Opinion ID: 1277356
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Photographic Evidence Regarding the Murder of Shelah

Text: Defendant contends that the trial court committed reversible error in permitting the prosecution to introduce numerous photographs and photographic slides relating to Shelah's homicide, because such evidence was gruesome, inflammatory and cumulative. Defendant further alleges that the admission of this evidence violated his constitutional rights to due process of law, a fair trial, a reliable verdict, and fundamental fairness. (See U.S. Const., 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th Amends.) We apply the same standard as that used to evaluate defendant's challenge to the photographic evidence introduced against him at the guilt phase of the trial: `The admission of photographs of a victim lies within the broad discretion of the trial court when a claim is made that they are unduly gruesome or inflammatory. [Citations.] The court's exercise of that discretion will not be disturbed on appeal unless the probative value of the photographs clearly is out-weighed by their prejudicial effect. [Citations.]' ( People: v. Crittenden, supra, 9 Cal.4th [83,] 133-134 [36 Cal.Rptr.2d 474, 885 P.2d 887].) ( People v. Scheid, supra, 16 Cal.4th 1, 18, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 348, 939 P.2d 748.) As we shall explain, the trial court clearly acted within its discretion in admitting the challenged items. The photographic evidence served to illustrate and corroborate the testimony given by prosecution witnesses regarding Shelah's death and the ensuing investigation.
Exhibits Nos. 80:1-18 and 80:28 are aerial views of the area in which the body of Shelah McMahan was found, as well as ground-level shots showing portions of the same general area. Exhibits Nos. 80:26 and 80:27 depict the bottom of Shelah's feet. Exhibits Nos. 83:1-14 and 84:1-10 depict the Widney property. At a hearing held outside the jury's presence to consider the admissibility of this photographic evidence, defense counsel specifically indicated that he had no objection to these slides. To the extent that his present appeal challenges any one of these slides, we conclude that the failure to interpose a timely objection has waived the claim. (Evid.Code, § 353, subd. (a); People v. Zapien, supra, 4 Cal.4th 929, 979-980, 17 Cal.Rptr.2d 122, 846 P.2d 704.) Even if defendant properly had preserved the issue, our review of the evidence leads us to conclude that the trial court acted well within its discretion in allowing these slides to be introduced. They depict nothing that even remotely could be considered unduly gruesome in nature.
Exhibit No. 80:19 depicts Shelah's blood-spattered body at the location where she was discovered, wedged beneath a large rock ledge, her shirt pulled down. Exhibit No. 80:20 shows the body from a different angle, revealing her bound forearms. Exhibit No. 80:21 shows a close-up view of the rear portion of Shelah's head, revealing a cord draped around her neck. Exhibit No. 80:22 reveals one of Shelah's bare feet. Exhibit No. 80:23 depicts Shelah's swollen, bloodstained forearms, a cable tie binding her wrists. Exhibit No. 80:24 is a closer shot of Shelah's forearms, more clearly revealing the bloodstains and ligature marks. Exhibit No. 80:25 shows Shelah's body from behind, lying on a red law enforcement body bag and revealing her torn T-shirt, pulled down. Defendant objected to the introduction of each one of the foregoing seven slides, requesting that the trial court exclude them pursuant to Evidence Code section 352. After reviewing each slide and considering the parties' arguments, the trial court overruled the objections. The court did exercise its discretion to exclude an eighth slide, which it found to be cumulative, as well as a photograph  Exhibit No. 82  that shows Shelah when she was alive, which the trial court excluded on the basis that it could have been construed as a then impermissible form of victim impact statement. [34] Our own review of the slides that were admitted leads us to conclude that they were highly probative in illustrating the vicious nature of the killing. The unusually small amount of blood depicted in the slides supported the prosecution's theory that Shelah probably was killed elsewhere, then transported to the dump. None of the slides are unduly gruesome or likely to inflame the passion of a jury. Nor are the slides improperly cumulative; each has distinct probative value and, contrary to defendant's contention, the prosecution was not compelled to rely upon only one slide to depict the condition of Shelah's body. (See, e.g., People v. Price, supra, 1 Cal.4th 324, 440-441, 3 Cal. Rptr.2d 106, 821 P.2d 610.)
Exhibit No. 81:1 is an autopsy slide that shows one of Shelah's forearms, revealing ligature marks. Exhibit No. 81:2 shows the same forearm from a different angle, revealing a more deeply colored ligature mark. Exhibit No. 81:3 shows the discolored underside of one of Shelah's wrists. Exhibit No. 81:4 is a different view of one of Shelah's wrists, showing ligature marks. Exhibit No. 81:5 reveals a closer view of the wrist depicted in Exhibit No. 81:4. Exhibit No. 81:6 reveals an abrasion and ligature mark on one of Shelah's wrists. Exhibit No. 81:7 is a close-up view that shows primarily the front and right side of Shelah's neck, revealing numerous abrasions. Exhibit No. 81:8 is a close-up view of the front and left portions of Shelah's neck, showing abrasions. Exhibit No. 81:9 is a closer view of the abrasions on the right side of Shelah's neck; some of the abrasions appear to correlate to the outline of a hand. [35] Defendant objected to the introduction of each one of the foregoing nine slides, requesting that the trial court exclude them pursuant to Evidence Code section 352. After reviewing each slide, and considering the parties' arguments, the trial court overruled the objections. The trial court's rulings were correct. The autopsy slides provided a vivid illustration of the bondage endured by Shelah. This evidence supported the prosecution's theory that the killing was premeditated. (See People v. Scheid, supra, 16 Cal.4th 1, 18, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 348, 939 P.2d 748; see also People v. Crittenden, supra, 9 Cal.4th 83, 134, 36 Cal.Rptr.2d 474, 885 P.2d 887; People v. Garceau, supra, 6 Cal.4th 140, 180-182, 24 Cal.Rptr.2d 664, 862 P.2d 664.) The evidence also links defendant  a man known to favor handcuffs and to have access to cable ties  to the killing. The slides that show Shelah's neck wounds suggest the savage nature of the killing. This photographic evidence is highly probative and neither unduly gruesome nor inflammatory. Nor is the evidence cumulative; because several of the slides show the ligature marks from different angles, they aided the prosecution in establishing that Shelah had been bound by the handcuffs and the type of cable tie that officers recovered in or around defendant's residence.
Exhibit No. 90 is a color photograph that shows a cable tie recovered from defendant's residence. Exhibit No. 91 is a photograph that shows a case for a set of handcuffs. Exhibits Nos. 92 and 93 show the handcuffs partially buried in the shed behind defendant's residence. Exhibit No. 94 shows the disturbed dirt floor area of the shed. These photographs illustrate the testimony of law enforcement officers who searched defendant's residence and the surrounding area shortly after his arrest. The images further link defendant to the killing. The trial court properly found that these photographs are probative and neither inflammatory nor unduly gruesome.
As noted earlier, Criminalist Faye Springer testified regarding the handcuff marks found on Shelah's forearms. As part of her testimony, she explained that she had applied the handcuffs recovered by the police during their search of defendant's residence and the surrounding area, to her husband's wrist in an effort to create marks on his skin that could be compared with those found on Shelah's wrists. Exhibit No. 101 shows the handcuffs on her husband's wrist, and Exhibits Nos. 102-104 show the marks left by the handcuffs. This photographic evidence is probative insofar as it helped the prosecution establish that the handcuffs located by the police in their search were capable of making the marks found on Shelah. The evidence therefore was probative. It was neither unduly gruesome nor inflammatory. [36]
Exhibit No. 111 shows Shelah's body lying facedown on the body bag, similar to the view depicted in Exhibit No. 80:25, but also depicting a police evidentiary ruler, which provided a sense of scale to the image. Exhibit No. 113 is a small photograph showing the dump area and a portion of a law enforcement vehicle. Exhibit No. 114 is identical to Exhibit No. 80-18, showing Shelah's body nestled beneath the rock ledge and partially obscured by weeds and bags. Exhibit No. 115 also depicts the partially obscured body, from an angle that shows the body wedged beneath the rock ledge. This photographic evidence aided the jury in visualizing the rural setting where the body was found, the body's remote resting place, and the obviously criminal nature of the victim's death. The evidence is probative and not unduly gruesome or inflammatory.
Insofar as defendant contends that the trial court was required to exclude some or all of the prosecution's photographic evidence under Evidence Code section 352 because such evidence was cumulative of the testimonial evidence presented, the trial court correctly overruled his objection. (See People v. Scheid, supra, 16 Cal.4th 1, 19, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 348, 939 P.2d 748, and cases cited therein.) To the extent defendant contends that the photographic evidence was unduly cumulative to other physical evidence or cumulative in and of itself, we reject that theory as well. (See People v. Thompson, supra, 45 Cal.3d 86, 115-116, 246 Cal.Rptr. 245, 753 P.2d 37.) The prosecution was entitled to rely upon photographic evidence to help establish the vicious, premeditated nature of the killing, as well as the connection to defendant. Crime scene and autopsy photographs that graphically depict the circumstances of the crime are plainly relevant to a jury's determination as to whether the death penalty is appropriate. ( People v. Wash, supra, 6 Cal.4th 215, 266, 24 Cal.Rptr.2d 421, 861 P.2d 1107; People v. Raley, supra, 2 Cal.4th 870, 914, 8 Cal.Rptr.2d 678, 830 P.2d 712.) The trial court reasonably could have found that the probative value of the photographic evidence outweighed its potentially prejudicial effect. We therefore conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion under Evidence Code section 352 in admitting the photographic evidence. (See People v. Scheid, supra, 16 Cal.4th 1, 20, 65 Cal.Rptr.2d 348, 939 P.2d 748, and cases cited therein.) [37] Moreover, a great deal of other evidence linked defendant to Shelah's murder, including his confession to Randy Gresham, physical evidence (handcuffs, cable ties), and defendant's interest in the bondage of women. Thus, even if we were to agree with defendant that the photographic evidence was unduly cumulative in nature, any error in admitting a few too many images clearly would be harmless.