Opinion ID: 2441011
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Video and Photographs of the Victim's Body

Text: Skillicorn claims the trial court erred in admitting video footage, and photographs of Mr. Drummond's body in an advanced state of decomposition. Skillicorn contends that there was no question as to Drummond's identity, the identity of the shooter, or the manner of death. He asserts the video and photographs possessed no probative value and were admitted into evidence solely to arouse the emotions of the jurors. The arguments posed by Skillicorn were considered and rejected in State v. Feltrop, 803 S.W.2d 1, 10 (Mo. banc), cert. denied, 501 U.S. 1262, 111 S.Ct. 2918, 115 L.Ed.2d 1081 (1991). There the Court stated: The trial court is vested with broad discretion in the admission of photographs. Photographs, although gruesome, may be admitted where they show the nature and location of wounds, where they enable the jury to better understand the testimony, and where they aid in establishing any element of the state's case. Photographs are also relevant when they depict the condition and location of the body. [A] photograph is not rendered inadmissible because other evidence may have described what is shown in the photograph; nor is the state precluded from introducing the photograph because the defendant expresses a willingness to stipulate to some of the issues involved. Id. The same considerations pertain to video evidence. The court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Exhibits 18, 20, 21, 26, and V-1. Points Nine and Ten are denied.