State v. Bocharski: Difference between revisions

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|court=Supreme Court of Arizona
|court=Supreme Court of Arizona
|subject=Evidence
|subject=Evidence
|case_treatment=No
|facts=D was charged with a woman’s murder. D challenged admission of 6 gruesome photos
|facts=D was charged with a woman’s murder. D challenged admission of 6 gruesome photos
|issues=*Are the photos relevant?
|issues=*Are the photos relevant?

Latest revision as of 03:44, July 14, 2023

State v. Bocharski
Court Supreme Court of Arizona
Citation
Date decided

Facts

D was charged with a woman’s murder. D challenged admission of 6 gruesome photos

Issues

  • Are the photos relevant?
  • Even if relevant, did the photos introduce unfair prejudice due to their gruesomeness?

Holding

  • The photos are relevant under 401/402.
  • However, there is unfair prejudice because the photos have potential to generate a decision outside the facts, because the photos are gruesome.

Judgment

Affirmed.

Reasons

Court does NOT reverse; admitting the photos was harmless error because there’s enough other evidence.

Rule

Probative value is diminished if there are other ways to prove a point.

Comments

Think about how prejudicial evidence can be mitigated (e.g., black & white photos rather than color, voir dire, limiting jury instructions)