Rule 404. Character Evidence; Crimes or Other Acts

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MS R REV Rule 404West’s Annotated Mississippi CodeMississippi Rules of Court State (Approx. 2 pages)

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Rule 404. Character Evidence; Crimes or Other Acts

MS R REV Rule 404West’s Annotated Mississippi CodeMississippi Rules of Court State (Approx. 2 pages)

West's Annotated Mississippi Code

Mississippi Rules of Court State

Mississippi Rules of Evidence

Article IV. Relevance and Its Limits

M.R.E. Rule 404

Rule 404. Character Evidence; Crimes or Other Acts

Currentness

(a) Character Evidence.

(1) Prohibited Uses. Evidence of a person's character or character trait is not admissible to prove that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character or trait.

(2) Exceptions for a Defendant or Victim in a Criminal Case. The following exceptions apply in a criminal case:

(A) a defendant may offer evidence of the defendant's pertinent trait, and if the evidence is admitted, the prosecutor may offer evidence to rebut it;

(B) a defendant may offer evidence of an alleged victim's pertinent trait, and if the evidence is admitted, the prosecutor may offer evidence to rebut it; and

(C) the prosecutor may offer evidence of the alleged victim's trait of peacefulness to rebut evidence that the victim was the first aggressor.

(3) Exceptions for a Witness. Evidence of a witness's character may be admitted under Rules 607, 608, and 609.

(b) Crimes, Wrongs, or Other Acts.

(1) Prohibited Uses. Evidence of a crime, wrong, or other act is not admissible to prove a person's character in order to show that on a particular occasion the person acted in accordance with the character.

(2) Permitted Uses. This evidence may be admissible for another purpose, such as proving motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, absence of mistake, or lack of accident.

Credits

[Amended eff. July 1, 2016.]

Rules of Evid., Rule 404, MS R REV Rule 404

Current with amendments received through June 1, 2024. Some rules may be more current, see credits for details.

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