Opinion ID: 2610902
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Use of Mannequins

Text: (14) Defendant next contends the court erred in allowing the prosecution to display three life-size mannequins throughout the course of the trial. These mannequins were designed with rods sticking through them to show the bullet trajectories as to the three murder victims, some of whom may have been executed while in a helpless position. In addition, the prosecution placed one victim's bloodstained shirt on a mannequin for similar display purposes. The mannequins were formally entered in evidence at the guilt phase, remained in the courtroom (over defendant's objection) during the guilt phase and the penalty phase arguments and, along with the other exhibits, accompanied the jury into the jury room during penalty phase deliberations. Defendant complains that the brooding omnipresence of these constant accusers could only have prejudiced him. As the People observe, however, the mannequins were properly admitted in evidence as part of the case-in-chief (see People v. Brown (1988) 46 Cal.3d 432, 442-443 [250 Cal. Rptr. 604, 758 P.2d 1135]), and the trial court took reasonable steps to minimize any prejudicial effect on the jurors. After defendant objected to the continued presence of the mannequins in the courtroom, the trial court ordered them placed so that they would not face the jury. In addition, they were removed from the jury's view during the sanity phase and most of the penalty phase. Thereafter, when defendant objected to their presence in the jury deliberation room, the court observed that, having been admitted in evidence, the mannequins properly should be made accessible to the jury during deliberations. The court believed it might be more prejudicial to defendant to treat the mannequins differently from the other items of physical evidence, and thereby call the jury's further attention to them. The court noted that the mannequins were less objectionable than the photographs originally proposed by the People to illustrate the victims' wounds. In sum, it is apparent the court carefully exercised its discretion in the matter with a view toward accommodating the respective interests of both parties. Although the court reasonably could have excluded the mannequins from the jury room, we find no abuse of discretion in the court's contrary ruling. (See People v. Brown, supra, 46 Cal.3d at p. 443.) The trial court was in a far better position than we to assess the potential prejudice arising from the display of such physical evidence.