Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Jun 24, 2024
STATE OF MISSOURI, Plaintiff-Respondent vs. HENRY JOHN EPENESA, Defendant-Appellant
Henry John Epenesa appealed his conviction for assault in the fourth degree following a bench trial, arguing there was insufficient evidence to prove he was not acting in self-defense. The appellate court affirmed the trial court's judgment. It held that Epenesa failed to meet his burden of injecting the issue of self-defense with substantial evidence, thus the State was not required to disprove it, and the evidence presented was sufficient to support the conviction.