Opinion ID: 853847
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Evidence of the Holster

Text: Simmons first contends that the trial court erred by admitting the holster and pictures of the interior of Simmons' car showing the holster on the seat, both of which he contends were irrelevant and prejudicial. Given that Simmons admitted shooting Brown, but claimed self-defense, both the relevance and the prejudice of this evidence approach zero. Simmons cites Tynes v. State, 650 N.E.2d 685 (Ind.1995) for the proposition that evidence of other weapons not used in the crime, but present at the scene of the crime, is inadmissible. In Tynes, evidence of other weapons not used in the crime was found to be error but harmless because there were other references to the weapons in testimony. Id. at 687. Here, the presence of a holster associated with the weapon used in the crime is even less consequential. Its relevance is marginal, but its prejudice is nonexistent. The trial court's balancing of these factors presents no reversible error.