Opinion ID: 1699018
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Receipt of Degrading Testimony.

Text: The defendant has set forth 20 instances of allegedly improper and degrading evidence. We are convinced that there was no prejudicial error committed in connection with the instances asserted by the defendant. In view of the sordid nature of the offense charged, it was inevitable that the record could scarcely read like something from Little Women. It was entirely proper that the state should offer evidence of the unsavory minutiae surrounding the charged crime. The details of Mrs. Holt's comprehension of sexual intercourse, menstruation, and the physical aspects of childbirth were unavoidably necessary in this trial. In view of the defendant's claim that she disposed of the body because she did not want her husband to know of its birth, it was proper to explore the illegitimacy of the child. The evidence relating to her family life, schooling, and previous marriages all touched upon matters germane to the issues before the court and jury. We can see no relevance to her having been interrogated as to her receipt of aid for dependent children, but we are satisfied that this error was not prejudicial to her.