Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Oct 24, 2023
State of Missouri, Respondent, vs. Jesse M. Jansen, Appellant.
Jesse M. Jansen appealed his jury convictions for domestic assault and child abuse. He argued the State failed to prove he was eighteen or older, an essential element of child abuse, and that the trial court plainly erred by not instructing the jury on justified force by a caretaker. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, holding that the jury could reasonably infer Jansen's age from his in-court appearance and circumstantial evidence, and that Jansen failed to inject the issue of entrustment into the case, thus no plain error occurred regarding the jury instruction.