State v. Hicks

Summary

The Court held that the unobjected-to admission and publication of extensive cell-phone text-message and multimedia reports did not constitute plain error. Although the exhibits had potential to inflame the jury, the remaining evidence—including the victim's gunshot wounds, the physical scene, the defendant's limited injuries, and inconsistencies in her accounts—made it unlikely that the jury would have reached a different verdict without the exhibits. The Court therefore reversed the decision ordering a new trial.