Stanley v. State

Gregory, Justice.

We granted certiorari to consider whether it was reversible error for the prosecutor to ask a detective, in relation to the identification of the defendant, “Now, mug books are what exactly?,” eliciting the answer, “They are pictures of individuals that we have had previous cases on.”

At appellant’s trial for motor vehicle theft, a witness testified that he had identified appellant to the police from his picture in “some mug books.” In further examination of the witnesses, both the district attorney and the defense counsel used the phrase “mug books” repeatedly. When the…