Opinion ID: 1763897
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: whether the trial court erred in denying brawner's motion in limine to exclude or in the alternative limit the introduction of photographic evidence.

Text: ¶ 35. Because these issues are intertwined, we will analyze them together. Brawner filed a Motion in Limine to Exclude or in the Alternative to Limit Introduction of Photographic Evidence. He also filed a similar motion regarding introduction of photographic evidence via a slide projector. Brawner argued that, since there was no dispute as to what or who the photos depicted, where the photos were taken or the manner of death, admitting them or enlarging them using a slide projector would be irrelevant and inflammatory. The trial court granted the motion to limit photographic evidence, requiring the State to seek the court's ruling on the photographs to be introduced, but subsequently allowed each of the State's photographs to be admitted. The trial court denied the motion to restrict the use of a slide projector, stating that use of a projector is a modern day practice that has been used in the courtroom for at least a quarter of a century to display evidence. The court also noted that attempting to limit the size of the displayed image had in the past produced blurry and useless photos. ¶ 36. The denial of a motion in limine is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. McDowell v. State, 807 So.2d 413, 421 (Miss.2001). A motion in limine should be granted only when the trial court finds two factors are present: (1) the material or evidence in question will be inadmissible at a trial under the rules of evidence; and (2) the mere offer, reference, or statements made during trial concerning the material will tend to prejudice the jury. McGilberry v. State, 797 So.2d 940, 942 (Miss.2001). ¶ 37. In support of his argument against admitting the photographs, Brawner cites Sudduth v. State, 562 So.2d 67 (Miss.1990), in which this Court noted that photographs of the victim should not ordinarily be admitted into evidence where the killing is not contradicted or denied, and the corpus delicti and the identity of the deceased have been established. Id. at 70. We also stated that photographs of bodies may nevertheless be admitted into evidence in criminal cases where they have probative value and where they are not so gruesome or used in such a way as to be overly prejudicial or inflammatory. Id. See Brown v. State, 690 So.2d 276, 289 (Miss.1996); Alexander v. State, 610 So.2d 320, 338 (Miss.1992). Also, the admissibility of photographs rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. Jackson v. State , 672 So.2d 468, 485 (Miss.1996); Griffin v. State, 557 So.2d 542, 549 (Miss.1990). Moreover, the decision of the trial judge will be upheld unless there has been an abuse of discretion. This standard is very difficult to meet. In fact, the discretion of the trial judge runs toward almost unlimited admissibility regardless of the gruesomeness, repetitiveness, and the extenuation of probative value. Brown, 690 So.2d at 289; Holly v. State, 671 So.2d 32, 41 (Miss.1996). ¶ 38. The photos in question depict: the body of Carl Craft (exhibit 3); the body of Jane Craft (exhibit 12); and the body of Paige Brawner (exhibit 15). Each of these pictures shows the bodies as they were found by police, and there was only one picture of each of the victims submitted. Brawner argues that there were other, less gruesome and inflammatory photographs, that could have been used instead of these, to which the State counters that there were other, more gruesome, photographs that were not introduced. The State also claims that as long as the court determines that a photograph is admissible, it is the State's choice as to which photographs are used, not the choice of the defendant. ¶ 39. As stated in Sudduth, 562 So.2d at 70, photographs of bodies may be admitted where they have probative value and where they are not so gruesome or used in such a way as to be overly prejudicial or inflammatory. In this case, the photographs have substantial probative value. They identify the victims and show them as they were found at the scene of the murders. They help corroborate the State's assertion of the cause of death. More importantly, they help the jury to determine the credibility of Brawner's statements to police and his testimony on the witness stand. The use of the slide projector helped the jury to follow the testimony of the crime scene examiner as to the positions of the bodies and related physical evidence. ¶ 40. This Court has frequently upheld the admission of photos depicting bloody gunshot wounds. See, e.g., Walker v. State, 740 So.2d 873, 880-88 (Miss.1999); Miller v. State, 740 So.2d 858, 864-65 (Miss.1999); Manning v. State, 735 So.2d 323, 342 (Miss.1999) (affirming admission of bloody, close-up photos of one victim's body face down in pool of blood and knife wound to another's throat); Jordan v. State, 728 So.2d 1088, 1093 (Miss.1998); Williams v. State, 684 So.2d, 1179, 1198 (Miss.1996) (affirming admission of photos of victim's excised larynx, heart, vaginal and anal area, as well as photos of stab wound to victim's chest and heart); Jackson v. State, 684 So.2d 1213, 1230 (Miss. 1996) (affirming admission of photos of four dead children stabbed in neck, chest, and face). ¶ 41. In Woodward v. State, 726 So.2d 524, 537 (Miss.1997), we stated that the use of a projector to enhance the testimony of a witness is within the discretion of the trial court, and is encouraged-to the extent it `aids the jury in understanding the witness or other evidence.' Id. (quoting Jenkins v. State, 607 So.2d 1171, 1176 (Miss.1992)). We qualified this by saying the manner of use may not be for the purpose of inflaming the jury. In Woodward, a photo of the deceased as she was found by police, was admitted over the defendant's objection, as evidence supporting a heinous, atrocious, or cruel aggravating factor. This photo was left showing on the projector after the authenticating witness finished testifying, and while the jurors exited the courtroom, and the defendant moved for a mistrial based on the State's attempt to inflame the jury. This Court found that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the defendant's motion for a mistrial. ¶ 42. Here, the photographs in question were shown on a screen between 24 and 30 feet from the jury, and they were enlarged to approximately 40 × 60. The photos were those of the crime scene as found by police. The record shows that the photos were displayed for approximately 30 seconds each. There is no evidence in the record that the jury was inflamed from this presentation of the photos. Neither does Brawner cite a case supporting his assertion that the mere presentation of photographs in this manner is inflammatory. In summary, these photographs have probative value in accurately depicting the scene of a gruesome crime. They are not unduly prejudicial, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting them into evidence or allowing them to be displayed using a slide projector.