About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

26 QLR 1069 (2007-2008)
Victim Impact Videos: The New-Wave of Evidence in Capital Sentencing Hearings

handle is hein.journals/qlr26 and id is 1079 raw text is: Note VICTIM IMPACT VIDEOS: THE NEW-WAVE OF EVIDENCE IN CAPITAL SENTENCING HEARINGS INTRODUCTION Picture this: During the sentencing phase of a capital murder trial a large television is rolled out in front of the jury box and twelve sets of eyes focus for almost fourteen minutes on the contents of the video playing on the screen.' The jury watches approximately 160 photographs rhythmically fade in and out.2 These are photographs of the murder victim's life-images of him as a toddler with his family, school pictures, photographs of him with his wife and two sons, pictures of his sons' growth from infancy to adulthood, and images depicting family events such as Thanksgiving dinner.3 Throughout, the victim's brother narrates, tearfully, what each of these photographs contains and how each represents the value of his brother's lost life.4 Alternatively, picture this: Following the emotional testimony of the victim's mother, the prosecution focuses the jury's attention on a four-and-one-half minute DVD containing images of the victim alone, and with her children and other members of her family.5 The DVD is set to contemporary music that echoes through the courtroom.6 Further, imagine these videos being presented to the jurors as they are asked to make a most difficult decision: whether the victim's killer- 1. This description comes from the Arkansas Supreme Court case Hicks v. State, 940 S.W.2d 855, 857 (Ark. 1997) (Brown, J., concurring). 2. Id. 3. Id. 4. Id. at 855, 857. 5. State v. Leon, 132 P.3d 462, 464 (Idaho Ct. App. 2006). 6. Id.

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most