Opinion ID: 1093210
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: did the trial court err in allowing into evidence pictures of rosa marie stephens?

Text: The admission of photographs into evidence is left up to the sound discretion of the trial judge and will not be disturbed unless the judge has abused his discretion. See Wetz v. State, 503 So.2d 803 (Miss. 1987); Hubbard v. State, 437 So.2d 430 (Miss. 1983). In Wetz, supra, the defendant was convicted under Miss. Code Ann. § 97-3-19(1)(a) of the capital murder of his seven-month-old daughter. Id. at 805. Presented at trial were photographs of the child taken while being treated in the emergency room. Id. at 812. The defendant argued that these photographs had no probative value because they showed her with Merthiolate on her body, giving a more severe appearance than was actual. Id. Likewise, Monk objects to the photographs of Rose being treated in Thaggard's Hospital with Betadine or a similar solution on her body and hooked up to life support systems. This Court in Wetz, supra, held that photographs were admissible as probative evidence for four reasons: [F]irst, they were properly admitted to show the condition of Kristina immediately after the incident. Price v. State, 54 So.2d 667 (Miss. 1951). Second, they portray pictorially the extent of the head and facial trauma observed by the witnesses and described by Dr. Sheffield, the attending physician. Third, the pictures had the potential clarification, or making more certain, that which occurred. King v. State, 408 So.2d 1375, 1376 (Miss. 1982). Finally, the photographs depicted the multiple bruises on Kristina's head which were evidence of malice, an essential ingredient of the crime charged, and were thus needed to refute Wetz' Weathersby [v. State, 165 Miss. 207, 209, 147 So. 481, 482 (1933)] defense. Therefore, the Circuit Court did not abuse its discretion in admitting these pictures into evidence. Martin v. State, 354 So.2d 1114, 1118 (Miss. 1978) (no abuse of discretion by admitting photographs in child abuse case where pictures of deceased child showed bruises, contusions and injuries on the body); Tapp v. State, 347 So.2d 974, 977 (Miss. 1977) (no abuse of discretion by admitting photographs of child abuse case where pictures reflected bruises and marks on child's body); Cardwell v. State, 461 So.2d 754, 760 (Miss. 1984) (same). 503 So.2d at 812. See also Swanier v. State, 473 So.2d 180 (Miss. 1985); Roberts v. State, 458 So.2d 719 (Miss. 1984); Hill v. State, 432 So.2d 427 (Miss. 1983). Similarly, the photographs of Rose accurately depicted the bruises on her neck and chest and cut on her inner lip and consequently were of probative value particularly in the light of Monk's assertion that the child simply went limp while he held her and that no blood was present before they left for the hospital. Consequently, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting these photographs into evidence. Finding no error, we affirm AFFIRMED. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., DAN M. LEE, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON, GRIFFIN and ZUCCARO, JJ., concur.