Opinion ID: 1408222
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: admission of photographs, jury view of crime scene

Text: Hickles first argues that several of the photographs introduced at trial were unduly prejudicial and fundamentally unfair because those pictures were gruesome and inflammatory and their prejudice outweighed any probative value. The admission of photographs in a homicide case is a matter within the trial court's discretion, and the court's ruling will not be disturbed on appeal absent a showing of abuse of discretion. State v. Reed, 256 Kan. 547, 557, 886 P.2d 854 (1994) (citing State v. Stone, 253 Kan. 105, 111, 853 P.2d 662 [1993]). Except as otherwise provided by statute, all relevant evidence is admissible. K.S.A. 60-407(f). Even where the defendant concedes the cause of death, the prosecution has the burden to prove all the elements of the crime charged; and photographs to prove the elements of the crime, including the fact and manner of death and the violent nature of the crime, are relevant and admissible. State v. Dargatz, 228 Kan. 322, 329, 614 P.2d 430 (1980); State v. Henson, 221 Kan. 635, 647, 562 P.2d 51 (1977); State v. Campbell, 210 Kan. 265, 276, 500 P.2d 21 (1972). Photographs depicting the extent, nature, and number of wounds inflicted are generally relevant in a first-degree murder case. State v. McCorgary, 224 Kan. 677, 681, 585 P.2d 1024 (1978). Photographs are unduly prejudicial and are erroneously admitted when they are unduly repetitious, are particularly gruesome, and add nothing to the State's case. See State v. Dargatz, 228 Kan. at 329; State v. Henson, 221 Kan. at 646-47; State v. Clark, 218 Kan. 18, 24, 542 P.2d 291 (1975). Hickles objected at trial to admission of numerous 3 x 5 photographs: Exhibits 10 C & D (depiction of paramedics as they attempted to revive Whetstone); autopsy pictures including Exhibit 26 A (picture of a wound to arm) and B (picture of two wounds to arm), Exhibits 22 and 23 (close up and perspective of wounds to face), 24 (bruising to inside of mouth), and 25 (broken larynx after removal from corpse); 30-38 (showing stab wounds to torso with four photographs depicting closeups of wounds with measuring tape to indicate the size of the wounds), Exhibit 47 (duplication of some torso wounds), Exhibits 39-46 (wounds to extremities); Exhibit 28 (five pictures depicting walkway at crime scene showing droplets of blood); Exhibit 18 (six pictures of crime scene showing porch where body was found; Exhibit 9 (six pictures of crime scene showing front porch area); Exhibit 8 (pictures of crime scene including pictures of victim's bloody jeans); Exhibit 21 (six pictures showing blood drops at the Martinez residence); Exhibit 27 (three photographs showing blood droplets around the Martinez residence; Exhibit 16 (one picture of defendant's bedroom showing bloody jeans), and Exhibit 29 (two photographs showing blood droplets at defendant's residence). Hickles complains particularly about Exhibit 25, showing the larynx removed, and Exhibit 32, displaying the abdomen cut open with the liver exposed. Hickles contends it was error to allow admission of 25 autopsy photographs to show the approximately 13 wounds. We have held that special care should be taken in admitting photographs taken after an autopsy in order that the evidence not be more gruesome than necessary. See State v. Prouse, 244 Kan. 292, Syl. ¶ 1, 767 P.2d 1308 (1989). Gruesome is defined in Webster's II New Riverside University Dictionary 552 (1988) as [c]ausing horror and repugnance: shocking. In a crime of violence which results in death, photographs which serve to illustrate the nature and extent of the wounds inflicted are admissible when they corroborate the testimony of witnesses or are relevant to the testimony of a pathologist as to the cause of death, even though they may appear gruesome. State v. Sutton, 256 Kan. 913, Syl. ¶ 3, 889 P.2d 755 (1995). Although some of the autopsy photographs admitted depict a particular wound more than once, this was generally done to show the wound both close up and from a perspective, to indicate the angle of the wound, and sometimes to show the entrance and exit position of the wound. Moreover, although the same wounds were depicted in more than one photograph, the State had a legitimate purpose for their introduction. The number of wounds and their character as offensive or defensive wounds were crucial to the State in proving first-degree murder since Hickles' defense was self-defense and that the stabbing just happened. The close-up photographs assisted the pathologist's testimony in establishing the character of the wounds and showing that the wounds could reasonably have been caused by the defendant's knife. The perspective photographs allowed the jury to locate each wound on a readily identifiable portion of the deceased's body. Therefore, the autopsy photographs were not unduly repetitious. Although the autopsy photographs are not particularly pleasant, they are true reproductions of relevant physical facts and material conditions at the scene at issue. See State v. Reed, 256 Kan. at 557. The trial court did not err in admitting the autopsy photographs. Exhibit 25 depicted the defendant's larynx after it had been removed from the body. As explained by the pathologist, Dr. Mitchell, the picture was taken to demonstrate a break and the surrounding bruise of the tissues on the right, upper part of the back of the Adam's apple. Dr. Mitchell testified that the fracture was consistent with being kicked in that area by somebody wearing shoes. Based upon this testimony, Exhibit 25 was relevant in assisting Dr. Mitchell in this testimony and also in corroborating Christine Whetstone's testimony that the defendant kicked her husband several times after the stabbing. This evidence was important to contradict defendant's claim of self-defense. Exhibit 32 displaying the abdomen cut open corroborated the pathologist's testimony that this particular wound demonstrated the characteristic of the weapon used, in that we have a blunt margin on this side and a sharp margin on the other indicating that the weapon used had one sharp side and one dull side. The pathologist also used this exhibit to demonstrate that the knife traveled a minimum of 3 to 4 inches into the deceased's body. Both statements by the pathologist contradicted Hickles' claim of selfdefense and tied the knife found in Hickles' possession to the stabbing of Whetstone. By their very existence, exhibits in a murder trial such as this are inevitably gruesome and unsettling. See State v. Kingsley, 252 Kan. 761, 770, 851 P.2d 370 (1993). After a careful examination of all the photographs, although many of the photographs were cumulative, none is particularly gruesome or unduly prejudicial; therefore, we cannot say that their admission into evidence brought about the wrong result. The trial court did not err in admitting them into evidence. Hickles next contends the trial court erred in admitting too many photographs. Here, over 100 photographs were shown to the jury. There are instances when the trial court may in the exercise of its discretion refuse to admit testimony which is cumulative. See Thompson v. Norman, 198 Kan. 436, 441, 424 P.2d 593 (1967). Cumulative evidence is evidence of the same kind to the same point, and whether it is cumulative is to be determined from its kind and character, rather than its effect. Building Assn. v. Mc-Mullen, 59 Kan. 493, Syl. ¶ 2, 53 Pac. 481 (1898). Cumulative evidence in itself is not objectionable. Error cannot be predicated on allowing the use of such evidence. Smith v. Blakey, Administrator, 213 Kan. 91, 97, 515 P.2d 1062 (1973). Defendant also contends that the trial court erred in ordering the jury to view the crime scene. The State requested that the jury be ordered to view the crime scene so the jurors could obtain a general understanding of the layout of the house, the size of the porch, and the relationship of the porch to the house. The decision to order a jury to view a crime scene is discretionary with the trial court. An appellate court will not reverse such a decision of the trial judge except for an abuse of discretion which affirmatively appears to have affected the substantial rights of the objecting party. State v. McCorgary, 218 Kan. 358, 364, 543 P.2d 952 (1975), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 867 (1976). K.S.A. 22-3418 provides: Whenever in the opinion of the court it is proper for the jurors to have a view of the place in which any material fact occurred, it may order them to be conducted in a body under the charge of an officer to the place, which shall be shown to them by some person appointed by the court for that purpose. They may be accompanied by the defendant, his counsel and the prosecuting attorney. While the jurors are thus absent, no person other than the officer and the person appointed to show them the place shall speak to them on any subject connected with the trial. The officer or person appointed to show them the place shall speak to the jurors only to the extent necessary to conduct them to and identify the place or thing in question. Defendant's primary argument that his rights were prejudiced by the jury's view of the crime scene is that the prosecutor argued in closing argument that blood still could be observed on the wall of the porch at the time of the jury's visit. However, although photographs of the crime scene were introduced at trial, it cannot be said that a view of the physical surroundings at the crime scene did not further enlighten the jury. See State v. McCorgary, 218 Kan. at 364. Given the other testimony at trial and the introduction of the photographic evidence, the prosecutor's mention of blood did not affirmatively appear to have affected Hickles' substantial rights.