Brookins v. State

DUFFY, Justice:

Defendant appeals from a conviction for robbery in the second degree on several grounds, the most significant of which involves references to “mug shots” during the course of the trial. As used herein, the term means police photographs. 1

I

The use of police photographs at trial risks suggesting to the jury that defendant has a prior criminal record. While our trial procedure is based on the premise that the jury will follow instructions and decide a case only on the pertinent evidence, it is eesential that jurors be insulated as much as possible from the irrelevant, particularly…