Supreme Court of Missouri / Jun 13, 2023
State of Missouri, Respondent, vs. John A. Hamby, Appellant.
John A. Hamby appealed his conviction for multiple counts of sexual misconduct against his stepdaughter, H.D., arguing that the jury instructions violated his constitutional right to a unanimous verdict. Hamby contended the instructions failed to specify distinct acts of abuse, given evidence of multiple incidents. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed Hamby's conviction, holding that the vague and generalized nature of H.D.'s testimony regarding repeated, indistinguishable acts of abuse did not create a risk of a non-unanimous verdict.