Opinion ID: 1947983
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Introduction of the Videotape at Trial

Text: Investigator Glen Meyers of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Forensic and Technical Services Unit testified that he returned to the store three days after the crime and videotaped the crime scene based on information he obtained from Detective Green of the Neptune Township Police Department and other investigators. He also testified that he had made the videotape under the direction of Mrs. Crawford. Meyers then gave a detailed account of the actual filming process. Meyers described the videotape to the jury as follows: [B]asically the videotape depicts the area immediately outside the Fabulous Meat Store [sic] from two different perspectives, near the front of the store looking out and away from the front door looking back toward the front of the store and then a re-enactment basically of the occurrences leading up to the shooting of Mr. Szoke on the evening of the 26th. At that point, defense counsel objected and requested a sidebar discussion. Defense counsel argued that the videotape was inadmissible hearsay and that the admission of the videotape would unduly prejudice defendant. In response to a defense objection, the court viewed the videotape outside the presence of the jury, and ruled as follows: The objection is going to be overruled. The fact of the matter is that the scene that is depicted in the videotape is as was testified to by the two State's witnesses already. The last woman, Mrs. Crawford very clearly demonstrated where the parties were standing at the time. The videotape just depicts where those people were standing based upon what she had said ... So there is nothing. The videotape is nothing but a re-creation in a very loose sense of the word because all it does is follow a camera around. It doesn't follow anybody, doesn't show anybody doing anything except just standing there. The videotape is just depicting the positions of the people who are in the store as testified already to by Mrs. Crawford. It also shows the direction of the travel outside of the store of the defendant as was testified to by Collins already. There is nothing in that videotape that shows a gun or anything are [sic] anybody moving at [sic]. They are all just standing still. I'm going to allow the videotape in evidence in its complete form as indicated. The objection is going to be overruled. Let's bring the jury in please. The jury then viewed the videotape.