Effective 28 Aug 2014

563.033. Battered spouse syndrome evidence that defendant acted in self-defense or defense of another — procedure. — 1. Evidence that the actor was suffering from the battered spouse syndrome shall be admissible upon the issue of whether the actor lawfully acted in self-defense or defense of another.

2. If the defendant proposes to offer evidence of the battered spouse syndrome, he shall file written notice thereof with the court in advance of trial. Thereafter, the court, upon motion of the state, shall appoint one or more private psychiatrists or psychologists, as defined in section 632.005, or physicians with a minimum of one year training or experience in providing treatment or services to intellectually disabled or mentally ill individuals, who are neither employees nor contractors of the department of mental health for the purposes of performing the examination in question, to examine the accused, or shall direct the director of the department of mental health, or his designee, to have the accused so examined by one or more psychiatrists or psychologists, as defined in section 632.005, or physicians with a minimum of one year training or experience in providing treatment or services to intellectually disabled or mentally ill individuals designated by the director, or his designee, for the purpose of examining the defendant. No private psychiatrist, psychologist, or physician shall be appointed by the court unless he has consented to act. The examinations ordered shall be made at such time and place and under such conditions as the court deems proper; except that if the order directs the director of the department of mental health to have the accused examined, the director, or his designee, shall determine the reasonable time, place and conditions under which the examination shall be conducted. The order may include provisions for the interview of witnesses.

3. No statement made by the accused in the course of any such examination and no information received by any physician or other person in the course thereof, whether such examination was made with or without the consent of the accused or upon his motion or upon that of others, shall be admitted in evidence against the accused on the issue of whether he committed the act charged against him in any criminal proceeding then or thereafter pending in any court, state or federal.

­­--------

(L. 1987 H.B. 341, A.L. 2014 H.B. 1064)

(1990) Evidence of "battered spouse syndrome" admissible in claims of self-defense does not depend on defendant's marital status. (Mo.App.E.D.) State v. Williams, 787 S.W.2d 308.

(1995) Where wife looked for someone to kill her husband for over three months prior to murder, statute prohibits the battered spouse syndrome because defendant had not been able to raise the issue of self-defense. Anderson v. Goeke, 44 F.3d 675 (8th Cir.).