Opinion ID: 1743598
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: the trial court erred in allowing into evidence crime scene photographs.

Text: ¶ 28. Spann argues that certain photographs offered into evidence by the State should have been excluded by the trial court because their prejudicial effect outweighs their probative value. Specifically, the color photographs objected to by Spann and admitted into evidence include three autopsy photographs of Son, one depicting the bullet wound to his head, and two depicting the graze wound on his shoulder; and four photographs of Son taken in the store while Son's body was still seated in the chair in which he was sitting when he was shot There were three photographs of Son's body from the crime scene which were withdrawn by the State prior to being admitted into evidence. The State counters that the photographs had probative value in that they aided in demonstrating to the jury the crime scene and Son's injuries. The State also argues that the photographs show Son as he was found at the location of the murder, thus corroborating the testimony of the officers who investigated the crime scene. ¶ 29. The admissibility of photographs rests within the sound discretion of the trial judge and will not be disturbed absent a showing of an abuse of discretion. Westbrook v. State, 658 So.2d 847, 849 (Miss.1995); Jackson v. State, 527 So.2d 654, 657 (Miss.1988); Alford v. State, 508 So.2d 1039, 1041 (Miss.1987). The discretion of the trial judge runs toward almost unlimited admissibility regardless of the gruesomeness, repetitiveness, and the extenuation of probative value. Williams v. State, 544 So.2d 782, 785 (Miss.1987). See also Westbrook v. State, 658 So.2d at 849; Hart v. State, 637 So.2d 1329, 1335 (Miss. 1994). ¶ 30. Arguing that the admission of the photographs was reversible error, Spann relies on Davis v. State, 551 So.2d 165, 173 (Miss.1989), where this Court stated that photographs of the victim should not ordinarily be admitted into evidence where the killing is not contradicted or denied, and the corpus delicti and the identity of the deceased have been established. (citing Sharp v. State, 446 So.2d 1008, 1009 (Miss. 1984); Shearer v. State, 423 So.2d 824, 827 (Miss.1982)). Spann asserts that because he stipulated to the method of Son's death, the identity of Son, and also that the fatal shot came from the gun carried by Horne, the photographs contained no probative value. ¶ 31. The mere fact that a photograph may arouse the emotions of jurors does not render it incompetent so long as the photograph serves a legitimate evidentiary purpose. Sharp, 446 So.2d at 1009 (citing May v. State, 199 So.2d 635, 640 (Miss.1967)). Photographs have evidentiary value when they: (1) aid in describing the circumstances of the killing; (2) describe the location of the body and cause of death; (3) supplement or clarify witness testimony. Westbrook, 658 So.2d at 849 (citations omitted). In Miller v. State, 740 So.2d 858 (Miss.1999), this Court held that the trial court did not err by allowing the State to introduce a picture of the victim's body at the crime scene even though there was no dispute as to the cause of death, the place and time of death, the name of the decedent, and at whose hands she died. Id. at 865. The Court noted in Miller that the photographs were probative of the distance from which the victim was shot and how the shooting occurred. Id. ¶ 32. Likewise, the photographs here were probative as well. The autopsy photographs of Son's wounds were offered into evidence during the testimony of Dr. Stephen Hayne, the forensic pathologist who performed the autopsy. Dr. Hayne testified regarding the wounds received by Son. The autopsy photographs, though unpleasant but not particularly gruesome, aided in Dr. Hayne's testimony regarding the types of wounds received by Son and the locations of the wounds. The photographs of Son from the crime scene corroborated the testimony of Officer Byrd regarding the graze wound to Son's shoulder. They also corroborated the testimony of other officers regarding the scene of the crime at the time of his arrival and the position of the victim. Though it was undisputed by the parties that the fatal shot was shot by Horne, the defense disputed at trial that Spann had fired a shot at Son, grazing Son on the shoulder. The photographs depict the position of Son in which he was shot, as well as the graze wound. The photographs also display the shelves behind Son where the projectile which caused the graze wound was found, and they are helpful in understanding the direction from which the wound was likely received. Thus, the photographs had probative value, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the photographs. ¶ 33. Spann argues that this Court should reach the same result as it did in Welch v. State, 566 So.2d 680 (Miss.1990). In Welch, the Court found that autopsy photographs of a dissected cadaver lacked probative value. Id. at 685. The photographs showed the cadaver cut open in a Y-shape manner with the ribcage refracted back over the face of the victim, the anterior part of the thoracic cavity, the ribs and the sternum, the ribs removed from the body, the abdominal walls including the intestines which had been opened up, and organs that had been removed from the cadaver. The Court determined that the photographs were impermissibly admitted in that they failed to demonstrate the circumstances surrounding the victim's death, the cruelty of the crime, the location of the wounds, nor the extent and violence used. Id. ¶ 34. Welch is distinguishable on its facts. As discussed above, the photographs of Son had probative value. Although the photographs are unpleasant, they do not appear to be as gruesome as some photographs described in other cases. Spann offers no explanation of how his defense was prejudiced by the admission of the photographs. This assignment of error is without merit.