Supreme Court of Missouri / Sep 1, 2020
State of Missouri, Respondent, vs. Kane Carpenter, Appellant.
Kane Carpenter appealed his conviction for first-degree robbery, arguing the trial court improperly excluded expert witness testimony regarding the reliability of eyewitness identifications. The Missouri Supreme Court held that the prior common law rule, which generally excluded such testimony, was abrogated by section 490.065.2, which broadens the admissibility of expert evidence. The Court found the expert testimony reliable and helpful to the jury, and that traditional methods of challenging identification were insufficient. Therefore, the Court vacated Carpenter's conviction and remanded the case for a new trial.