Opinion ID: 1353139
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admission of Crime Scene Photographs and Murder Weapon

Text: Appellant's next claim is that photographs of the crime scene and the actual murder weapon were improperly admitted into evidence. The admitted photographs depicted the crime scene, the bloodstained stall in which Mr. Cash's body was eventually found, and Mr. Cash's corpse. Appellant contends that the photographs and the bloody weapon were rendered irrelevant by his guilty plea, and that their gruesome nature served only to inflame and incite the jury to recommend death. At the outset, the Commonwealth asserts that this issue is unpreserved for review. The record reflects that, at the time the photographs and weapon were admitted, defense counsel entered a renewed objection. Apparently, defense counsel was reiterating an objection that had been entered previously by Appellant's former counsel; however, the basis of the objection was not restated and the record does not include the actual pretrial motion. Nonetheless, it is clear from the transcript that the trial court was aware of and familiar with the basis of the objection, and that a pretrial motion objecting to the photographs had been denied. [24] Of course, the burden rests with Appellant to provide to this Court a complete and comprehensive record upon which to base appellate review. However, out of an abundance of caution and in light of the penalty imposed in this case, we will consider the admissibility of the photographs and weapon as if the issue had been properly and fully preserved at trial. Appellant first argues that the photographs were so heinous and gruesome that any relevancy to the proceedings was outweighed by the possibility that the photographs would inflame and incite the jury to recommend death. The crime to which Appellant pled guilty is, by its nature, violent and gruesome. It necessarily follows that the evidence introduced by the prosecution to prove its case during the penalty phase will be disturbing, as well. However, Appellant does not contend that the photographs failed to portray the crime scene or the victim's body accurately. [25] An otherwise admissible photograph does not become inadmissible solely because it is gruesome and the crime is heinous. [26] Therefore, the trial court did not err in refusing to exclude the photographs simply because they were gruesome. Appellant raises an alternative argument regarding the admissibility of the photographs and the murder weapon: Appellant challenges the relevancy of the exhibits in light of his guilty plea. The Commonwealth, however, has a right to prove its case to the jury with competent evidence even when the defendant pleads guilty. [27] In this case, Appellant stated that he did not remember anything past the first hammer blow to Mr. Cash's head. The photographs were presented to the jury in an effort by the Commonwealth to challenge Appellant's credibility by depicting the crime scene, the distance Appellant had to drag Mr. Cash's body to the stall, the number of wounds inflicted upon Mr. Cash, and to corroborate certain testimony of the prosecution's witnesses. The murder weapon was used to apprise the jury of the circumstances of the crime and to corroborate witness Dale Watson's testimony that the hammer was the weapon depicted in the photographs of the crime scene. An appellate court should reverse a trial court's ruling under KRE 403 only if there has been an abuse of discretion. [28] In making its determination, the trial court must weigh the probative value of the evidence against the risk of undue prejudice. Here, the photographs and the hammer were admitted to corroborate the testimony of several key witnesses. More importantly, the trial court correctly noted that a sufficient amount of evidence must be presented to the jury in a penalty phase proceeding where no trial has occurred, as the jury cannot be expected to make its determination without a comprehensive understanding of the serious nature of the charge. We conclude that the trial court based its decision on sound reasoning, and therefore no abuse of discretion occurred.