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Senate Bill 12 |
Senate Author: Huffman |
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Effective: 9-1-13 |
House Sponsor: Riddle |
Senate Bill 12 amends the Code of Criminal Procedure to authorize, in a trial of certain sex-related offenses committed against a child or an attempt or conspiracy to commit such offenses, the admission of evidence that the defendant has committed a separate such offense for any bearing the evidence has on relevant matters, including the defendant's character and acts performed in conformity with the defendant's character. The bill requires the trial judge, before such evidence may be introduced, to determine that the evidence likely to be admitted at trial will be adequate to support a finding by the jury that the defendant committed the separate offense beyond a reasonable doubt and to conduct a hearing for that purpose out of the jury's presence. The bill requires the state to give the defendant notice of the state's intent to introduce in the case in chief such evidence not later than the 30th day before the defendant's trial date and also applies this deadline to a notice of intent to introduce in the trial of certain sexual assault, trafficking, and prostitution-related offenses committed against a child evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts committed against the child victim for its bearing on relevant matters.