Opinion ID: 2586480
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Preautopsy Photographs

Text: During the guilt phase and outside the presence of the jury, the prosecutor proffered five preautopsy photographs depicting Laborde's charred body. Defense counsel objected that the photographs were hideous, unduly prejudicial, and cumulative in light of the emotional testimony that established the extent of Laborde's burns and the nature of her injuries. He asked the trial court to exclude all of the photographs or, in the alternative, limit the number of photographs to one. The prosecutor argued the photographs were relevant to prove defendant's intent to torture and to commit mayhem. The trial court concluded the probative value [of the photographs] exceed[ed] prejudice to the defense and ruled the photographs admissible to show substantial charring in various parts of the body and enormous swelling and disfigurement of the face and [to] demonstrate graphically the ingestion of hot gasses caused by the alleged conduct of the defendant. During the penalty retrial, the prosecutor moved to introduce the same photographs into evidence as relevant to the issue of punishment. Defense counsel objected, relying on the same grounds he asserted during the guilt phase. The trial court ruled the photographs were admissible for the same reasons it concluded they were admissible in the guilt phase. On appeal, defendant argues the trial court's ruling constituted an abuse of discretion in that the preautopsy photographs were irrelevant to the determination of guilt and highly prejudicial in their depiction of Laborde's wounds. He contends their admission in the guilt and penalty phases violated his rights to due process, a fair trial, and a reliable determination of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt under the Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. Defendant's contentions lack merit. (18) The rules governing the admissibility of photographic evidence are settled: all relevant evidence is admissible, unless excluded under the federal or state Constitution or by statute, and trial courts have broad discretion in determining the relevance of evidence . . . . ( People v. Vieira (2005) 35 Cal.4th 264, 293 [25 Cal.Rptr.3d 337, 106 P.3d 990].) The court's exercise of that discretion will not be disturbed on appeal unless the prejudicial effect of the evidence clearly outweighs its probative value. ( People v. Martinez (2003) 31 Cal.4th 673, 692 [3 Cal.Rptr.3d 648, 74 P.3d 748]; see Evid. Code, § 352.) Further, we have emphasized that `the trial court's discretion [at the penalty phase] to exclude circumstances-of-the-crime evidence as unduly prejudicial is more circumscribed than at the guilt phase. During the guilt phase, there is a legitimate concern that crime scene photographs . . . can produce a visceral response that unfairly tempts jurors to find the defendant guilty of the charged crimes. Such concerns are greatly diminished at the penalty phase because the defendant has been found guilty of the charged crimes, and the jury's discretion is focused on the circumstances of those crimes solely to determine the defendant's sentence. Indeed, the sentencer is expected to subjectively weigh the evidence, and the prosecution is entitled to place the capital offense and the offender in a morally bad light.' ( People v. Moon (2005) 37 Cal.4th 1, 35 [32 Cal.Rptr.3d 894, 117 P.3d 591], first italics added, quoting People v. Box (2000) 23 Cal.4th 1153, 1201 [99 Cal.Rptr.2d 69, 5 P.3d 130].) (19) We have viewed the photographs and conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting them. Photographs of a murder victim `are always relevant to prove how the charged crime occurred, and the prosecution is not obliged to prove these details solely from the testimony of live witnesses,' even in the absence of a defense challenge to particular aspects of the prosecution's case. ( People v. Vieira, supra, 35 Cal.4th at p. 293, quoting People v. Pollock (2004) 32 Cal.4th 1153, 1170 [13 Cal.Rptr.3d 34, 89 P.3d 353].) [W]e have often rejected the argument that photographs of a murder victim should be excluded as cumulative to other evidence in the case. ( People v. Cole, supra, 33 Cal.4th 1158, 1199.) The five photographs depicted numerous burns on various parts of Laborde's body and extensive swelling and disfigurement of her face. Although unpleasant to view, they were relevant to support the prosecution's theories of felony murder in the commission or attempted commission of mayhem, and torture murder. ( Ibid. ) At the penalty phase, the photographs demonstrated graphically the circumstances of the murder (§ 190.3, factor (a)) and therefore were relevant to the penalty determination. ( People v. Moon, supra, 37 Cal.4th at p. 35; People v. Raley, supra, 2 Cal.4th at p. 914.) Accordingly, we reject defendant's claim of error. [24]