Opinion ID: 1113569
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Bogard's Post-Matrimonial Letter to Sandra Dean

Text: Bogard claims the trial court erred in allowing the prosecution to read into evidence the content of a handwritten letter from Bogard to Sandra Dean. This occurred during the State's cross-examination of Bogard after he had identified the letter and authenticated its contents. Bogard argues that the letter was both irrelevant and privileged. Neither argument is persuasive. Bogard shot Sandra on November 30, 1989. He married her on May 24, 1990. In the wake of his marriage to Sandra, he wrote her a letter penned in the language of a fairy tale. The letter appeared to be a thinly veiled account of his assault on both Sandra and Lamont. Bogard testified he took three episodes in our life and made a fairy tale for her ... In this letter, the setting is a land called Diablo. Bogard is portrayed as Sir James, The Black Knight. Sandra is a Queen, and Lamont is a Prince. Portions of the letter read as follows: That night when the Queen was alone in her chambers Sir James barged in unannounced. Queen Sandra was frighten [sic] by his appearance. She tried to cry out, but the Mad Man was upon her. With his hands around her throat, Queen Sandra knew that the Man she loved was about to kill her. Suddenly Sir James was know [sic] longer there. [T]hinking her mind was blacking out from lack of oxigen [sic], Queen Sandra was startled to find her Son struggleing [sic] with Sir James. With strenth [sic] born of despiration [sic] and love for her son she joined in the struggle to overcome the crazed knight. Suddenly a strange object was produced by James. [T]he Queen told her son to run, then she felt two very hard blows to her head[,] then she felt herself slip into total darkness.       Queen Sandra was surprised by many things but her biggest suprise [sic] came when her doctor told her she was with child, her heart was flooded with many emotions. Why would the man who claimed to love her so much hurt her so badly? The letter, written in Bogard's own hand, was certainly relevant to the issue of guilt or innocence since a reasonable, hypothetical juror could have readily found it related to the crimes for which Bogard was then on trial. Statements made in the letter, although written within the context of a fairy tale, constituted admissions by Bogard which could have been introduced during the State's case-in-chief. An admission is a statement by the accused, direct or implied, of facts pertinent to the issue, and tending, in connection with other facts, to prove his guilt. Reed v. State, 229 Miss. 440, 91 So.2d 269 (1956). See also Mack v. State, 481 So.2d 793, 795 (Miss. 1985), citing Reed v. State, supra . Finally, the letter did not constitute a privileged communication between husband and wife because no privilege exists where, as here, one is charged with a crime against the person or the property of the other spouse or a child of either of them. See Rule 504(d), Miss.R.Evid. The fact that Bogard was not married to Sandra when he shot her is inconsequential. During redirect examination, Bogard was given an unlimited opportunity to explain the letter for the benefit of the jury, and he did so at great length. We hold no error ensued when the prosecutor read into evidence the content of Bogard's letter to Sandra.