State v. Perry
Louisiana Supreme Court
502 So. 2d 543 (1986)
- Written by Abby Roughton, JD
Facts
The State of Louisiana (plaintiff) charged Michael Owen Perry (defendant) with five counts of first-degree murder based on the shooting deaths of Perry’s cousins, Perry’s parents, and a two-year-old child. Perry shot his victims in the head at close range. At Perry’s trial, the state presented testimony about the shootings from law-enforcement officers and from the pathologist who performed the autopsies on the victims. The state also introduced 170 color photographs into evidence, including photographs of where the shootings occurred and photographs of the victims’ bodies and gunshot wounds. Perry objected to the photographs, arguing that they were unnecessary given the testimony about the victims’ cause of death and the location and number of their gunshot wounds. The court overruled the objection and admitted the photographs. The photographs were introduced into evidence on a Friday and Saturday, just before the court recessed for the weekend. Trial resumed the following Monday, and three days later the jury returned a guilty verdict and unanimously recommended the death penalty. Perry appealed his conviction and sentence to the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cole, J.)
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