Staci Smith Broome a/k/a Staci S. Broom a/k/a Staci Broome v. State of Mississippi

Summary

The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed Broome’s aggravated-assault conviction and sentence. It held that the investigator’s testimony explaining how information led him to locate the weapon was not hearsay, although repeating the victim’s identification of Broome was improper hearsay; the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt because substantial independent evidence supported the verdict. The Court also held that any error in admitting the investigator’s lay opinion about the assault was harmless.