Opinion ID: 1671765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the trial court erred in admitting into evidence prejudicial photographs intended to inflame the jury and create sympathy for the victim and his family.

Text: ¶ 181. During its examination of Myrlie Evers, the prosecution sought to introduce two photographs of Medgar Evers' body in its casket, one taken at his funeral in Jackson, Mississippi, and one taken at his funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. The defense stipulated to the identification of the deceased, and objected to the introduction of the photographs on the grounds of relevance. The trial court overruled the objection and admitted the photographs into evidence. ¶ 182. Beckwith argues the photographs had no probative value after the identification of the deceased was stipulated, and thus the trial court erred in admitting the photographs into evidence. He contends the photographs served only to inflame and prejudice the jury and create sympathy for the victim and his family. Beckwith cites Hurns v. State, 616 So.2d 313, 319 (Miss. 1993) and Sudduth v. State, 562 So.2d 67, 70 (Miss. 1990) for the principle that photographs of a murder victim should not ordinarily be admitted where the killing is not contradicted or denied, and the corpus delicti and identity of the victim have been established. ¶ 183. Both in Hurns and in Sudduth, however, we went on to say that photographs of bodies may nevertheless be admitted into evidence in criminal cases where they have probative value and where they are not so gruesome or used in such a way as to be overly prejudicial or inflammatory. Hurns, 616 So.2d at 319; Sudduth, 562 So.2d at 70. In Hurns, the trial court admitted gruesome photographs of multiple wounds to the beating victim's head. 616 So.2d at 319. In Sudduth, the trial court admitted photographs of the body of the elderly rape victim, including photographs of stab wounds, an orange in the victim's mouth and a glass vase in her vagina. 562 So.2d at 69. We affirmed in both cases, holding that the probative value of the photographs was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Hurns, 616 So.2d at 319; Sudduth, 562 So.2d at 70. ¶ 184. The admission of photographs into evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial judge, and such admission will be upheld on appeal absent a showing of an abuse of that discretion. Sudduth, 562 So.2d at 69; Davis v. State, 551 So.2d 165, 173 (Miss. 1989), cert. denied, 494 U.S. 1074, 110 S.Ct. 1796, 108 L.Ed.2d 797 (1990). If photographs are relevant, the mere fact that they are unpleasant or gruesome is no bar to their admission into evidence. Sudduth, 562 So.2d at 69; Davis, 551 So.2d at 173. In affirming the admission of photographs of the victim's body in Davis, we stated: In the case at bar the defense admitted that Davis had killed Mrs. Reid, so there was no need to establish the identity of the killer or victim. It appears that the exhibits have some probative value, and although they are extremely unpleasant, they do not appear to be as gruesome as some photographs described in other cases. 551 So.2d at 173. In Sharp v. State, 446 So.2d 1008, 1009 (Miss. 1984), we affirmed the admission of photographs of the victim's body because they did have evidentiary and probative value in that at the time of their admission into evidence the circumstances of the killing and the corpus delicti had not been established. We went on to state that [e]ven if the photographs had no probative value, in a case such as this, where the evidence weighs so heavily against the appellant and where the record shows no substantial prejudice to the appellant by admission of the photographs, such admission by the trial court was not reversible error. Sharp, 446 So.2d at 1009. ¶ 185. In the case sub judice, Myrlie Evers was the State's first witness. It was her testimony, used in conjunction with the two photographs, that established the circumstances of the killing and the corpus delicti. Therefore, the photographs had some evidentiary value. Furthermore, they were not autopsy photos or photos of the victim's wounds, but rather they showed Medgar Evers' body lying in its casket at each of his two funerals, where his body was available for public view. Although unpleasant, as are any photographs of a murder victim's body, the photographs were not so gruesome or used in such a way as to be overly prejudicial or inflammatory. Accordingly, we find the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting these photographs into evidence.