Opinion ID: 1711335
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: did the trial court err in refusing to grant defendant's proposed jury instruction d-14?

Text: ¶ 22. Next, Sullivan alleges that the trial court erred in refusing to grant Jury Instruction D-14, a hearsay instruction telling the jury to disregard the testimony of Sarah Bradley. Sullivan cites as his authority Melton v. State, 723 So.2d 1156 (Miss.1998), in which a hearsay instruction was given to the jury. However, this issue is closely related to those hearsay issues already discussed. In Melton the trial judge determined that the testimony in question was hearsay and, because of that, ruled that hearsay instructions were necessary so that the jury would not be impacted by the hearsay testimony. Melton, 723 So.2d at 1161. ¶ 23. In this case, the trial court had already heard Sullivan's motion for a new trial on the basis of the hearsay testimony and had already ruled that the testimony fell within the co-conspirator exception to the hearsay rule. Therefore, it is obvious that he would not give a hearsay instruction to the jury. This issue is likewise without merit.