Missouri Laws 491.205 – Court may compel testimony, witness immunity, exception, when, penalty
1. In the case of any individual who has been or may be called to testify or provide other information at any proceeding ancillary to or before a circuit or associate circuit court or grand jury of the state of Missouri, the judge of the circuit in which the proceeding is or may be held may issue, in accordance with subsection 2 of this section, upon the written request of the prosecuting attorney an order requiring such individual to give testimony or provide other information which the individual refuses to give or provide on the basis of the individual’s privilege against self-incrimination. When such an order is issued, the witness may not refuse to comply with the order on the basis of the witness’s privilege against self-incrimination, but after complying with the order and giving the testimony or producing the evidence compelled by the order, no such person shall be criminally prosecuted or subjected to any criminal penalty for or on account of any act, transaction, matter or thing which is the subject matter of the inquiry in which the person testifies or produces evidence, except a prosecution for perjury, giving a false or misleading statement or contempt committed in answering or failing to answer, or in producing or failing to produce evidence in accordance with the order.
2. A prosecuting attorney may be granted an order compelling a witness to testify and produce evidence upon the approval of a verified application for witness immunity heard by a judge of the circuit court. The judge hearing the application for witness immunity may not preside over a grand jury proceeding where such testimony is given, and may not hear the subsequent criminal trial or any ancillary proceeding for which the immunity applies. Such application shall offer proof that:
Terms Used In Missouri Laws 491.205
- Answer: The formal written statement by a defendant responding to a civil complaint and setting forth the grounds for defense.
- Defendant: In a civil suit, the person complained against; in a criminal case, the person accused of the crime.
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Grand jury: agreement providing that a lender will delay exercising its rights (in the case of a mortgage,
- person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- State: when applied to any of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories, and the words "United States" includes such district and territories. See Missouri Laws 1.020
- Testify: Answer questions in court.
- Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
(1) Such individual has refused or is likely to refuse to testify or provide other information on the basis of the individual’s privilege against self-incrimination; and either:
(2) The testimony or other information to be provided by such individual is necessary to the investigation or prosecution and is otherwise unobtainable; or
(3) The testimony or other information to be provided by such individual is necessary for the prosecutor to prove a defendant‘s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
3. If a person refuses to testify on the basis of such person’s privilege against self-incrimination after being given an order to testify under this section or produce evidence or other information, such person shall be adjudged in contempt and committed to the county jail until such time as the person purges himself or herself of this contempt by testifying or producing evidence and information as ordered, or the trial for which the person’s testimony was requested has concluded. In no event shall the length of confinement exceed twelve months.