Bowden v. State

Summary

The court affirmed Bowden's first-degree-murder conviction and life sentence, holding that the circuit court properly excluded psychiatric testimony offered to support a manslaughter theory. Evidence of a mental disease or defect was not relevant to the statutory concept of extreme emotional disturbance because manslaughter requires provocation and a killing in the moment following that provocation. The court also found no prejudicial error after reviewing the record for adverse rulings.