Opinion ID: 1938175
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: whether the exclusion of certain evidence denied byrom a fundamentally fair trial.

Text: ¶ 53. Byrom next argues exclusion of the home video [2] and the jail-house letters was erroneous and denied her a fair trial. The State argues these issues were raised and considered on direct appeal and, as such, Byrom is barred from raising them here pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. Section 99-39-21(1)(3). We agree and find this issue is procedurally barred. However, procedural bar notwithstanding, we also find this issue to be without merit. In considering this issue on direct appeal, we stated: Byrom was given sufficient latitude to convey her theory of abuse to the jury. . . . Byrom's theory of abuse was established through other evidence. The jury received evidence that Byrom, Sr. physically abused Byrom and Junior; that Byrom, Sr. forced Byrom to have sex with other people and foreign objects; that Byrom, Sr. was obsessed with pornography; and, that Junior, not Gillis, supposedly killed Byrom, Sr. The jury did not need this home video to be convinced of Byrom, Sr.'s abusive and pornographic tendencies. We find the trial court did not commit error in excluding the home video of Byrom. Therefore, this issue is without merit. Byrom, 863 So.2d at 854. Byrom also makes a similar argument concerning certain letters written by her son, Edward, Jr., to Byrom while they were in prison. At trial, the defense attempted to use the letters to impeach Junior without having disclosed their existence to the State. Because of this failure to disclose, the trial judge excluded the letters. On direct appeal this Court concurred with the trial judge's ruling. See Byrom, 863 So.2d at 868-872. Having alternatively considered this issue on its merits, we find it is as a matter of law without merit.