Opinion ID: 1580899
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: narrated videotape evidence

Text: While I agree with the majority's conclusion that the narrated portion of the videotape was inadmissible hearsay, I cannot agree that the improper admission of this evidence was sufficiently prejudicial under RCr 9.24 to warrant reversal of the conviction. Much of the material contained in the video demonstration concerns the locations and movements of the investigating officers while on the scene, and these were not only uncontested issues, but also minor matters of the type found harmless in State v. Van Tran, 864 S.W.2d 465 (Tenn.1993). Fields contests factually only the segment of the video demonstration where Officer Lindeman describes the encounter between himself and Fields and where he recites Fields' alleged confession. Fields testified that Officer Lindeman jumped on him, knocked him on the floor, put a gun to his head, threatened to shoot him, and accused him of killing Bess Horton. This was contradicted by Officer Lindeman's testimony at trial. The majority opinion indicates that Fields denied telling Officer Lindeman that he had stabbed Bess Horton, but Fields admitted during his testimony that he may have made the statements in an effort to appease Officer Lindeman. While I believe the majority is correct to describe the audio narration on the videotape as an inadmissable prior consistent statement offered to bolster Lindeman's in-court testimony, I do not feel that its introduction into evidence and the Commonwealth's presentations of the video to the jury affected the substantial rights of Fields. RCr 9.24. Fields testified during the guilt/innocence phase of his trial, and, in addition to exposing himself to impeachment on the basis of his prior felony record, gave the jury an opportunity to hear his theory that his girlfriend had killed Bess Horton. Officer Lindeman testified at trial consistently with his narration on the videotape and Fields had an opportunity to cross-examine him on all of that testimony. The jury heard from an emergency room EMT, Jason Dobson, that Fields incriminated himself by explaining the large amount of blood on his arms and clothing with the statement, You stupid s.o.b., if you had just killed some lady, you would be covered with blood, too. After deliberating on all of the evidence presented, the jury believed beyond a reasonable doubt that Fields murdered Bess Horton. RCr 9.24 directs this Court to reverse a criminal conviction on the basis of evidentiary matters only when it appears to us that the denial of such relief would be inconsistent with substantial justice. I cannot conclude that the jury was so divided over the issue of the relative credibility of Fields and Officer Lindeman that they were swayed by the number of times Officer Lindeman's version was presented to them. Both Fields and Officer Lindeman testified in court during the trial. This afforded the jury the opportunity to assess and weigh their relative credibility. I believe the trial court's admission of the narrated videotape was erroneous, but insufficiently prejudicial to justify reversal because I do not believe that if the audio portion of the videotape had been played fewer times, or not at all, that the jury would have reached any other conclusion.