Opinion ID: 71677
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Probative Value of Autopsy Photos

Text: The four autopsy photographs also convey information vital to the Government’s case. All four photos helped the jury understand the medical examiner’s testimony regarding the results of the autopsy. In particular, one photograph depicts a broad view of Reed’s upper back, neck, and left arm. The decapitation wound is the focus of this photo. Distinct cut marks are visible; the wounds have a slight green discoloration; and the deepest wound shows significant maggot larval infestation. Small bits of leaves, grass, and dirt are visible on her back, and her upper back shows scrape marks. This photo was 8 Case: 08-61115 Document: 00511040046 Page: 9 Date Filed: 03/02/2010 No. 08-61115 introduced as Dr. Hayne, the medical examiner, testified as to his findings on the cause and time of death. This photo helped illustrate the condition of Reed’s body and why Dr. Hayne could not reach a more definite finding as to the cause of death. Dr. Hayne testified that, following the autopsy, he “favored cranial cerebral trauma” as the cause of Reed’s death but could not come to a “definitive conclusion[ ].” He explained that, other than her head and hands, Reed’s body was intact; as a result, he “reasonably excluded any other cause of death.” He “did not see evidence that [would allow him to] conclude that strangulation had occurred,” and he felt that injury to the head was the most likely cause of death. Dr. Hayne stated that the “multiple abrasions or scrapes of the skin . . . [,] linear in configuration [were] indicative of a body being dragged.” Because of the “significant maggot larval infestation,” the “minimal green discoloration” in the wounds, and the lack of “significant skin slippage”—all visible in the autopsy photo—Dr. Hayne set the time of death at around 36 to 48 hours prior to the amputation of Reed’s head and hands. He also opined that the amputations occurred post-mortem, because no significant hemorrhage or bleeding was present in the injured tissue. The fact that Dr. Hayne’s testimony was largely uncontested does not rob it of its relevancy or its importance to the Government’s case. See United States v. Bowers, 660 F.2d 527, 530 (5th Cir. Unit B Sept. 1981) (per curiam) (“[T]he mere fact that [a defendant] stipulate[s] with the government as to the cause of death [does] not preclude the government from offering proof on that issue.”). The first autopsy photo clearly has nontrivial probative value to the Government’s case. Three other autopsy photos show Dr. Hayne comparing Reed’s wounds to a Kaiser blade. The Government offered these three photos to support and explain Dr. Hayne’s testimony that he believed that a Kaiser blade was the weapon used to decapitate Reed. He testified that he reached this conclusion 9 Case: 08-61115 Document: 00511040046 Page: 10 Date Filed: 03/02/2010 No. 08-61115 because this type of blade has a “nonsharpened [sic] edge” but still had “mass to it or weight to deliver enough force to produce these injuries.” According to Dr. Hayne, the three photos demonstrate “the potential correlation between a weapon such as a Kaiser blade and the inflicted injuries on the decedent.” Specifically, the photos reflected Dr. Hayne’s conclusion that “the curvature and the depth” of the wounds matched the type of injuries that a Kaiser blade might inflict.3 Dr. Hayne also opined that “it would take a considerable amount of force to inflict [the] type[] of injuries” suffered by Reed, and that he favored a man, rather than a woman, as the perpetrator. At trial, Collins objected to Dr. Hayne’s testimony on the probable correlation between the Kaiser blade and the wounds on relevancy grounds, as the state did not offer any evidence linking Collins to a Kaiser blade. However, the district court overruled the objection, and Collins does not appeal that ruling. Collins contends that these three comparison photographs are irrelevant because they depict post-mortem injuries, not related to the cause of death. However, the comparison photos clearly help explain Dr. Hayne’s testimony—unchallenged on appeal—regarding the correlation between the wounds and the Kaiser blade. As such, the photos have nontrivial probative value.