Opinion ID: 1155448
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence of a Prior Bad Act in the Guilt Phase

Text: Melea's fourteen-year-old sister, Melinda, testified that prior to trial, Powell asked her to lie for him at trial and that he repeatedly made harassing phone calls to her. Powell told her that he had killed Melea and threatened Melinda by saying that she was next. Prior to Melinda's testimony, defense counsel moved to exclude the statement regarding the threat, because it constituted proof of another crime. The State offered the statement as proof of Powell's intent to kill Melea. NRS 48.045(2). [3] The district court denied the motion, stating that there was no showing of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues or misleading the jury if the testimony were allowed. The decision to admit or exclude evidence, after balancing the prejudicial effect with the probative value, is within the discretion of the trial judge. Petrocelli v. State, 101 Nev. 46, 52, 692 P.2d 503, 508 (1985); see also NRS 48.035(1) and (2). [4] The trial court's determination will not be overturned absent manifest error. Petrocelli, 101 Nev. at 52, 692 P.2d at 508. We conclude that the district court did not abuse its discretion in allowing the threat to be presented to the jury. The testimony was admissible under NRS 48.045 as proof of intent to kill Melea, as well as the complete story of the crime doctrine. That doctrine provides that under certain circumstances, evidence of another crime may be introduced at trial when the other crime is interconnected to the act in question such that a witness cannot describe the act in controversy without referring to the other crime. See NRS 48.035(3); [5] Cirillo v. State, 96 Nev. 489, 493, 611 P.2d 1093, 1095 (1980). The doctrine is applicable in this case. Here, Melinda could not describe Powell's admission that he had murdered Melea without describing the context in which the statement was made. Otherwise, the jury would have had no idea why Powell would confess to a fourteen-year-old child.