Harris v. State

Summary

The court held that the trial court abused its discretion by admitting extensive evidence of Harris’s prior aggravated battery of an ex-girlfriend under Rule 404 (b). The evidence was not logically connected to a permissible motive, and its limited relevance to accident or mistake was substantially outweighed by its prejudicial propensity effect. Because the State failed to prove that the error was harmless, the court reversed Harris’s convictions, while holding that the evidence was sufficient to permit retrial.