State v. St. Clair
Missouri Supreme Court
262 S.W.2d 25 (1953)
Relevant factsFree
St. Clair (defendant) testified that he participated in a robbery only because two armed accomplices, whom he feared based on their past violence and threats against him and his family, tricked him into coming along and threatened to shoot him and his family if he refused to help; one man held a shotgun on him while he robbed the victim. The trial judge refused to instruct the jury on the defense of duress, and St. Clair was convicted and appealed.
IssueFree
Whether the defense of duress is available only to a defendant who acted under a present, imminent, and impending threat of death or serious bodily injury.