LAURENTISS CORTEZ KENT Missouri Cases

Laurentiss Cortez Kent appealed his convictions for domestic assault and violation of an order of protection, arguing the trial court plainly erred by not sua sponte excluding a police officer's testimony about the victim's statements, which Kent claimed was hearsay and improperly bolstered the victim's testimony. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, declining plain error review. It found that Kent's claim failed to establish substantial grounds for manifest injustice because the challenged evidence was cumulative to other properly admitted evidence, and the victim testified and was subject to cross-examination.