Opinion ID: 853074
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statement Made by an Unidentified Person at the Scene

Text: At trial, Joe Moore, one of the witnesses present at the shooting, testified that immediately after Jones was shot, he heard someone say, You fuckin' with some real soldiers. Before trial, in statements to the police, Moore had attributed the statement to Harris. At trial, however, he testified that he could not identify who made the statement. The defense argues that the statement was intended by the State to inflame the prejudice and passions of the jury. The statement was not hearsay because it was not offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted and was therefore not inadmissible on that ground. It was at least marginally relevant because it bore on Lampkins' defense that he was in fear of injury by a hostile Anderson crowd and supported the State's theory that Lampkins approached Jones from behind and shot him in the back without fear of the crowd. The statement's prejudicial effect is equally nebulous. We conclude that the probative value of the statement is not substantially outweighed by its unfair prejudice.