Kuebler v. Mississippi
Annotate this CaseTamra Stuckey was shot and killed on the couch in Charles Kuebler’s apartment in the early morning hours of June 30, 2010. Tamra had been staying at Kuebler’s apartment for three or four days prior and had shown an unreciprocated romantic interest in Kuebler at that time. The trial court allowed the State to introduce evidence of Kuebler’s flight from custody in July 2011, approximately ten months after he was released on bond. The jury returned a verdict finding Kuebler guilty of deliberate-design murder, and the trial court sentenced him to life in prison. In December 2011, Kuebler filed a motion for a judgment notwithstanding the verdict or, in the alternative, a new trial. After a hearing, the trial court denied the motion in October 2012. Kuebler timely appealed. The Court of Appeals found error with the admission of evidence of Kuebler’s flight and the related jury instruction but held that it was harmless error and affirmed Kuebler’s conviction and sentence. After its review, the Supreme Court found that the trial court committed reversible error by denying Kuebler the opportunity to present his theory of defense, in granting a flight instruction, and by prohibiting Kuebler from offering evidence to rebut the State’s argument that his flight indicated consciousness of guilt. Accordingly, the appellate court was reversed and the matter remanded for a new trial.
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.