Opinion ID: 1927470
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: detective magazines to jury room

Text: Appellant next argues that the trial court erred when it allowed the detective magazines and books seized from his residence in Philadelphia, all which were admitted into evidence as Commonwealth exhibits and briefly displayed to the jury during the Commonwealth's case in chief, to be taken into the jury room during the jury's deliberations. Appellant contends that it was error because it caused the jury to place an undue emphasis on the content of the magazines than that legally permitted for the purpose for which they were admitted into evidence. During trial, the Commonwealth placed eighty-one (81) detective magazines and books which contained highlighted or otherwise marked text into evidence to demonstrate that appellant's reading of these items made him familiar with methods used to eliminate inculpatory forensic evidence and to make the murder of the victim appear to be part of a random burglary by an unidentified person. This evidence was a minor part of the Commonwealth's case that only took a brief amount of time to present. Appellant's counsel, however, repeatedly emphasized these items in his closing argument by asking rhetorically how appellant could have learned forensic techniques from detective magazines and books on crime investigation. After the jury began its deliberations, the jury asked on two occasions to view the magazines. The trial court eventually granted the request and sent the magazines to the jury with the following cautionary instruction: The sole purpose for the introduction of the books and magazines is to determine whether a person who reads them could become familiar with police investigative technique and also as possible corroboration of the testimony of Lieutenant Woodward and the two prison inmates as to alleged statements of the defendant relating to this area of concern. The evidence may not be considered by you for any other purpose. As a matter of law, it is not illegal to read, purchase, own or possess these materials; however, you must not regard this evidence as showing the defendant is a person of bad character or criminal tendencies from which you might be inclined to infer guilt. (N.T. 8/24/94 at 449-50). Rule 1114 of the Rules of Criminal Procedure provides that: Upon retiring for deliberations, the jury shall not be permitted to have a transcript of any trial testimony, nor a copy of any written confession by the defendant, nor a copy of the information or indictment. Otherwise, upon retiring, the jury may take with it such exhibits as the trial judge deems proper. [14] A trial court's decision as to which exhibits may be taken out with the jury is within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be reversed absent an abuse of that discretion. Commonwealth v. Hobson, 484 Pa. 250, 255, 398 A.2d 1364, 1366 (1979). Here, the circumstances of this case show that the defense placed an emphasis on the seized items in his closing in order to refute the Commonwealth's theory as to why so little forensic evidence was found at the scene of the murder. Given this emphasis by the defense, we can find no abuse of discretion in the trial court permitting the magazines and books to be taken out with the jury during its deliberations upon the jury's request to view the exhibits. See Commonwealth v. Brown, 467 Pa. 388, 392-93, 357 A.2d 147, 149-50 (1976) (trial court did not err in allowing metal rod and wooden handle found at murder scene to be taken into the jury room where defense counsel displayed metal rod to jury during his summation and raised condition of rod as a means to refute Commonwealth's case). Moreover, any prejudice appellant may have suffered from the magazines and books being taken into the jury room during deliberations was cured by the trial court's cautionary instruction limiting the jury's usage of the items. See Baker, 531 Pa. at 559, 614 A.2d at 672 (jury presumed to follow trial court's instructions). Accordingly, this claim must fail.