Opinion ID: 1830066
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the trial court committed error in failing to grant appellant's motion for mistrial after allowing the State to elicit evidence of the appellant's prejudicial prior bad acts.

Text: ¶ 23. Webster next complains that the trial court erroneously admitted evidence of a prior bad act. The admission of this evidence, Webster claims, was prejudicial and was not outweighed by its probative value. Further, Webster claims that the State failed to prove motive. While the judge took judicial notice of a prior ruling in the first trial, Webster alleges that the trial judge failed to conduct an on-the-record balancing analysis to determine if the probative value outweighed the prejudicial effect of the evidence. Webster requests that the conviction be overturned or, in the alternative, a new trial. ¶ 24. In September 1995 Webster and Rosebur were involved in an altercation which resulted in Webster's conviction of simple assault in May, 1996. In Webster's first trial, the Court of Appeals held that the trial court properly admitted the testimony under Rule 404(b) because it indicated both a possible motive and showed intent. Furthermore, the trial court did make an adequate on-the-record finding regarding relevancy under Rule 403. Webster v. State, 755 So.2d at 459. The trial court failed to give a limiting instruction, however, this Court found the error to be harmless. Id. Webster filed a Petition for Writ of Certiorari which this Court granted. Webster v. State, 754 So.2d 1232 (Miss.2000). While this Court reversed and remanded on other grounds, the issue of whether the trial court properly admitted evidence of the prior bad act without a limiting instruction was affirmed. Id. ¶ 25. The evidence during the second trial was introduced by a taped statement given by Webster to police. Later, the certified copy of Webster's prior conviction was introduced before Curtis Leflore testified. The trial court gave a limiting instruction to the jury.