Government of the Virgin Islands v. Carino
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
631 F.2d 226 (3d Cir. 1980)
Relevant factsFree
Carino (defendant), charged with assaulting and shooting his live-in girlfriend Richardson, claimed self-defense, testifying Richardson attacked him first with a stick and that he wrestled a gun away from her; he sought to introduce evidence that Richardson had a prior voluntary manslaughter conviction, which the trial court excluded, and the jury convicted him.
IssueFree
Whether prior bad acts of a victim are admissible to demonstrate the defendant's state of mind at the time of the crime at issue.