Opinion ID: 1850321
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The state's introduction of a metal pipe as the purported murder weapon

Text: ¶ 33. It was unnecessary for the state to prove that the lead pipe, found under the van at the crime scene, was the actual weapon used in the commission of the murder. See Rhodes v. State, 676 So.2d 275, 283 (Miss.1996). When there is evidence that the weapon could have caused the injury, and some connection between the defendant and the weapon exists, the object is deemed relevant and admissible. Id. (citing Ethridge v. State, 418 So.2d 798 (Miss.1982) and Stokes v. State, 518 So.2d 1224, 1227 (Miss.1988)). ¶ 34. The holding in Rhodes is applicable to the case at bar. There, a man died from gunshot wounds which were initially thought to be self-inflicted. No autopsy was conducted until nine years later, when his wife was finally prosecuted for his murder. The state recovered a gun from the attic of the house, similar to the one found on the scene. The new owner of the house testified that on the day of the grand jury indictment, Rhodes had called asking for the gun and told her not to tell anyone about it. When the state attempted to admit it into evidence, the defense objected, stating that there was no evidence directly linking the gun to the crime. This Court concluded that, because it was possible that the gun was the one used in the crime and there was evidence linking it to the defendant, it was sufficiently relevant and thus admissible. ¶ 35. Similarly, in this case, there was ample evidence linking the weapon to the crime. The prosecution introduced Lattimore's own statement, which the defense did not seek to suppress. After admitting to being at the scene, Lattimore claimed that he saw Brown dispose of the pipe used in the murder under a nearby van. [7] The autopsy revealed that Dycus's death was caused by blunt-force trauma to the head. Although there were no DNA samples, blood, or fingerprints, the experts concluded that the wound could have been caused by the pipe. Thus, ample proof existed for a jury to conclude that the metal pipe introduced by the state was the murder weapon. The defense presented no evidence to the contrary, thus this issue is also without merit.