Opinion ID: 2465246
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sumpathy for Victim

Text: Bussell argues that he was denied a fair trial because the prosecutor was permitted to present allegedly prejudicial inflammatory evidence from the victim's sister and son in order to elicit sympathy for the victim. The victim's sister testified that they had lived in Christian County for a long time because their father was a Methodist minister and the son identified a photograph of his mother wearing her sapphire ring which was taken during the robbery. He also told the jury about her philanthropic work. The prosecutor reminded the jury during the penalty phase closing argument that the victim had a sister and a son. The testimony presented and the Commonwealth's Attorney's remark about the victim did not amount to reversible error. This Court has recognized that a certain amount of background evidence regarding the victim is relevant to understanding the nature of the crime. Sanborn v. Commonwealth, Ky., 754 S.W.2d 534 (1988); See also McQueen v. Commonwealth, Ky., 669 S.W.2d 519 (1984). This Court has previously held that it was not error in the guilt phase when the testimony of the wife merely called the attention of the jury to the fact that the victim was once a living person rather than a statistic. Templeman v. Commonwealth, Ky., 785 S.W.2d 259 (1990). This case is similar to Campbell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 788 S.W.2d 260 (1990), in that the prosecution did not dwell on the victim and did not unnecessarily incite the passion of the jury to the prejudice of the defendant. A careful examination of the record indicates that there was no reversible error in view of the total picture given to the jury. The testimony merely reflects the facts relevant to the situation at hand. There was no undue prejudice to the accused.