Opinion ID: 2585418
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: news articles and o.j. simpson reference

Text: Whitesell argues that news articles he had clipped and saved in his personal papers were improperly admitted. The articles were about men who had killed their estranged wives or their lovers in domestic abuse situations. The articles were hidden in the attic in a box with Whitesell's personal papers. Whitesell objected to the introduction of the articles at trial. The State argues that the articles show Whitesell's intent. The court also admitted a note that Whitesell had sent Julie in which he stated that when I get to the apt. I turn on the T.V. I see the Simpson case. And when they examine the spousal abuse issue, I just feel a tremendous amount of shame. According to Julie, she received the O.J. note in 1995 and found the other articles in 1998, about a year after Whitesell had been arrested and charged with stalking her. The articles assisted the jury in determining Whitesell's course of conduct and intent towards Julie. Furthermore, both the news articles and the O.J. article are physical pieces of evidence which were not clearly irrelevant. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting either, as it was the onus of the jury to determine their weight.