Opinion ID: 1354008
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prejudicial Photograph

Text: For his second point, Upton contends that the State introduced a photograph of the victim (State's Exhibit 10) that was particularly gruesome. He further maintains that State's Exhibit 10 inflamed the jury and that its probative value was substantially outweighed by prejudice to him. See Ark.R.Evid. 403. He asserts that the photograph does not in any way depict the position of Shelton's body at the time of the blows to the head and that it sheds no light on whether Upton acted purposefully in causing the death of the victim. See Ark.Code Ann. § 5-10-102 (Repl.1997). Hence, he concludes, State's Exhibit 10 should have been excluded. We do not agree. In Stewart v. State, 338 Ark. 608, 999 S.W.2d 684 (1999), this Court discussed the general principles surrounding the admission of photographs at trial: Ark.R.Evid. 403 (1999) permits the exclusion of relevant evidence on grounds of prejudice, confusion, or waste of time. Accordingly, relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, misleading the jury, considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence. Ark.R.Evid. 403. This court will not reverse a trial court for admitting photographs absent an abuse of discretion. Jones v. State, 329 Ark. 62, 65, 947 S.W.2d 339, cert. denied, 522 U.S. 1002, 118 S.Ct. 574, 139 L.Ed.2d 413 (1997). In Jones , we discussed the guidelines for determining whether a trial court has abused its discretion by admitting photographs. For example, although we are highly deferential to a trial court's discretion, we have rejected a carte blanche approach to the admission of photographs. Jones, 329 Ark. at 65, 947 S.W.2d at 340 (quoting Camargo v. State, 327 Ark. 631, 940 S.W.2d [464] (1997) (internal citations omitted)). In making the admission determination, we require a trial court to consider, first, whether the relevant evidence creates a danger of unfair prejudice, and, second, whether the danger of unfair prejudice substantially outweighs its probative value. Jones, 329 Ark. at 66, 947 S.W.2d at 341 (quoting Camargo v. State, 327 Ark. 631, 940 S.W.2d [464] (1997) (internal citations omitted)). Significantly, after applying the Rule 403 balancing test, we have held that even the most gruesome photographs may be admissible if they tend to shed light on any issue, to corroborate testimony, or if they are essential in proving a necessary element of a case, are useful to enable a witness to testify more effectively, or enable the jury to better understand the testimony. Other acceptable purposes are to show the condition of the victim's body, the probable type or location of the injuries, and the position in which the body was discovered. Obviously, when a photograph serves no valid purpose and could only be used to inflame the jury's passions, it should be excluded. Jones, 329 Ark. at 66, 947 S.W.2d at 341 (quoting Camargo v. State, 327 Ark. 631, 940 S.W.2d [464] (1997) (internal citations omitted)). Stewart, 338 Ark. at 617-18, 999 S.W.2d at 690. Here, State's Exhibit 10 depicts the victim's head and upper torso and the injuries he sustained in graphic detail. The trial court ruled that the photograph was helpful to the jury in determining the severity of the blows the victim received and whether one or more blows was administered in the murder. The number of blows and their severity, of course, are highly relevant to the jury's understanding of the crime. State's Exhibit 10 is gruesome, but that does not decide the issue. The photograph was also probative and had value for the jury. We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the photograph into evidence. The record in this matter has been reviewed for other error in accordance with Ark.Sup.Ct.R. 4-3(h), and no reversible error has been found. Affirmed.