Opinion ID: 2081189
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: -Photographs-

Text: Upon suppression of testimony concerning Battered Child Syndrome, expert testimony was necessarily restricted to the immediate circumstances surrounding cause of death. Five separate findings of fact were entered with respect to five enlarged color photographs. The trial court declared three admissible, per Finding of Fact XI, XII, and XIII, because they would aid in the verbal description of the attending physicians. Regarding the remaining two photographs, per Finding of Fact XIV and XV, the trial court did not find that these photographs would aid in the verbal description of the attending physicians. With reference to the latter, the trial court thus concluded that it would arouse the passion and prejudice of the jury. Implicit in the trial court's ruling is that, inasmuch as they did not aid in a verbal description, basically they simply were not relevant. There must first be a threshold finding of relevancy and the trial court made no such finding. State v. Disbrow, 266 N.W.2d 246, 253 (S.D.1978). The two excluded photographs must be relevant to the cause of death giving rise to a murder-manslaughter charge. They were not. Their relevancy rested solely in their implications of child abuse. Anoxia, the pathologists' findings as to death causation, is an absence or lack of oxygen, a reduction of oxygen in body tissue below physiologic levels. Dorland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary 101 (25th ed. 1974). Marks on the body not related to the cause of death, bruises on the body which do not aid in the verbal description of the attending physicians (Drs. Brown and Primrose) cannot and should not be paraded before a jury, persuading by illegitimate means, to achieve a conviction-oriented result. These pictures were outside the restricted scope of testimony. With marginal relevancy, at best, the potential for unnecessary incitement and prejudice would far outweigh the tenuous connection to the issues. I do not argue with the rule that photographs are not rendered inadmissible merely because they incidentally tend to arouse passion or prejudice. State v. Huth, 334 N.W.2d 485 (S.D.1983). However, [i]t is generally understood that the trial court, in determining whether pictures or photographs should be admitted, must weigh the probative value of the photographs in resolving a material issue as against the danger of prejudice to the appellant through needless arousal of the passions of the jurors. State v. Kane, 266 N.W.2d 552, 558 (S.D.1978). Child abuse, or Battered Child Syndrome, was not in issue, because the trial court had ruled that this was not a Battered Child Syndrome case, based upon the State's medical experts. The trial court viewed these 7 × 11 color photographs, took into consideration the medical expertise available, considered the impact upon the jury, and ruled accordingly. I note that the defendant moved to suppress all five of the enlargements but there was no appeal taken from the admission of three enlargements by the defendant. Under Kane, 266 N.W.2d 552, I would affirm the trial court on this issue.