Beck v. State

Summary

The court affirmed Beck’s convictions after concluding that the trial court properly rejected his juror-misconduct claim, correctly refused to instruct on voluntary manslaughter, and, even if it improperly limited evidence concerning the victim’s violent character, committed harmless error. The court held that the juror testimony did not establish that sentencing information came from an outside source and that Beck’s evidence showed fear and defensive intent rather than passion sufficient to support voluntary manslaughter. It also concluded that the excluded character evidence was cumulative of evidence admitted at trial.