Opinion ID: 1920351
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Admission of Arrest Photographs of Defendant

Text: ś 74. The State offered nine photographs [27] of Spicer during the testimony of officer Kimberly Versiga of the Jackson County Sheriffs Department. She testified that she took these photographs while Spicer was in jail after he had been arrested. The purpose was to document any injuries Spicer may have suffered from either the victim or by the police officers who affected the arrest, and for tattoo identification. The only injury Officer Versiga observed on Spicer, was a bruise on his right hand. Spicer asserts that the trial court erred by admitting the photographs into evidence, over his objection, because there were no allegations of injuries, the explicit nature of some of them would serve only to inflame and prejudice the jury and the photographs had no probative value. However, he fails to explain or provide substance to these general allegations. He points out that five of the nine photographs taken by law enforcement officials showed him dressed only in shorts and revealed numerous tattoos on his body. Additionally, according to Spicer, no witness identified him based on these tattoos or even testified as to observing the tattoos. ś 75. The admissibility of photographs lies in the sound discretion of the trial court. Gray v. State, 728 So.2d 36, 57 (Miss.1998) (citing Jackson v. State, 672 So.2d 468, 485 (Miss.1996)). The trial court's decision will be overturned only if that discretion is abused. Gray, 728 So.2d at 57. This discretion is almost unlimited, regardless of the gruesomeness, repetitiveness and the extenuation of probative value. Id. at 57-58. In fact, we have only found one instance where this Court held that a photograph was too prejudicial to be admitted. This picture was a close-up photograph of a partly-decomposed, maggot-infested skull. See Woodward v. State, 726 So.2d 524, 535 (Miss.1997). ś 76. The issue of admissibility of photographs of the tattooed body of a defendant, in this context, has not previously been before this Court. Here, there is no dispute that the photographs accurately displayed Spicer's appearance at the time of the murder. Since photographing of a suspect is a routine part of any investigation, the photographs were not unanticipated. The photographs were relevant to demonstrate Spicer's condition close to the time of the murder and his alleged fight with Hebert. The features of the tattoos were not clear from the photographs, and there was no explanation or description put into evidence as to their meaning. See Miss. R. Evid. 403. ś 77. We find that these photographs were relevant and did not prejudice Spicer as he claims they did. Part of Spicer's defense was that he killed Hebert in self-defense. These photographs were relevant to disprove that defense. Had Spicer been engaged in self-defense it would likely have resulted in injuries greater than the bruise he suffered on his hand. Therefore, these photographs were relevant. Further, they were not prejudicial because they did not depict gruesome images that would inflame the mind of the jury. Spicer asserts that photographs of his tattooed body would not be accepted in a rural east Mississippi court. However, Spicer does not support this arguments with any evidence, factual or legal. Given the deference that this Court has given to trial courts and the one example of a photograph being too gruesome to be displayed, we find that Spicer's thirteenth assertion of error is without merit.