Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Feb 25, 2020
STATE OF MISSOURI, Respondent vs. CODY RANDALL MCKENZIE, Appellant
Cody Randall McKenzie appealed his convictions for first-degree assault and armed criminal action, arguing that the evidence was insufficient and that the trial court erred in denying his peremptory strikes of two male jurors. The appellate court affirmed the convictions, finding that McKenzie failed to challenge specific elements of the crimes and that the jury disbelieved his defense claims. The court also concluded that the trial court did not clearly err in finding McKenzie's gender-neutral reasons for the peremptory strikes were pretextual.