Opinion ID: 2162437
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 16

Heading: Admission of Audiotape

Text: Defendant asserts that the trial court abused its discretion when it allowed the jury to hear an audiotape of a telephone message Erin left for her mother. Defendant asserts that the audiotape was irrelevant and was presented to the jury for the purpose of inflaming its passions and prejudices. The State argues that the tape was relevant victim impact evidence because it reminded the jury that Erin was a vibrant, 16-year-old girl before the murder. It is well established that the evidentiary rules that apply at trial do not apply during the aggravation/mitigation phase of the death penalty hearing. Mertz, 218 Ill.2d at 57, 299 Ill.Dec. 581, 842 N.E.2d 618. The only requirement regarding admissibility of evidence at this stage is that it be relevant and reliable, the determination of which lies within the sound discretion of the trial judge. People v. Mulero, 176 Ill.2d 444, 472, 223 Ill.Dec. 893, 680 N.E.2d 1329 (1997). In People v. Howard, 147 Ill.2d 103, 155-58, 167 Ill. Dec. 914, 588 N.E.2d 1044 (1991), this court adopted the view expressed by the United States Supreme Court in Payne v. Tennessee, 501 U.S. 808, 111 S.Ct. 2597, 115 L.Ed.2d 720 (1991), permitting the State to present victim impact evidence in a capital sentencing hearing. People v. Harris, 182 Ill.2d 114, 155-56, 230 Ill.Dec. 957, 695 N.E.2d 447 (1998). The Payne Court found that victim impact evidence should be admitted to remind the sentencer `that just as the murderer should be considered as an individual, so too the victim is an individual whose death represents a unique loss to society and in particular to [her] family.'  Payne, 501 U.S. at 825, 111 S.Ct. at 2608, 115 L.Ed.2d at 735, quoting Booth v. Maryland, 482 U.S. 496, 517, 107 S.Ct. 2529, 2540, 96 L.Ed.2d 440, 457 (1987) (White, J., dissenting, joined by Rehnquist, C.J., O'Connor and Scalia, JJ.). The audiotape defendant complains of was played during the testimony of Erin's mother, Valerie, where she described the impact Erin's death had on her own life. The tape in question lasts only seconds and is not particularly clear. However, the listener can discern that Erin is advising her mother of her whereabouts in a manner befitting a 16-year-old minor, and was relevant in the context of Valerie's victim impact testimony. We find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the sentencing jury to hear the audiotape.