United States v. Cottier

The Eighth Circuit affirmed defendant's conviction and sentence for second degree murder and related charges. The court held that the evidence was sufficient to support the second degree murder count; the district court did not err by instructing the jury on the elements of second degree murder; the government did not improperly vouch for the credibility of witnesses; although the admission of testimony concerning a sexual encounter that took place in the hours leading up to the murder was prejudicial, the error did not warrant reversal; and the district court did not err in calculating the criminal history points at sentencing. View "United States v. Cottier" on Justia Law