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Judge in Sweet murder trial rules crime scene photos are admissible
Orlan Love
Oct. 18, 2013 12:58 pm
Attorneys argued Friday morning about the admissibility of crime scene photos in the first-degree murder trial of Isaiah Sweet.
Attorneys for Sweet, 18, of Manchester, who is accused of murdering his grandparents, Richard and Janet Sweet, in May 2012, argued that the photos' prejudicial nature outweighs their probative value.
The photos, taken by a Division of Criminal Investigation technician, show considerable blood, bone fragment and brain tissue, according to court testimony.
Judge Michael Shubatt ruled that most of the challenged photos are admissible, and it is expected that jurors will see them this afternoon.
Isaiah R. Sweet, 18, talks with his attorney, Jason Dunn, during his first-degree murder trial at the Dubuque County Courthouse Friday October 18, 2013. Sweet is charged with two counts of first-degree murder and operating a vehicle without consent. Police say Sweet shot his grandparents to death in May 2012 and fled Manchester, Iowa in their vehicle. (Telegraph-Herald photo