WPC UNV % 0(w@4&5 0= 0D 0J 0TS 0^ 0h 0rm 0| 0[ 0 1uq 0d U>J U* B) DC AM kx Bv~v D3 0@  AO` 0Du D/ B(9 Z 6Times New Roman RegularX($ PUQPRUSUTUUUVWEX\eYӀ;$3|xb(8(2$ !  X X `   0  (#$  0  2 0Indent123  2" 0Indent20 23  2, 0Indent30 0 23  26 0Indent40 0 0 23  2@ 0Indent50 0 0 0 23  2J 0Indent60 0 0 0 0 23  2T 0Indent70 0 0 0 0 0 23  2^ 0Indent80 0 0 0 0 0 0 23   ?AGMSYaioIndent0I.A.1.a.(1)(a)i)a)P 8Mac DefaultMac Default ` X<  9p`(&Times New Roman<  9p`(Arial% Line 7 d!!!!7Border 1dd-"C << G  !  #d#       YYY FILED XJuly20,1998CecilW.CrowsonAppellateCourtClerk   !#d#   $           ݀Thedefendantsnamewasalsospelled Yvettainvariouspleadings. dPtPtHH(FG(HH(d'hStyl{WP}01  HH  2$HH  Geneva  <Px443!#4$*$$*$ KK  Geneva  Geneva .,6 Geneva   h HD: Geneva  h HD: Geneva &&&&'dxd("$    -C<< CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5($$   1  ' dxdP Pd ! .         \RA'\ћ7`XXdd7  ќR#$"A1-j|`  `@Rߛ @ INTHECOURTOFCRIMINALAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE@ ATNASHVILLE@ JUNE1998SESSIONSTATEOFTENNESSEE, @ )@ ) NO.01C019708CC00366  Appellee,@ )@ ) RUTHERFORDCOUNTY VS. @ )@ ) HON.J.S.DANIEL,Y'VETTEVITINAVADEN, @ ) JUDGE @ ) Appellant.@ ) (1stDegreeMurder,Aggravated     ) Assault,RecklessEndangerment)y FORTHEAPPELLANT:JOHNP.DRIVER 120EastMainStreetNationsBankBuilding,ThirdFloorP.O.Box1336Murfreesboro,TN371331336 FORTHEAPPELLEE:JOHNKNOXWALKUP AttorneyGeneralandReporter DEBORAHA.TULLIS AssistantAttorneyGeneralCordellHullBuilding,2ndFloor425FifthAvenueNorthNashville,TN372430493 WILLIAMC.WHITESELL,JR. DistrictAttorneyGeneral303RutherfordCountyJud.Bldg.Murfreesboro,TN37130 OPINIONFILED:򀀀AFFIRMEDJOEG.RILEY,JUDGE  OPINION    Thedefendant,YvetteVitinaVaden, %   ׀appealsasofrightherconvictionsforfirstdegreemurder,aggravatedassault,andrecklessendangerment.Onappeal,shecontendsthetrialcourterredby(1)admittingthetapedstatementofthevictimidentifyingthedefendantasthepersonwhoshothim,and(2)admittingphotographsofthedeceasedvictim.WefindnoerrorandAFFIRMthejudgmentofthetrialcourt.  FACTS    OnJuly221995,GregoryMobley,thevictim,called911fromapayphoneoutsidea KountryKornerMarketseekingtohavethedefendant,hisgirlfriend,arrestedfordestroyinghisclothes.Beforeasheriffsdeputycouldarriveatthescene,thedefendantarrivedarmedwithapistolandapproachedMobleyinthestore.ThedefendantdemandedmoneyfromMobley. Mobleystatedhehadnomoneyandtoldthedefendanttogoaheadandshoothim.Thedefendantstatedshewasnotgoingtoshoothiminthestorewherepeoplewereworking.Shealsostated, Imgoingtokillyou.Astoreemployeetoldthetwoto takeitoutside,andthedefendantleftthestore.AsMobleyfollowedthedefendant,thedefendantturnedandshotMobleyseveraltimesthroughtheopendoorofthestore.Astorecustomerwasalsowoundedintheleftanklebyaricochetingbullet. Whileinanambulanceenroutetothehospital,LieutenantRandyFaulkoftheRutherfordCountySheriffsDepartmentelicitedatapedstatementfromMobley.Thevictimidentifiedthedefendantasthepersonwhoshothim.Thevictimdiedshortlythereafter. Thedefendantreturnedtoherhome,called911,andidentifiedherselfasthepersonwhoshotthevictim.Shewassubsequentlyarrested.  VICTIMSDYINGDECLARATION   Thedefendantcontendstherecordedstatementofthevictimidentifyingherastheperpetratorwasimproperlyadmittedhearsayevidence.Specifically,shecontendstheStatefailedtoprovethedefendanthadknowledgeofhisimpendingdeathwhenthestatementwasmade.Thestatearguesthestatementwasproperlyadmittedasadyingdeclaration. Forahearsaystatementtobeadmissibleasadyingdeclaration,thestatementmustbe(1)usedinthehomicidetrialofthedeclarant;(2)madewhilethedeclarantbelievedhisorherdeathwasimminent;and(3)madeconcerningthecauseorcircumstancesofwhatthedeclarantbelievedtobeimpendingdeath.Tenn.R.Evid.804(b)(2).Unquestionably,thestatementwasusedinthehomicidetrialofthedeclarantandconcernedthecauseorcircumstancesofthedeclarantsdeath.Therefore,theonlyissuefordeterminationiswhetherthedeclarantsstatementwasmadewhilehebelievedthatdeathwasimminent. ThevictimisnotrequiredtoexplicitlystatethatheorshebelievesdeathisimminentinorderforthestatementstobeadmissibleunderTenn.R.Evid.804(b)(2).SeeStatev.MarujaPaquitaColeman,C.C.A.No.01C019401CR00029,DavidsonCounty(Tenn.Crim.App.filedJuly31,1997,atNashville).Thecharacterofthevictimswoundsmayshowconsciousnessofimpendingdeath.Hawkinsv.State,417S.W.2d774,777(Tenn.1967);Statev.Keels,753S.W.2d140,143(Tenn.Crim.App.1988).SeealsoNeilP.Cohenetal.,TennesseeLawofEvidence,804(b)(2).1(3ded.1995). Intheinstantcase,thevictimhadbeenshottwiceintheabdomen,onceinthearm,andinthebackofthethigh.Aregisterednursewhowitnessedtheshootingtestifiedshetoldtheparamedicstoworkquicklyasshebelievedthevictimcoulddiesoonfromlossofblood.TheparamedicsgaveMobleyoxygen,begantomonitorhisheartrate,andplacedtwo(2)intravenoustubesintohisarmswhileenroutetothehospital. Baseduponthesefacts,thetrialcourtconcludedthestatementmettherequirementsofTenn.R.Evid.804(b)(2).Theevidencedoesnotpreponderateagainstthetrialcourtsadmissionofthevictimsstatementasadyingdeclaration. Furthermore,anypossibleerrorconcerningadmissionofthedyingdeclarationwasclearlyharmless.Tenn.R.App.P.36(b).Numerousotherwitnessesidentifiedthedefendantasthepersonwhoshotthevictim.Thedefendantherselfcalled911andadmittedtoshootingthevictim.Wearesatisfiedtheresultwouldhavebeenthesamewithouttheadmissionofthedyingdeclaration. Thisissueiswithoutmerit.  ADMISSIONOFPHOTOGRAPHS    Thedefendantfurthercontendsthetrialcourtimproperlyadmittedphotographsofthevictim.Thephotographsweretakenjustpriortotheautopsy.Thedefendantarguesthephotographswereirrelevant,inflammatory,andtheirprobativevaluewasfaroutweighedbytheirprejudicialeffect. Theadmissibilityofphotographslieswithinthesounddiscretionofthetrialcourtwhoserulingwillnotbeoverturnedonappealexceptuponaclearshowingofanabuseofdiscretion.Statev.Banks,564S.W.2d947,949(Tenn.1978);seealsoStatev.Stephenson,878S.W.2d530,542(Tenn.1994);Statev.Bordis,905S.W.2d214,226(Tenn.Crim.App.1995).Nevertheless,thephotographsmustberelevanttoanissueattrialwithitsprobativevalueoutweighinganyprejudicialeffectthatitmayhaveuponthetrieroffact.Statev.Braden,867S.W.2d750,758(Tenn.Crim.App.1993);Statev.JenniferCollins,C.C.A.No.03C019704CR00143,HamiltonCounty(Tenn.Crim.App.filedMarch3,1998,atKnoxville).̀ Wemust,therefore,firstdeterminewhetherthephotographswererelevant.Relevantevidenceisevidence havinganytendencytomaketheexistenceofanyfactthatisofconsequencetothedeterminationoftheactionmoreprobableorlessprobablethanitwouldbewithouttheevidence.Tenn.R.Evid.401.Thephotographswereusedbythemedicalexaminertoexplainhistestimonytothejury.Thedefensivewoundsshowninthephotographswerealsousedtoshowthepremeditatednatureofthecrimeandrebutthetheoryofselfdefense. Inlightoftheevidencepreviouslyintroduced,theadmissionofthephotographsofthevictimpresentsaclosequestion.Arguably,thisinformationcouldhavebeenproperlyrelayedtothejurywiththeautopsydiagramsratherthanthephotographs.However,wenotethetrialcourtexcludedonephotographasbeingoverlygraphic.Inaddition,theadmittedphotographswerenotbloody,gruesome,orinflammatory.Wefindthephotographswerenotoverlyprejudicial,andthetrialcourtdidnotabuseitsdiscretionadmittingthem. Furthermore,ifthephotographswereimproperlyadmitted,theiradmissionconstitutedharmlesserror.Tenn.R.App.P.36(b).TheycertainlywerenotoftheprejudicialmagnitudeofthoseutilizedinStatev.JenniferCollins,supra. Thisissueiswithoutmerit. Forthereasonsstatedabove,weAFFIRMthejudgmentofthetrialcourt.          _________________________       JOEG.RILEY,JUDGECONCUR: ________________________________ CURWOODWITT,JUDGE________________________________LEEMOORE,SPECIALJUDGE