Opinion ID: 2570523
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The videotape of the victim when he was a healthy baby

Text: Richard Stach testified as to Damian's demeanor prior to Collman's involvement in Damian's life. During this testimony, the State sought admission of a videotape depicting Damian as a happy baby with no bruises. The district court conducted a hearing and viewed the videotape. The court concluded that because the videotape's quality was deficient, it could not be used to demonstrate Damian's lack of bruises. However, the court determined that the probative value of establishing Damian's demeanor was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice or emotional appeal to the jury. Accordingly, over Collman's objection, the court admitted the videotape for that limited purpose. Collman contends that the videotape had no probative value and only served to appeal to the jurors' emotions. The trial court has the discretion to admit or exclude photographs of a victim, and this court will not overturn such a ruling absent an abuse of that discretion. Browne v. State, 113 Nev. 305, 314, 933 P.2d 187, 192 (1997). The court must determine whether the probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Id. at 313 n. 1, 933 P.2d at 192 n. 1. Here, the district court reviewed the videotape and determined that it was relevant and probative. We conclude that Collman failed to demonstrate that the district court abused its discretion.