Opinion ID: 1278942
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The murder-for-hire scheme

Text: We addressed the identical issue of whether the murder-for-hire scheme was proper Spreigl evidence in the direct appeal of Angus' codefendant, Stewart. See Stewart, 643 N.W.2d at 297. We concluded that the admission of evidence of this murder-for-hire scheme was error because the state failed to prove an overt act in furtherance of the scheme. Id. We also concluded that the district court had improperly allowed the evidence to be used to demonstrate that the defendant had a character predisposition to commit the act of shooting Basta. Id. The state argues that Stewart unnecessarily limited its focus to whether the evidence established that a completed crime had been committed, whereas Minn. R. Evid. 404(b) is not limited to proof of other crimes because it also allows proof of another wrong, or act. We agree that it would be a mistake to read Stewart to require that the evidence of the prior act must always involve a crime or a completed crime. But, even if we considered the murder-for-hire scheme as a wrong or bad act, we would conclude that it was not sufficiently similar to the drive-by shooting of Basta to be probative of Angus' intent. An offer to kill an identified person for cash in response to that person's alleged bad acts bears no close relationship to shooting a stranger to earn first blood. Further, the risk that the jury would use evidence of the murder-for-hire scheme for the improper purpose of proving Angus' propensity to commit crimes outweighs its probative value.