Opinion ID: 1543739
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: mistrial: photograph books

Text: Appellant next contends that the trial court erred in failing to declare a mistrial when Mrs. Flounders indicated that she had viewed books of photographs at the police station, though she also testified that she did not identify appellant's photograph. Mr. Keisler testified that he had identified appellant's photograph from several hundred photographs. Appellant reasons that taken together, the testimony conveyed the message that the photographs were mug shots, and therefore, he was prejudiced by this indirect reference to unspecified prior criminal acts. We find no merit in this contention. A motion for a mistrial is addressed to the sound discretion of the trial court and a decision on such a motion will not be reversed absent a clear abuse of discretion. See Commonwealth v. Johnson, 516 Pa. 527, 532-34, 533 A.2d 994, 997 (1987); Commonwealth v. Howard, 375 Pa.Super. 43, 52, 543 A.2d 1169, 1174-75 (1988). Mrs. Flounders' vague reference to the books of photographs she viewed at the police station and Mr. Keisler's reference to hundreds of photographs did not require a mistrial. See Commonwealth v. Banks, 513 Pa. 318, 521 A.2d 1 (1987), cert. denied 484 U.S. 873, 108 S.Ct. 211, 98 L.Ed.2d 162 (1987); Commonwealth v. Brown, 511 Pa. 155, 512 A.2d 596, (1986); Commonwealth v. Cambridge, 386 Pa.Super. 542, 563 A.2d 515 (1989). Moreover, the trial court sustained counsel's objection to Mrs. Flounders' vague reference and permitted the prosecution to move on with its questioning regarding relevant identification evidence without focusing undue attention on her relatively insignificant remark. We find no error or abuse of discretion in this course of conduct.