Opinion ID: 1182531
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: C.R. 21 provides:

Text: The court upon motion of either party shall transfer the proceeding to another county if the court is satisfied that a fair and impartial trial cannot be had in the county where the case is pending. See also I.C. § 19-1801. This Court has held on many occasions that the decision to grant or deny a change of venue rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. State v. Powers, 96 Idaho 833, 537 P.2d 1369 (1975); State v. Thomas, 94 Idaho 430, 489 P.2d 1310 (1971); State v. Bitz, 93 Idaho 239, 460 P.2d 374 (1969); State v. Cypher, 92 Idaho 159, 438 P.2d 904 (1968). Further, where it appears that the defendant actually received a fair trial and that there was no difficulty experienced in selecting a jury, the trial judge's refusal to grant a change of venue is not a ground for reversal. Among the factors which this Court will consider in determining whether a criminal defendant actually received a fair trial are affidavits indicating prejudice or an absence of prejudice in the community where the defendant was tried, testimony of the jurors at voir dire as to whether they had formed an opinion of the defendant's guilt or innocence based upon adverse pretrial publicity, whether the defendant challenged for cause any of the jurors finally selected, the nature and content of the pretrial publicity, [2] and the amount of time elapsed from the time of the pretrial publicity to the trial itself. [3] See e.g., State v. Bitz, supra . Publicity by itself does not require a change of venue. Id. We note at the outset that the United States Supreme Court's recent decision in Murphy v. Florida, 421 U.S. 794, 95 S.Ct. 2031, 44 L.Ed.2d 589 (1975) espouses the totality of the circumstances test in cases involving a claim of denial of the sixth amendment right to an impartial jury. We perceive Needs' challenge of the trial court's refusal to grant her motions for change of venue, because of adverse pretrial publicity, to be synonymous with a claim of denial of the sixth amendment right to an impartial jury. [4] See State v. Beason, 95 Idaho 267, 506 P.2d 1340 (1973). However, it is not essential to our discussion that we so view her claim since this Court has essentially used a totality of the circumstances analysis in resolving claims of error in not granting motions for change of venue based on adverse pretrial publicity since 1902. See State v. Gilbert, 8 Idaho 346, 69 P. 62 (1902). The United States Supreme Court test of whether there are any indications in the totality of circumstances that a defendant's trial was not fundamentally fair is, in effect, the same as the long standing Idaho test of whether it appears that the defendant had a fair trial and whether any difficulty was experienced in securing a jury. We note the evidence in the record before us which leads us to conclude that Needs had a fair trial by an impartial jury. At voir dire, the trial judge asked the panel if any one of them remembered having read or heard anything about the case in the newspapers or on the radio, television, or any other source. Of the prospective jurors who responded that they did have some memory of the case from past media coverage, two were disqualified by the trial judge because of the bias they had developed against the defendant as a result of these past media accounts. Three prospective jurors indicated that they remembered specific details from the past media coverage of the Needs' case. However, after extensive questioning by the trial judge, defense counsel and the prosecution, it became apparent that these three jurors' recollections were very hazy at best. In addition each stated that he would be able and willing to put what media coverage he recalled out of his mind and decide the case upon the evidence at trial. The remaining jurors actually selected had no specific memory of any facts in the Needs' case. All twelve stated that they had formed no opinion as to the guilt or innocence of Sally Needs. It is apparent from the transcript of the voir dire examination that the trial court made every effort to ensure the empanelling of an impartial jury. It was not incumbent upon the trial judge to find jurors who were totally ignorant of the facts and issues involved in this case. As the United States Supreme Court stated in Irvin v. Dowd, 366 U.S. 717, 81 S.Ct. 1639, 6 L.Ed.2d 751 (1961): To hold that the mere existence of any preconceived notion as to the guilt or innocence of an accused, without more, is sufficient to rebut the presumption of a prospective juror's impartiality would be to establish an impossible standard. It is sufficient if the juror can lay aside his impression or opinion and render a verdict based on the evidence presented in court. Id. at 723, 81 S.Ct. at 1642. Each juror empaneled stated that he or she could lay aside general memories from media coverage of the Needs' case and render a verdict based on the evidence presented at trial. The record contains no indication of the actual existence in any one juror's mind of an opinion which would raise a presumption of partiality. We also note that the newspaper articles which defendant made part of the record appeared in print from July 1, 1976 to December 24, 1976. The trial began some five months later. Under such circumstances it appears that the intervening five months dissipated whatever prejudicial impact those articles may have had. The comments of the jurors selected with respect to their memories of media coverage support this conclusion. Further there were no editorials or opinions expressed in those articles which in our view would have aroused feelings of passion in the public. State v. Bitz, supra, 93 Idaho at 243, 460 P.2d 374. Considering the record as a whole, including the transcript of the voir dire examination, it appears that there was no difficulty in selecting the jury and that the defendant received a fair trial. As in Murphy v. Florida, supra , Needs has failed to show that the setting of the trial was inherently prejudicial or that the jury selection process of which she complains permits an inference of actual prejudice. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying defendant's motions for change of venue. Needs on appeal also renews her trial objections to certain items of photographic evidence which the state introduced as part of its case in chief and admitted into evidence, including a black and white videotape of the crime scene and the body itself as it was originally discovered, two crime scene color photos depicting the burned feet of the victim, two crime scene photos depicting the exposed torso and legs of the victim, and two photos, one of the torso and one of the legs of the victim taken just prior to the autopsy. Needs complains that the prejudicial, inflammatory and repetitive nature of these evidentiary items exceeded their probative value. In State v. Martinez, 92 Idaho 183, 439 P.2d 691 (1968) this Court set out the general rule as to admissibility of photographs of the victim in a prosecution for homicide. ... photographs of the victim in a prosecution for homicide, duly verified and shown by extrinsic evidence to be faithful representations of the victim at the time in question are, in the discretion of the trial court, admissible in evidence as an aid to the jury in arriving at a fair understanding of the evidence, proof of the corpus delicti, extent of injury, condition and identification of the body, or for their bearing on the question of the degree or atrociousness of the crime, even though such photographs may have the additional effect of tending to excite the emotions of the jury. [Citations omitted] Id. at 188, 439 P.2d at 696. In the instant case, the Ada County Prosecutor filed an information charging that Sally Needs: ... did ... knowingly, wilfully, intentionally, unlawfully and feloniously with premeditation and malice aforethought ... of her own deliberate and premeditated malice aforethought with the intent to kill, kill and murder ... Ron Needs... . The record clearly indicates that the trial judge carefully considered defendant's objections to the videotape and photographs. With respect to the videotape, the trial judge stated that in his opinion the contents of the videotape were not at all inflammatory especially when compared to the color photographs which Needs argues should not have been admitted. While he considered those photographs to be inflammatory, the trial judge noted that the identity of the victim was a critical issue in the case. Thus because of the probative value for identity purposes of showing the condition of the body, i.e. to corroborate what witnesses would testify to as to what they could or could not observe on the body when they examined it, he admitted all six of the color photographs in issue here as well as the videotape. In his mind as in ours, the probative value of the photos and the videotape and their unquestionable relevance to the issue of identity outweighed their inflammatory nature. The photographs and the videotape were authenticated as being true and correct representations of the objects portrayed. Here, as in State v. Martinez, supra , the trial court did not abuse its discretion in the admission of these exhibits. Needs also appeals the trial judge's decision to allow the jury to hear the testimony of Kenneth Mertz regarding defendant's butcher knife assault on her husband approximately two weeks prior to his death. She first argues that because Mertz's testimony related to an assault which was not part of a single transaction leading to Ron Needs' death, his testimony was inadmissible. In rejecting this argument we simply note that when the trial judge admitted this evidence, he specifically stated that he was not admitting testimony of Needs' prior assault on the ground that the prior assault was part of the same transaction leading to his death: I think we're dealing, really about proof of intent here and  or motive. I don't think we're even talking about a common scheme or plan. The trial judge did indicate that where an assault preceded an alleged homicide, evidence of that prior assault would be admissible to show a homicide defendant's motive or intent. The judge went on to say that in his mind evidence of a prior assault tends to prove intent if it was clearly related in time and involved the victim of the alleged homicide as well as the defendant. Needs takes the opposite position, contrary to Idaho law, arguing that the intent manifested in a separate transaction should not be used to establish intent in another. Idaho courts do follow the general rule that evidence of other unrelated criminal activity is inadmissible at trial to show criminal propensity on the part of the accused. State v. Wrenn, 99 Idaho 506, 584 P.2d 1231 (1978). However, this jurisdiction will admit evidence of defendant's past criminal activity to prove: (1) motive, (2) intent, (3) the absence of mistake or accident, (4) a common scheme or plan embracing the commission of two or more crimes so related to each other that proof of one tends to establish the other, (5) the identity of the person charged with the commission of the crime on trial, and (6) other similar issues. Id. Specifically, in homicide and assault cases involving spouses, Idaho courts have allowed testimony as to a defendant's prior assaults on the deceased spouse to illustrate the mental attitude of the accused toward the deceased spouse and to prove motive. State v. Frank, 60 Idaho 774, 97 P.2d 410 (1939); State v. Muguerza, 46 Idaho 456, 268 P. 1 (1928). We have reviewed the testimony which Sally Needs complains of regarding her prior assault upon her husband two weeks before his death. Such evidence is clearly relevant to her motive and intent as well as to shed considerable light on her mental attitude towards Ron Needs. It was not error for the trial judge to admit Kenneth Mertz's testimony. Appellant's next contention is that the trial court erred in not giving a cautionary instruction regarding certain testimony of Ron Needs' girlfriend from Twin Falls. His girlfriend testified at trial that it was her expectation when she saw the victim a week prior to his disappearance that she and Ron Needs were going to get married in the near future. Defendant claims, for the first time on appeal, that the trial judge should have given a limiting or cautionary instruction regarding what she refers to as, the state of mind hearsay testimony attributed to the alleged deceased. We reject Needs' claim. The record reflects that the state elicited the girlfriend's testimony to establish that she had no logical cause to be involved in Ron Needs' disappearance since she loved him and expected to marry him. The state on direct examination was very careful to limit her testimony by asking her to relate, not what Needs had told her, but what her expectations were when she saw him the week prior to his disappearance. This testimony is not hearsay, and therefore the trial judge did not err in not giving a cautionary instruction to the jury. Lastly, Needs assigns error to the trial court's imposition of a life sentence upon her for the first degree murder of Ron Needs. Prior to trial in October 1976 the trial judge stated that although defendant was charged with first degree murder, the United States Supreme Court case of Woodson v. North Carolina, 428 U.S. 280, 96 S.Ct. 2978, 49 L.Ed.2d 944 (1976) appeared to invalidate the mandatory death penalty provision embodied in the 1976 version of I.C. § 18-4004. We so held in the recent companion cases, State v. Lindquist, Idaho, 589 P.2d 101 (1979), and State v. Creech, Idaho, 589 P.2d 114 (1979). Subsequent to defendant's arraignment but prior to trial, the Idaho state legislature amended the mandatory death provision out of I.C. § 18-4004, effective March 28, 1977. At sentencing in June, 1977, the trial judge sentenced defendant to life imprisonment, the maximum penalty for second degree murder. He based his decision on the fact that at the time Sally Needs committed the crime, I.C. § 18-4004 was unconstitutional. However, because second degree murder was a necessarily included offense, he imposed the maximum sentence for second degree murder  namely, life imprisonment. As in State v. Lindquist, supra , and State v. Creech, supra , the punishment for second degree murder was in effect at the time of Ron Needs' death as well as at the time of Sally Needs' trial and sentencing. Therefore, the trial judge was correct in sentencing her to life imprisonment under the lesser included offense of second degree murder. For the reasons stated in this opinion, we affirm the conviction and sentence of Sally Needs. SHEPARD, C.J., and McFADDEN, BAKES, and BISTLINE, JJ., concur.