Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District / Apr 30, 2019
State of Missouri vs. Roger J. Beck, Jr.
Roger J. Beck, Jr. appealed his conviction and sentences for second-degree assault of a special victim and armed criminal action, stemming from beating Michael Kirkpatrick, who has an intellectual disability, with a baseball bat. Beck argued the trial court erred by admitting a judgment of incapacity and that there was insufficient evidence to prove Kirkpatrick's "special victim" status. The appellate court affirmed the judgment, finding no prejudice from the admitted evidence and rejecting Beck's statutory interpretation of "disability."