Court Opinion

ID: 9567515
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 19:54:48.965487+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T10:00:39.086410
License: Public Domain

Smith, Justice,
concurring specially.
I concur in the judgment; however, I do not agree that OCGA § 17-7-211 is applicable.
The introduction of the rug into evidence by the state was a direct result of the defendant’s trial tactics. The state had determined that the few drops of blood on the rug were not significant given the fact that there was blood virtually all over the room. The rug was not sent to the state lab for analysis. When the defendant took the position during the course of the trial that the blood on the rug would substantiate his defense claim, the state was forced into introducing the rug in rebuttal to negate the claim. OCGA § 17-7-211 should not apply when the defendant’s trial tactics force the state to seek scientific reports that they would not have otherwise sought.