JAMES DARRON BEERBOWER, JR. Missouri Cases

James Darron Beerbower, Jr. appealed the denial of his amended Rule 29.15 motion for post-conviction relief. The appellate court determined that Beerbower's post-conviction counsel was not appointed, meaning the abandonment doctrine did not apply to excuse the untimely filing of the amended motion. Consequently, the motion court lacked authority to rule on the merits of the untimely amended motion and failed to adjudicate claims from Beerbower's timely filed pro se motion. The appeal was dismissed for lack of a final, appealable judgment, and the case was remanded for further proceedings.

James Darron Beerbower, Jr. appealed his convictions for three counts of first-degree child molestation following a jury trial. He argued the trial court erred by allowing forensic interviewers to testify in a way that bolstered victim credibility and by submitting a faulty jury instruction in a multiple acts case. The Southern District of the Missouri Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment, finding no abuse of discretion in the admission of general expert testimony and no plain error regarding the defense's own witness testimony or the unobjected-to jury instruction, which was deemed a reasonable trial strategy.