Title XXXVIII CRIMES AND PUNISHMENT; PEACE OFFICERS AND PUBLIC DEFENDERS
< > Effective - 01 Jan 1979, 2 histories, see footnote (history)*575.040. Until December 31, 2016 — Perjury. — 1. A person commits the crime of perjury if, with the purpose to deceive, he knowingly testifies falsely to any material fact upon oath or affirmation legally administered, in any official proceeding before any court, public body, notary public or other officer authorized to administer oaths.
2. A fact is material, regardless of its admissibility under rules of evidence, if it could substantially affect, or did substantially affect, the course or outcome of the cause, matter or proceeding.
3. Knowledge of the materiality of the statement is not an element of this crime, and it is no defense that:
(1) The defendant mistakenly believed the fact to be immaterial; or
(2) The defendant was not competent, for reasons other than mental disability or immaturity, to make the statement.
4. It is a defense to a prosecution under subsection 1 of this section that the actor retracted the false statement in the course of the official proceeding in which it was made provided he did so before the falsity of the statement was exposed. Statements made in separate hearings at separate stages of the same proceeding, including but not limited to statements made before a grand jury, at a preliminary hearing, at a deposition or at previous trial, are made in the course of the same proceeding.
5. The defendant shall have the burden of injecting the issue of retraction under subsection 4 of this section.
6. Perjury committed in any proceeding not involving a felony charge is a class D felony.
7. Perjury committed in any proceeding involving a felony charge is a class C felony unless:
(1) It is committed during a criminal trial for the purpose of securing the conviction of an accused for murder, in which case it is a class A felony; or
(2) It is committed during a criminal trial for the purpose of securing the conviction of an accused for any felony except murder, in which case it is a class B felony.
--------
(L. 1977 S.B. 60)
Effective 1-01-79
*This section was amended by S.B. 491, 2014, effective 1-01-17. Due to the delayed effective date, both versions of this section are printed here.
---- end of effective 01 Jan 1979 ----
- All versions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Effective | End | |||
575.040 | 1/1/2017 | |||
575.040 | 1/1/1979 | 1/1/2017 |
|
|||
Click here for the Reorganization Act of 1974 - or - Concurrent Resolutions Having Force & Effect of Law | |||
In accordance with Section 3.090, the language of statutory sections enacted during a legislative session are updated and available on this website on the effective date of such enacted statutory section. | |||
|
Recent Sections | Editorials | May Be Cited As | Tables & Forms | Multiple Enact |
Repeal & Transfer | Definitions | End Report | ||
|
||||
Site changes | Pictures | Contact |
Legislative Research | Oversight | MOLIS | |||
Library | MO WebMasters |