Opinion ID: 2525436
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: evidence of defendant's prior bad acts

Text: ¶ 24 Several witnesses testified regarding defendant's prior mistreatment of her children. Jamie Widdison (Jamie), defendant's ex-husband and the father of J.W. and C.W., testified that when J.W. was nine or ten months old, she suffered two broken forearm bones while in defendant's sole care. Dr. Britton presented evidence that J.W.'s injuries were non-accidental and were inconsistent with defendant's explanation that the injuries were caused by J.W. falling off the couch. Rather, Dr. Britton believed J.W.'s injuries were caused by someone forcefully grabbing her forearms and twisting them  just as Breanna's arms had been broken. Jamie also testified that when J.W. and C.W. were each between seven and twelve months old, defendant would lose her temper when they cried at night, would call them names, and would force them to take a bottle or pacifier. When the babies tried to spit out the bottle or pacifier, defendant would pinch each baby's face with her thumb on one side and her fingers on the other. Jamie also testified that defendant would often grab the babies by one arm to carry them to their crib or the couch. ¶ 25 Jody Finlinson, who lived with defendant for a few months in 1995, testified that she often saw defendant become angry with all three of her children. Jody testified that when defendant became angry, she would grab J.W. and C.W. by one arm, lift them off the ground, spank them, and then throw them into their room. Although Jody said that she never saw defendant hit Breanna, she did see defendant set Breanna down hard and walk away while Breanna cried. ¶ 26 Robyn Spilker, a relative of one of defendant's neighbors, testified that defendant once jerked J.W. off the floor by one arm, called her a little bitch, and told her to get back into their apartment. Shannell Jeffrey Bird, the cashier in the grocery store on February 21, testified about the incident where defendant verbally abused J.W. and C.W. in the afternoon of the day of Breanna's death. ¶ 27 A former friend of defendant, Nikki Lynn Greener McDermaid, testified about defendant's general lack of care for Breanna. McDermaid stated that she ended her friendship with defendant when Travis moved to Delta because McDermaid had heard that Travis was bad news and was afraid she could lose her own child by associating with Travis and defendant. [5] Defendant objected to McDermaid's testimony, and the court immediately struck McDermaid's statement and advised the jury to disregard it. At the end of McDermaid's testimony, defendant moved to strike McDermaid's entire testimony, then asked for a mistrial. The trial court denied the motion for mistrial, but granted defendant's request to strike McDermaid's testimony because it was not particularly relevant to the abuse charges.