Opinion ID: 885077
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Accumulation of Evidence

Text: ¶ 31 Southern argues that the DNA evidence on one count of sexual intercourse without consent (Count IX), which showed that DNA from one victim's vaginal swab matched Southern's genetic profile to a high degree of certainty, caused the jury to decide that he was a bad person and, consequently, to convict him of the other counts even though there was no DNA match on those counts. ¶ 32 Whatever the cumulative effect of this evidence was on the multiple charges, however, we conclude that it was tenuous, at best, and, by itself, insufficient to warrant severance. See Martin, 279 Mont. at 192, 926 P.2d at 1385. Moreover, as is discussed in greater detail in Issue 4, there was sufficient evidence for a rational jury to find that Southern committed each offense charged in the Amended Information. Consequently, we hold that the prejudice which arose from the cumulative evidence at Southern's trial was not so great that it prevented a fair trial.