Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jun 25, 2019
STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent vs. CHRIS EUGENE WILLIAM COURTOIS, Appellant
Appellant Chris Eugene William Courtois was convicted of sex crimes against a six-year-old victim. On appeal, he challenged the admission of propensity evidence regarding an uncharged sex act against another child, arguing the state failed to prove the corpus delicti and that the evidence was unduly prejudicial. The appellate court affirmed the convictions, holding that the corpus delicti rule does not apply to propensity evidence under § 18(c) and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding the evidence's probative value outweighed any unfair prejudice.