State of Louisiana v. Clifford Williams

Summary

The Louisiana Supreme Court affirmed the defendant's murder conviction, holding that the victim's prior threats and character evidence were inadmissible because the defendant lacked personal knowledge of those threats and failed to show an appreciable overt act by the victim. The Court also noted that, although the trial court erred in its credibility assessment, that error did not affect the admissibility analysis. The decision underscores the statutory requirement for overt act evidence and the constitutional right to a complete defense, but finds the evidentiary rule not arbitrary.