Opinion ID: 2218193
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: rejection of limiting instruction

Text: Messersmith claims that reversible error occurred when the district court refused to give a limiting instruction, requested by Messersmith, that the interior photographs of the Messersmith house showed only the condition of the premises and did not tend to establish that the depicted items were stolen. See Rule 105: When evidence which is admissible as to one party or for one purpose but not admissible as to another party or for another purpose is admitted, the judge, upon request, shall restrict the evidence to its proper scope and instruct the jury accordingly. With the exception of an erroneous admission or exclusion of evidence, a defendant, as the appellant claiming reversible error in a criminal case, must demonstrate that a trial court's conduct, whether action or inaction during the proceeding against the defendant, prejudiced or otherwise adversely affected a substantial right of the defendant. State v. Juhl, supra 234 Neb. at 45-46, 449 N.W.2d at 211. Accord State v. Harney, 237 Neb. 512, 466 N.W.2d 540 (1991). Cf. State v. Cox, 231 Neb. 495, 437 N.W.2d 134 (1989) (if evidence is erroneously admitted or excluded, the State has the burden to show that such error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt). While we have already concluded that the photographs were irrelevant and, therefore, inadmissible, but have also concluded that admission of the photographs was only harmless error, see relevance of shotgun, shells, and photographs, above in this opinion, Messersmith does not refer to Rule 105 as a basis for the limiting instruction and, as far as we are able to ascertain, does not indicate how he was prejudiced by the absence of the restrictive instruction. For that reason, we find that Messersmith's assignment of error based on the district court's refusal to give a restrictive instruction authorized under Rule 105 has no merit.