Opinion ID: 780418
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Admission of Gruesome Photographs

Text: 121 Mr. Tello argues that the Court erred in admitting photographs of the murder victim. We review a District Court's decision to admit evidence for an abuse of discretion. United States v. Payne, 119 F.3d 637, 645 (8th Cir.1997). Under Federal Rule of Evidence 403, relevant photographs of a victim should be admitted unless [they are] `so gruesome or inflammatory that [their] prejudicial impact substantially outweighs [their] probative value.' United States v. Davidson, 122 F.3d 531, 538 (8th Cir.1997) (quoting United States v. Petary, 857 F.2d 458, 463 (8th Cir.1998)). 122 The photographs at issue here show the victim's bloody corpse and are graphic. However, they also have significant probative value. They corroborate the testimony of the government's key witness, Mr. Molina, establish that the victim had been bound with duct tape and beaten before his murder, and support the government's contention that the crime was particularly heinous and depraved. We agree with the District Court that the probative value of this evidence is not substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. We affirm the Court's denial of the motion to exclude this evidence.