Opinion ID: 1454512
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the trial court erred in admitting post mortem photographs of the decedent.

Text: The defendant sought a pretrial ruling prohibiting introduction at trial of certain photographs of the decedent, taken at the scene of the crime and in conjunction with her autopsy, pursuant to IRE 402-03, asserting that they were not relevant to any disputed issue in the case and their prejudicial effect outweighed any possible probative value. (R. Vol. I, pp. 138-139). The trial court held two evidentiary hearings at which the State presented evidence in support of admitting the photographs. (Tr. Vol. I, pp. 1-15; Vol. 0, pp. 4-86). From the evidence presented the trial court concluded that: `[t]he apparent contested issue in this case will be the question of intent and malice.' (R. Vol. I, p. 154). The court felt that certain of the photographs and slide reproductions of the same were probative of the issue of `deliberate intention, provocation and the circumstances attending the killing as it may show an abandoned and malignant heart.' (R. Vol. I, p. 154). The court held that four photographs and/or slides from the autopsy and one photograph of the crime scene depicting the decedent's body would be admitted at the trial. Over the defendant's objection, the crime scene photograph, Exhibit 42, and the autopsy photographs, Exhibits 79 through 82, were admitted at trial. Additionally, slide reproductions of Exhibits 79 through 82 were displayed to the jurors over the defendant's objection. (Tr. Vol. II, p. 336, LL. 13-20; and Tr. Vol. III, p. 634, L. 3-p. 669, L. 7). The evidence in support of admitting the State's Exhibits 79-82 was presented through Dr. Charles Garrison, pathologist. Dr. Garrison indicated that the sole purpose of the photographs and slides was to assist him in adequately describing the nature and extent of the decedent's injuries. (Tr. Vol. 0, p. 19, L. 22-p. 21, L. 9). Dr. Garrison testified that there were apparently five different mechanisms of injury. He indicated that the decedent had been struck in the face with a blunt instrument, similar to a fist, she had been strangled, she was struck with a sharp edged object similar to the board described by the defendant, she had been run over by an automobile, and there had been an attempt to burn the body. He testified that these events occurred in the order described. (Tr. Vol. 0, p. 12, L. 9-p. 14, L. 17). The injuries resulting from being run over and burned occurred after the decedent had died. These incidents occurred as much as twenty minutes after her death. (Tr. Vol. III, p. 775, LL. 5-25). Dr. Garrison testified that the injuries inflicted prior to the death of the decedent were all depicted in Exhibit 79 which is a photograph of the left side of decedent's face and neck. (Tr. Vol. 0, p. 7, L. 24-p. 9, L. 5; Tr. Vol. III, p. 655, L. 21-p. 657, L. 12; Tr. Vol. III, p. 661, LL. 17-21). Exhibit 81 was of the right side of the decedent's face and depicted the same general injuries as Exhibit 79. Exhibits 80 and 82 depicted those injuries which occurred after decedent's death. (Tr. Vol. III, p. 645, LL. 8-25). The pretrial evidence in support of admission of State's Exhibit 42 was presented through Don Wycoff, criminalist for the State of Idaho, and Ken Lynn, an officer with the Pocatello Police Department who had training in accident reconstruction. Their testimony indicated that Exhibit 42 accurately depicted the location and condition of the decedent's body when they first observed it at the crime scene. They also indicated that tire tracks which were visible in Exhibit 42 could support either an inference that the body had been run over by an automobile at that location or that the body had been placed there after the car had passed. They also indicated that everything depicted in this photograph, other than the decedent's body, was accurately depicted in other exhibits. (Wycoff, Vol. 0, p. 33, L. 22-p. 34, L. 25; Lynn: Tr. Vol. 0, p. 40, LL. 8-17 & p. 43, LL. 12-22). Exhibit 42 was admitted at the trial through the testimony of Officer Tim Hillebrandt, evidence custodian for the Pocatello Police Department. Officer Hillebrandt testified he took the photograph admitted as Exhibit 42 and stated that it accurately reflected the location and condition of the decedent's body at the crime scene. Exhibit 42 was admitted over defendant's objection and shown to the jury. (Tr. Vol. II, p. 336, L. 1-22). Neither Don Wycoff nor Officer Lynn testified with reference to Exhibit 42 at the trial. (Tr. Vol. II, pp. 382-405, 419-21, Vol. III, pp. 561-634). The prejudicial effect of these exhibits was not disputed. The total lack of any probative value of Exhibits 79-82 is best illustrated by the testimony of Dr. Garrison, who proved more than adequate to the task of describing the decedent's injuries in words. (Tr. Vol. III, p. 646, L. 17-p. 653, L. 3). Whatever probative value the nature and extent of the decedent's injuries may have had on establishing the defendant's mental state at or preceding the death of the decedent, it is clear that Dr. Garrison's description of those injuries fully addressed it. The photographs and slide presentation served merely to inflame the passions of the jury. The photographs and slides admitted as Exhibits 42, 79, 80, 81 and 82 were highly prejudicial. Their probative value was less than slight. Exhibits 80 and 82 showed injuries inflicted on the deceased after her death, perhaps as much as twenty minutes after her death. The prejudicial effect of admitting these photographs greatly outweighed any evidentiary value which they possessed. It is simply not conceivable that the photographs gave any greater indication of the defendant's mental state than did the bare description of his acts. The photographs did not tend in any [way] to establish a disputed fact. They should have been excluded. See, State v. Beam, 109 Idaho 616, 620, 710 P.2d 526 (1985). Appellant's Brief 46-50.