Opinion ID: 1541317
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Relevance of the Plastic Pistol

Text: Davis raises a serious issue about the relevance, if any, of the plastic pistol introduced at trial, given its tenuous temporal relationship to the crime and the victim's inability to describe the weapon allegedly used during the crime. In order for a weapon to be relevant it must have some connection to both the defendant and the crime. King v. United States, 618 A.2d 727, 728-29 (D.C.1993) (finding relevance established when complainant's description and identification of the gun used at crime matched the gun possessed by defendant two weeks later); Swinson v. United States, 483 A.2d 1160, 1163-64 (D.C.1984) (considering the weapon's connection to both the defendant and the crime in relevancy determination); Lee v. United States, 471 A.2d 683, 685 (D.C. 1984) (same). It is not necessary for us to decide this point, however, because even if we assume that the plastic pistol was irrelevant as a matter of law to the offense charged, its introduction presented no prejudice to Davis sufficient to require reversal. The trial court instructed the jury to consider [the plastic pistol] only for the limited purpose of deciding whether an object was used by the person who robbed the complainant, and whether the replica introduced in court was, in fact, the object that was used. The jury is presumed to have followed the trial court's instructions. ( Thomas) Harris v. United States, 602 A.2d 154, 165 (D.C.1992); Owens v. United States, 497 A.2d 1086, 1092 n. 7 (D.C.1985). Assuming the jury to have followed the trial court's instructions, the verdict of acquittal on the armed and firearm charges could have been reached by findings that Davis was the perpetrator of the crimes but either 1) did not possess the plastic pistol while committing the crimes; or 2) did possess the plastic pistol admitted into evidence, but it was not an imitation firearm within the definition of the statute, D.C.Code §§ 22-3202, -3204(b) (1996). Either finding would be consistent with the jury verdict following the trial court's instructions and the evidence on record. To accept the argument that admission of the plastic pistol suggested Davis's general criminal propensity would require this court to presume the jury ignored the trial court's instructions and considered the evidence for purposes other than instructed. This court will not upset a verdict by assuming that the jury declined to follow the trial court's instructions. Gray v. United States, 589 A.2d 912, 918 (D.C.1991). The judgment of the trial court is hereby affirmed. So ordered.