Opinion ID: 1196421
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 29

Heading: Admission of Autopsy Photos

Text: (40) Over defendant's objection, the trial court admitted three photographs of Pierce, defendant's 1975 murder victim, as he was found by police after his death. Defendant argues the photographs were irrelevant and their admission requires reversal. The admission of photographs of a victim lies within the discretion of the trial court, and the exercise of that discretion will not be disturbed on appeal unless the probative value of the photographs is clearly outweighed by their prejudicial effect. ( People v. Carrera (1989) 49 Cal.3d 291, 329 [261 Cal. Rptr. 348, 777 P.2d 121].) We have examined the photographs and find they are not particularly gruesome; indeed, the most graphic picture was excluded by the trial court over the prosecutor's objection. Moreover, the pictures were relevant to corroborate and clarify the testimony of Dr. Rosander, the autopsy pathologist who examined Pierce after the killing. ( Ibid. )