Johnson County assistant district attorney Will Hurst, standing, urged a Kansas House committee to support a bill modifying the state’s rules of evidence so a defendant’s history of domestic violence could be presented at trial in comparable cases. (Kansas Reflector screen capture of Legislature’s YouTube channel)
TOPEKA — Prosecutor Will Hurst said the scourge of domestic violence was so alarming — Johnson County alone has 1,100 pending cases — that Kansas lawmakers ought to allow admission of evidence at trial of a defendant’s propensity to commit domestic violence to better hold abusers accountable.
The law in Kansas and most other states typically prohibited submitting evidence of a defendant’s prior bad acts because the information could bias a judge or jury against the accused. However, Hurst and the Kansas County and District Attorney Association said the Kansas Legislature should adopt an exception carved out by House Bill 2630 and follow at least seven states enabling prosecutors to submit evidence of a defendant’s history of domestic violence.