Opinion ID: 2356771
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Presence of shotgun at trial

Text: The appellant's next point on appeal concerns the State's unsuccessful attempt to admit a shotgun in evidence. During the trial, the prosecution witness, James Sirois, testified that the appellant had supplied him and his two accomplices with the shotgun used to commit the Mechanic Falls robbery. The State then attempted to have admitted in evidence a shotgun which, it contended, was the weapon furnished by the appellant to the three robbers. The presiding Justice, however, excluded the shotgun on the ground of improper authentication. The appellant now maintains that the presiding Justice committed reversible error by failing to instruct the jury to disregard the presentation of the shotgun as evidence. The appellant concedes, however, that he neglected to object to the omission in the trial Justice's charge in violation of Rule 30(b) of the Maine Rules of Criminal Procedure. We must accordingly reject such claim of error, unless the omission in the charge constituted obvious error substantially affecting the rights of the appellant pursuant to Rule 52(b). See State v. McKeough, 1973, Me., 300 A.2d 755, 757; State v. Boisvert, 1967, Me., 236 A.2d 419. At the close of the evidence, the presiding Justice charged the jury as follows: Now what is the evidence in the case from which you will make your findings of fact? Primarily, as in most cases, it is the testimony of the witnesses. . . . There are also exhibits which have been admitted into evidence, which are evidence for you to consider. (emphasis added) The presiding Justice also informed the jurors that they would have available in your jury room the exhibits which have been admitted into evidence of which there are three (emphasis added). We believe that the above instructions effectively informed the jurors that in reaching their verdict they could consider the exhibits which had been admitted in evidence, but that they should disregard exhibits, such as the shotgun, which had not been admitted in evidence. We accordingly hold that the presiding Justice's failure to give an explicit cautionary instruction concerning the shotgun did not amount to obvious error within the meaning of Rule 52(b).