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State of Iowa
v.
Fredrick Williams
Appellee
State of Iowa
Appellant
Fredrick Williams
Attorney for the Appellee
Bridget A. Chambers, Assistant Attorney General
Attorney for the Appellant
Elizabeth Araguas and Bryan Mugge
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Black Hawk County, David P. Odekirk, Judge. AFFIRMED. Heard by Bower, C.J., Chicchelly, J., and Gamble, S.J. Opinion by Gamble, S.J. (23 pages)
Fredrick Williams appeals his convictions for first-degree murder and abuse of a corpse, challenging evidentiary rulings and the sufficiency of the evidence supporting the verdicts. OPINION HOLDS: Because we find the most of challenged statements are either non-hearsay or fall under the exception to the rule against hearsay for then-existing mental, emotional, or physical conditions; the probative value of the evidence of prior bad acts on the issue of intent is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or proof that Williams had a bad character or propensity for violence; that the few pieces of admitted hearsay evidence did not affect Williams’s substantial rights; and because we find substantial evidence supports both convictions, we affirm.
