State v. Heyward

Summary

The South Carolina Supreme Court affirmed James Heyward's convictions, modifying the judgment to address errors in evidentiary rulings. It held that the trial court erred in allowing visible leg shackles without a specific finding, but found the error harmless given overwhelming proof of guilt. The Court also affirmed the admissibility of the firearms expert testimony, fingerprint authentication, autopsy photographs, and the use of Heyward's alias.