Opinion ID: 1618817
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: admissibility of knife

Text: Defendant claims there was insufficient foundation for admission of a knife. Neighbors living across the street from the victim testified that they heard screams at about the time of the crime, saw lights come on in the victim's house, and saw a man run down her driveway, across the street, and past the window where the neighbor boy was watching. This was in the early morning hours on Saturday. On Sunday afternoon, a knife was found directly in the path taken by the man running across their yard. It looked like it may have had some blood on it when it was found. During commission of the offense, the victim was cut with a knife. The evidence is sufficient to support admission of the knife. An instrument allegedly used in the commission of a crime is admissible if there is a reasonable inference that it is connected with either the defendant or the crime with which he is charged. State v. Pickering, 1974, S.D. 217 N.W.2d 877.