Opinion ID: 1344407
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Demonstration of Weapon

Text: It is undisputed that appellant shot the convenience store clerk and that his accomplice Scott shot and killed their second victim a week later. During the penalty phase, appellant sought to require Scott to demonstrate how he held the gun while shooting the second victim. The trial judge sustained the solicitor's relevancy objection, a ruling appellant contends constitutes reversible error. We disagree. Whether evidence is relevant or whether it should be admitted in a criminal prosecution are issues within the trial judge's discretion. State v. Wyatt, supra . Evidence is relevant if it tends to make more or less probable a fact in issue. Id. Appellant argues a demonstration of Scott's shooting technique would have been relevant to show that appellant acted under Scott's dominion or under duress in shooting the convenience store clerk, and that appellant was merely a minor accomplice in the first killing. We see neither relevancy, nor an abuse of discretion in the exclusion of this evidence.