Opinion ID: 1059512
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: transcript of videotaped conversation

Text: On September 20th, Burns went to the home of his friend, Hazel Buckley, between 10:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. While he was there, Burns, according to Buckley, told her that [hie had done something really bad. Buckley testified that Burns then stated that he would need to account for his whereabouts from about 7:30 p.m. until 12:00 p.m. that evening. Buckley later contacted the police and agreed to assist in the investigation of Cooley's murder by allowing a subsequently arranged meeting between her and Burns to be videotaped. At trial, the Commonwealth played the videotape of the meeting for the jury and, over Burns' objection, provided the jury with a transcript of the conversation between Buckley and Burns as the tape was played. On appeal, Burns argues that the circuit court erred in allowing the jury to use the transcript because it contained numerous `inaudible' references and numerous gaps. Burns also claims that the transcript highlighted portions of the conversation that were prejudicial to him. A court may, in its discretion, permit the jury to refer to a transcript, the accuracy of which is established, as an aid to understanding a recording. Fisher v. Commonwealth, 236 Va. 403, 413, 374 S.E.2d 46, 52 (1988), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1028, 109 S.Ct. 1766, 104 L.Ed.2d 201 (1989). Burns has not challenged the accuracy of the transcript, only its completeness. That fact, coupled with the lengthy cautionary instruction that the circuit court gave the jury regarding the portions of the transcript that indicated the videotape was inaudible and advising the jurors to decide for themselves what was being said, persuade us that the court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the jury to use the transcript.