Opinion ID: 1700705
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Introduction in Evidence of Photographs of Deceased.

Text: The State offered and the court admitted in evidence three (3) black and white photographs of the deceased's body lying in the store building. Appellant contends that the photographs had no evidentiary value, they are gruesome and were introduced solely for the purpose of prejudicing and inflaming the jury. It is further suggested that, even though such photographs may be properly admitted in a case of less gravity than a capital case, in this case, gruesome pictures should be held prejudicial, inadmissible, and reversible error simply because of the finality of the punishment. The trial court has wide discretion in determining whether photographs are sufficiently material and relevant to justify their admission in evidence. In Mallette v. State, 349 So.2d 546 (Miss. 1977), eight (8) color photographs of the nude body of a female, who had been beaten to death with a 2 X 4 and which were horrible and gruesome, were held to be properly admitted because they had evidentiary value in showing the cruelty by which the woman was killed and in depicting marks which indicated she had been beaten with a 2 X 4. Although testimony in the present case related to the position of the body, the photographs corroborated and explained that testimony and corroborated and explained testimony of the physician with reference to the entrance and exit points of the shotgun load. They also had relevancy to the distance appellant was from his victim when he fired the gun [Mrs. Ray testified that, as soon as appellant asked for cigarettes, the gun fired, while appellant stated that Ray went behind the counter to get the cigarettes, that he then demanded Ray's money, Ray advanced toward him and he shot Ray at that time]. We are of the opinion that the trial judge did not abuse his discretion in admitting the photographs in evidence.