Opinion ID: 2487736
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 14

Heading: Presentation of Cumulative Evidence

Text: Defense counsel objected to the admission of State's Exhibit 92 as cumulative. As the State noted, State's Exhibit 92 was the only photograph depicting soot in Greeney's ear. Once defense counsel objected, the State offered, If Mr. Rowe has another picture indicating the soot on his left ear, I will be happy to use that, but this is the only picture we have. While the State introduced 130 photographs, only three were of Greeney's dead body. The relevance and probative value of the three photographs do overlap to some extent. However, State's Exhibit 23 was the only photograph that showed Greeney's body as it was at the scene and also showed Greeney in his police uniform. State's Exhibit 24 was the only photograph that clearly showed the stippling and the bullet wounds to Greeney's neck and shoulder area. Meanwhile, State's Exhibit 92 was the only photograph that depicted the soot in his ear. Further, the vial of blood was taken from Greeney's heart and used to match his blood to the blood inside Armstrong's vehicle. Thus, the admission of the photographs and vial of blood did not amount to a needless presentation of cumulative evidence. Moreover, to the extent Armstrong alleges that State's Exhibit 92 was cumulative because defense counsel stipulated to the presence of soot in Greeney's ear, this claim is without merit. See Zamora v. State, 361 So.2d 776, 783 (Fla. 3d DCA 1978) (concluding that, notwithstanding defendant's offer to stipulate to murder, position of body, etc., photographs of victim were relevant in that they corroborated testimony of certain witnesses, as to the cause of death, location and characteristics of wound, and position of body in reference to physical makeup of room; furthermore, photographs were not inflammatory to point of prejudicing minds of jury and, thus, were properly admitted).