Opinion ID: 2257779
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The 9-1-1 Tape

Text: We also reject defendant's argument that the admission of the tape of Eck's 9-1-1 phone call at the guilt and penalty phase was prejudicial. In the guilt phase, the tape provided an auditory reconstruction of the crime scene that corroborated other testimony. See State v. King, 215 N.J. Super. 504, 517-18, 522 A. 2d 455 (1987). It also supported the testimony of Benjamin Outlaw, whose car horn can be heard in the background of the tape. Outlaw testified at trial that he witnessed defendant's car speed from the Amoco station just before Outlaw entered. He testified further that, because no attendant came to assist him at the pump after he arrived at the station, he honked his horn. The tape was also probative at the penalty phase because it demonstrated Eck's suffering. The severity of Eck's pain is an element of the torture or depravity aggravating factor submitted by the State. See Ramseur, supra, 106 N.J. at 211, 524 A. 2d 188. On the tape, Eck is out of breath and gasping only Delanco Amoco. Because Eck left the phone off the hook, the tape reflects the amount of time after he called that he had to wait before help arrived. In light of the probative nature of the 9-1-1 tape at both the guilt phase and penalty phase, we find that the trial court acted within its discretion in admitting the tape into evidence. See Carter, supra, 91 N.J. at 106, 449 A. 2d 1280.