Aftеr a bifurcated trial, Paul Addington appeals from the judgment of the Superior court, Somerset County, entered on a jury verdict finding him guilty of murder in violation of 17-A M.R.S.A. § 201(1)(A) (1983), and, after a jury-waived hearing, a finding by the court that he was criminally responsible for his acts that resulted in the murder. See 17-A M.R.S.A. §§ 38, 39 and 40 (1983).
On appeal Addington challenges the orders of the trial court relating to (1) the venue of the trial, (2) the denial of his motion to dismiss the indictment, (3) the denial of his motion to supрress all his statements, (4) the admission of certain physical evidence, and (5) the sufficiency of the evidence-40^. support the jury verdict. We find no merit in Addington’s contentions and affirm the judgment.
I
On March 23, 1985, Addington, a patient at the Augusta Mental Health Institute (AMHI), was living at Northgate House on the AMHI grounds. He was allowed to leave the grounds for four hours at a time. At approximately 3:00 p.m. on March 23 Sharon Taylor, a fifteen-year-old resident of Augusta, went to the Arboretum near AMHI to go bird-watching. When she did not return home at the appointed time, a search was conducted. Her body was found in the Arboretum in the early hours of March 24, 1985. It was determined that her death wаs caused by multiple stab wounds inflicted sometime after 3:30 p.m. of March 23, 1985.
Addington gave statements to the police on March 25, March 26 and April 4, 1985. On June 7, 1985, he was arraigned on an indictment charging him with the murder of Sharon Taylor, еntered a plea of not guilty 1 and was denied bail. While in the county jail awaiting trial, Addington made statements to Sheriff Frank Hackett and to a fellow inmate, Jack Michaud.
After hearing, the court granted Adding-ton’s motion for change of venue from Kennebec County, stating that the trial location would be designated at a later date. On the morning of the trial, the court denied Addington’s oral motion for change of venue of the trial from Somerset County.
Addington filed motions to suppress all statements made by him. After hearing, the court entered its order granting Add-ington’s motion as to that portion of the statement made to the police on April 4, 1985 that continuеd after Addington had stated he no longer wanted to talk. The court also ruled, in accordance with a stipulation of the parties, that Addington’s statement to Sheriff Hackett and the map drawn by Addington while making the statement were involuntary and obtained in violation of his rights as set forth in
Miranda v. Arizona,
Over the objection of Addington the court аdmitted in evidence at the trial photographs of the victim at the crime scene, items of the victim’s clothing, and a collection of knives from Addington’s residence offered as the State’s exhibits.
After the jury returned its verdict, the court in a jury-waived hearing found Add-ington criminally responsible for the murder of Sharon Taylor. Addington’s motions for a judgment of acquittal notwithstanding the verdict and for a new trial were denied by the trial court.
II
On appеal, Addington claims the trial court abused its discretion in denying his motion to change the venue of the trial of the case from Somerset County. He argues that the prejudice caused by the pretrial publicity that prеvented a fair trial being had in Kennebec County also obtained in Somerset County, as evidenced by copies of news media coverage enclosed in his letter to the trial court in December, 1985.
Ordinarily the dеtermination of venue is within the sound discretion of the presiding justice, and will not be overturned absent a showing of abuse of that discretion.
State v. Coty,
To apply this standard of review for an abuse of discretion we must have a record of the publicity. The record in this case lacks Addington’s December 1985 letter to the court, the allegedly prejudicial nеws articles, the transcript of the motion hearing, and the transcript of the jury selection from which the publicity’s impact might be gauged.
See State v. Ifill,
We have consistently held that an appellant before us “ ‘has the affirmative duty of supplying this Court with an adequate record upon which consideration can be given to the arguments advanced in support of the appeal.’ ”
State v. Meyer,
III.
Addington asserts the trial court erred in denying his motion to dismiss the indictment. He argues, as he did before the trial court, that the court’s order suppressing his statement to Sheriff Hackett and the map drawn during that interview did not adequately rectify the violation of rights guaranteed to him by the sixth amendment.
We аre bound by decisions of the United States Supreme Court on questions concerning the federal constitution. The right of an accused to have the assistance of counsel for his defense provided by the sixth amendment assures fairness in the adversary criminal process and is funda
Addington has not shown how the violation deprived him of effective representation by his counsel or a fair trial. All the tainted evidence was suppressed. Absent а showing of prejudice dismissal was not appropriate.
United States v. Morrison,
IV
Addington next contends that the trial court erred in denying his motions to suppress all his statements to the police and his statement to Michaud. He asserts that, his mеntal illness precluded the exercise of his free will and rational intellect making the waiver of his constitutional rights and the statements themselves involuntary. We disagree.
Conflicting expert testimony was presented tо the trial court as to Adding-ton’s mental capacity at the time he made the challenged statements. In addition the court reviewed the taped recordings of the police interviews.
The State acknowledges its burden in this case to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Addington knowingly and voluntarily waived his constitutional rights prior to making any statements to the police, and to proye bеyond a reasonable doubt that'his statements to the police and to Michaud were voluntary.
State v. Knights,
In suppоrt of the trial court’s findings the record discloses that Addington demonstrated his ability to exercise his Miranda rights, by refusing to continue to talk during one police interview, refusing to talk to Augusta police officers and refusing to undergo certain tests offered by the police. We hold that the record in this case rationally supports the conclusion that Addington’s waiver of his Miranda rights was knowing, understanding and voluntary and his statements that were not suppressed by the trial court were voluntary.
V
Addington argues that the prejudicial effect of photographs of the victim at the scene, the victim’s bloody clothing, and knives taken from his residence 2 substantially outweighed their probative value аnd, accordingly, the trial court erred in admitting them into evidence. We disagree.
Maine Rule of Evidence 403 provides that relevant evidence may be exclud
In the instant case, the photographs were not inflammatory. They depicted the area where the victim’s body was found, and the abrasions on the victim’s neck. The photographs were probative of the isolation of the area, signs of struggle by the victim and the type of weаpon used in the murder. The four items of the victim’s clothing admitted in evidence were probative of the violence of the struggle between the victim and her assailant. Although none of the knives taken from the kitchen drаwer in Northgate House, Addington’s residence at AMHI, were offered as the murder weapon, they were probative of his access to and as the likely type of weapon used to inflict the wounds causing the viсtim’s death. All of these items were probative as to the identity of Addington as the assailant of Sharon Taylor.
The probative value of these items was not substantially outweighed by their prejudicial effect. The trial justiсe properly exercised his discretion in admitting these items in evidence.
Cf. Smith,
VI
Finally, Addington contends that the evidence was not sufficient to support the jury’s verdict. He points to inconsistencies in the evidence relating to the identity of Addington as the assailant of Sharon Taylor. The jury resolved these inconsistencies and possible alternatives against Addington.
State v. Fournier,
We have frequently stated the applicable standard to be used on our review of the legal sufficiency of evidence to support a verdict.
State v. Barry,
The entry is:
Judgment affirmed.
All concurring.
Notes
. Prior to trial, the additional plea of not guilty by reason of insanity was enterеd by Addington.
. Because at trial Addington’s objection to the admission of the knives was based on an improper chain of custody and he did not object to the admission of the victim’s chamois shirt, we review his present contention of undue prejudice in their admission using the obvious error standard. M.R.Crim.P. 52(b); M.R.Evid. 103(d).
