not been properly preserved. State v. Ringo, 30 S.W.3d 811, 821 (Mo. banc 2000), cert. denied, 532 U.S. 932, 121 S.Ct. 1381, 149 L.Ed.2d 307 (2001). Here, the Court does not agree that the evidence constituted character evidence at all. The State used the evidence to prove motive, not that Defendant was a violent and lazy man. This evidence was relevant to show that Defendant suffered from the pressure of financial and marital difficulties. The fact that Sondra and Defendant argued and that Defendant did not tell her about the loss of his job tended to demonstrate that he faced intense emotional stress and, so, was relevant to prove motive. Admission of the evidence did not constitute plain error.
Defendant argues that his Sixth Amendment rights were violated because the police illegally conducted a medical examination of the lacerations on his hands after his arrest outside the presence of his attorney. His attorney at the time represented him in his pending trial for statutory sodomy. He admits he had not invoked his right to counsel as to the murders and that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel is offense specific and cannot be invoked once for all future prosecutions..... McNeil v. Wisconsin, 501 U.S. 171, 175, 111 S.Ct. 2204, 115 L.Ed.2d 158 (1991). Therefore, invoking the right to counsel for one charge typically has no effect on a different charge for which a person has not yet been arraigned. Hellum v. Warden, 28 F.3d 903, 909 (8th Cir.1994), citing, McNeil, 501 U.S. at 175, 111 S.Ct. 2204. Nevertheless, he relies on a narrow exception to the offense specific aspect of the Sixth Amendment to argue that the murder charges were inextricably intertwined with the pending statutory sodomy charges against him and the police should not have been permitted to conduct a medical examination of him in the absence of his attorney. See, e.g., U.S. v. Hines, 963 F.2d 255, 257 (9th Cir.1992). The Supreme Court has recently held that the standard for determining whether crimes are so inextricably intertwined that the Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches to the new charges is whether the offenses would be considered the same under the test for determining double jeopardy outlined in Blockburger v. U.S., 284 U.S. 299, 52 S.Ct. 180, 76 L.Ed. 306 (1932). Texas v. Cobb, 532 U.S. 162, ___, 121 S.Ct. 1335, 1343, 149 L.Ed.2d 321, 331-32 (2001). Under that test, where the same act or transaction constitutes a violation of two distinct statutory provisions, the test to be applied to determine whether there are two offenses or only one, is whether each provision requires proof of a fact which the other does not. Blockburger, 284 U.S. at 304, 52 S.Ct. 180. Defendant had invoked a right to counsel for the pending statutory sodomy charges. He did not invoke his right to counsel for the murder charges. The sodomy charge and the murder charge each require proof of an element that the other does not. [7] The Sixth Amendment, therefore, did not preclude police-initiated contact concerning the new murder charges. See Cobb, 532 U.S. at___, 149 L.Ed.2d at 331-32.