Opinion ID: 2100039
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admission of Photographs and Drawing

Text: The defendant asserts that the trial court erred in admitting into evidence photographs of the victim's injuries and a drawing made by the victim's brother of the layout of the room in which he saw the defendant harm the victim. She contends that the graphic photographs are unduly prejudicial. The drawing, she claims, lacks the proper foundation of being an accurate portrayal of the room. The trial court, in its discretion, may admit photographs which depict graphically the injuries of the victim. Fozzard v. State (1988), Ind., 518 N.E.2d 789; Lowery v. State (1985), Ind., 478 N.E.2d 1214, cert. denied, 475 U.S. 1098, 106 S.Ct. 1500, 89 L.Ed.2d 900 [death penalty]. The defendant must show that the improper influence of the photographs on the jury outweighs their probative value to an extent that they are unduly prejudicial. Lowery, at 1225. Photographs which demonstrate a witness's testimony are generally admissible. Fozzard, 518 N.E.2d at 793. In the present case, the photographs depict the nature and extent of the victim's injuries as testified to by the physicians. The graphic nature of the injuries depicted does not alone unduly prejudice the defendant. Id. We cannot find that the trial court erred in admitting the photographs. The admission of a drawing of the crime scene is also within the discretion of the trial court. Owensby v. State (1984), Ind., 467 N.E.2d 702. The drawing need not be a perfect depiction of the scene where its purpose is to assist the jury in understanding the testimony of a witness. Id. at 709. In the present case, the drawing by the victim's brother, an eight-year old child, showed the room in which he witnessed the defendant harm his sister. The trial court properly acted within its discretion in admitting the drawing into evidence. The trial court's conviction for criminal deviate conduct is affirmed. The case is remanded for the trial court to vacate the conviction for neglect of a dependent. SHEPARD, C.J., and DeBRULER, GIVAN and PIVARNIK, JJ., concur.