Opinion ID: 2623235
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Weapons

Text: After the traffic stop, Saenz was arrested and searched. One of the bullets found on Saenz' person was .380 caliber, the same caliber that killed Quezada. Police officers then searched the car and found a 9 mm handgun, a .38 caliber handgun, and a Remington.380 bullet which could not be linked to any bullet at the scene of the shooting. Neither of the guns could have fired the bullet that caused Quezada's death. Prior to trial, Saenz moved that evidence of his arrest and weapons found in his vehicle when arrested be excluded from trial because they were not related to the charged offenses. At the hearing on the motion in limine Saenz asserted that the probative value of this evidence was outweighed by the prejudice inherent in the evidence. The State argued that because of the proximity in time to the homicide, the evidence constituted res gestae evidence, i.e., events at issue, or other events contemporaneous with them. The trial court denied the defendant's motion to suppress. On appeal, Saenz contends that the trial court erred in admitting the evidence obtained in the traffic stop because it was irrelevant, prejudicial, and improper character evidence. K.S.A. 60-445 provides: Except as in this article otherwise provided, the judge may in his or her discretion exclude evidence if he or she finds that its probative value is substantially outweighed by the risk that its admission will unfairly and harmfully surprise a party who has not had reasonable opportunity to anticipate that such evidence would be offered. When a question arises as to whether evidence at trial is unfairly prejudicial, the trial court has an obligation to weigh the probative value of the evidence. When the prejudicial effect of the evidence on the trier of fact outweighs the probative value of the evidence, the evidence should be excluded. State v. Lumley, 266 Kan. 939, Syl. ¶ 5, 976 P.2d 486 (1999). We note that except as otherwise provided by statute, constitutional prohibition, or court decision, all relevant evidence is admissible. K.S.A. 60-407(f); State v. Smallwood, 264 Kan. 69, 84, 955 P.2d 1209 (1998). The admission of evidence lies within the sound discretion of the trial court. An appellate court's standard of review regarding a trial court's admission of evidence, subject to exclusionary rules, is abuse of discretion. One who asserts that the court abused its discretion bears the burden of showing such abuse of discretion. Lumley, 266 Kan. at 950. When a motion in limine or a motion to suppress is denied, the moving party must object to the evidence at trial to preserve the issue on appeal. State v. Jones, 267 Kan. 627, 637, 984 P.2d 132 (1999). Saenz did not object to the admission of the evidence at trial. In fact, prior to admitting the evidence, the trial court specifically asked the defense if it had any objections. Other than objecting to the document the officer used to record the items found in the search, the defense stated it had no objections. Because the evidence was not objected to at trial, the defense did not preserve the issue for appeal. Therefore, this issue fails.