Opinion ID: 1760832
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Victim Impact Character Evidence

Text: The trial court has broad discretion during the penalty phase to admit any evidence it deems helpful to the jury in assessing punishment. State v. Gill, 167 S.W.3d 184, 195 (Mo. banc 2005). The implication of the death penalty entitles the jury to evidence that may assist it in making its recommendation, including victim impact testimony. See State v. Kreutzer, 928 S.W.2d 854, 874 (Mo. banc 1996). Victim impact evidence is admissible under the United States and Missouri Constitutions. State v. McLaughlin, 265 S.W.3d 257, 273 (Mo. banc 2008). Victim impact statements are another method of showing the jury the harm caused by the crime. State v. Storey, 40 S.W.3d 898, 908 (Mo. banc 2001). Such evidence illustrates that the victim's death represented a unique loss to the family. Gill, 167 S.W.3d at 195. Just as the defendant is allowed to present mitigation evidence showing he is a unique individual, the State is allowed to present evidence showing the victim's uniqueness as well. Storey, 40 S.W.3d at 909. Not every piece of victim impact evidence must relate to the direct impact of the victim's death on the witness. Gill, 167 S.W.3d at 196. As this Court already decided in Gill's direct appeal, while portions of the victim impact evidence did not relate to the direct impact of the victim's death, the testimony was still proper. Id. Generally, neither the State nor the defense may introduce character evidence about the victim in a murder case. See State v. Hall, 982 S.W.2d 675, 681 (Mo. banc 1998). [7] If the State attempts to introduce evidence of the good character of a victim in the penalty phase, defense counsel has two options. Defense counsel may object to the introduction of the character evidence. If defense counsel chooses this option, the trial court should sustain the objection and disallow the character evidence. Alternatively, defense counsel may, as a strategic maneuver, choose to allow the State to present the good character evidence of the victim. By doing so, the State opens the door for the defense to present rebuttal character evidence. Here, the State introduced character evidence regarding the victim from family members' testimony. [8] The victim's sister testified as to the victim's generosity with money. The victim's brother-in-law testified about the victim's fascination with the characters from the Old West and the valuable life lessons those characters taught. The victim's younger brother testified about his relationship with the victim and the victim's generosity with what little money the victim had, including paying for a funeral for his friend's wife.