Opinion ID: 2183130
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Recorded Telephone Conversations

Text: The defendant next argues that the trial justice committed reversible error by permitting introduction of redacted portions of the tape-recorded telephone conversations that he had initiated with Fernandez and her daughter Cynthia after the assault. The tapes, partly in English and partly in Spanish, included statements that the defendant had made to the effect that he would burn down Fernandez's house, and which also described various acts of violence that he said he was capable of committing. He asserts now that the redacted tapes were irrelevant, highly prejudicial in nature and served only to confuse and inflame the jury. We disagree. On the basis of the trial facts before her, the trial justice concluded that the probative value of the redacted tapes reflected the defendant's state of mind at the time of his violent assault upon Fernandez and was not substantially outweighed by any danger of unfair prejudice resulting therefrom to the defendant. In making that determination, the trial record indicates that the trial justice took greatcare to identify and review those portions of the tapes that defense counsel claimed were unduly prejudicial, and in turn, proceeded to rule on each of those portions. As a result of this careful balancing of the probative value versus any undue prejudice that might have followed from introduction of the contents of those tapes, we conclude that the redacted portions that were actually admitted into evidence were relevant to the elements of the crime charged, which elements the state was required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt during the course of the trial. We cannot say that on the basis of the record before us the trial justice abused her discretion by permitting introduction of the challenged recordings.