State v. Saylor

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF TENNESSEE
AT KNOXVILLE
May 6, 2003 Session

STATE OF TENNESSEE v. GERALD E. SAYLOR

Appeal by Permission from the Court of Criminal Appeals
Criminal Court for Washington County
No. 25854 Lynn W. Brown, Judge

No. E2001-00604-SC-R11-CD - Filed September 30, 2003

We granted review to determine (1) whether the trial court erred by refusing to suppress the
defendant’s confession on the ground that he did not invoke his right to counsel; (2) whether the trial
court erred by excluding the testimony of a witness as to an uncommunicated threat made by the
victim; and (3) whether the trial court erred by denying a mistrial based on the admission of
statements regarding the defendant’s parole status. We conclude that the trial court properly refused
to suppress the defendant’s confession; that the trial court committed harmless error when it
excluded proof of an uncommunicated threat; and that the trial court properly exercised its discretion
by not declaring a mistrial.

Tenn. R. App. P. 11 Appeal by Permission; Judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals
Affirmed

E. RILEY ANDERSON, J., delivered the opinion of the court, in which FRANK F. DROWOTA , III, C.J.,
and JANICE M. HOLDER and WILLIAM M. BARKER, JJ., joined. ADOLPHO A. BIRCH, JR., J., filed a
dissenting opinion.

Clifton Corker, Johnson City, Tennessee, for the appellant, Gerald E. Saylor.

Paul G. Summers, Attorney General and Reporter; Michael E. Moore, Solicitor General; Braden H.
Boucek, Assistant Attorney General; Joe C. Crumley, Jr., District Attorney General; and Victor J.
Vaughn, Assistant District Attorney General, for the appellee, State of Tennessee.

OPINION
 Background

The defendant, Gerald Saylor, was charged with second degree murder for the killing of the
victim, John Case. The evidence at trial is summarized as follows:

On November 3, 1999, Gerald Saylor and his girlfriend, Brenda Hull, were drinking alcohol
with Kenneth White and John Case at around 11:00 a.m.1 Hull testified that she and Saylor left the
house at around 1:00 p.m. to buy more alcohol and returned to the house with half a gallon of vodka.
Hull stated that she, White, Saylor, and Case proceeded to drink “heavily.” Hull testified that at one
point she went into the kitchen and saw Case hit Saylor with a hatchet or hammer. According to
Hull, Saylor staggered and fell, got back up, picked up the hatchet, and hit Case several times while
she begged him to stop.

Kenneth White testified that he had spent the afternoon of November 3, 1999, drinking with
Hull, Case and the defendant Saylor. White stated that later in the day, Case and Saylor got into an
argument in the kitchen that escalated into a scuffle. White said that Case hit the side of Saylor’s
head with a hatchet or hammer, causing him to fall down. Saylor then got up, grabbed the hatchet
or hammer from Case, and hit him several times in the face and head. Case fell onto the couch in
the living room and stopped moving. White testified that he ran next door and called the police.

When the Johnson City police officers and the emergency medical crew arrived in response
to the call, they found Case barely alive, lying face down on the floor in a puddle of his own blood.
Case was breathing but unresponsive; he was covered in blood and had a large cut across his nose
and deep lacerations to his head. Case also had cuts to the back of his hands and across the palm of
his right hand. A hatchet and an open pocketknife were found in the back of Case’s pants. Blood
and brain matter covered the couch, walls, floor, and ceiling of the living room. In the kitchen, the
officers also found an overturned table, a broken shelf, and other signs that there had been a scuffle.

Case died later that day. According to Dr. Ellen Wallen, the medical examiner, Case died
from “multiple chop wounds” which caused skull fractures, brain lacerations, and brain contusions.
Dr. Murray Marks, a forensic anthropologist, testified that the victim had been struck in the head and
face at least six times.

At the police station, Saylor made several comments about an attorney in the presence of the
officers, which he described as an unequivocal request for an attorney and which the State deemed
as equivocal. After the comments, Saylor signed a Miranda waiver and gave a videotaped statement
in which he told an officer that Case hit him with the hammer. He stated that he “snapped,” took the
hammer, and hit Case with it. Saylor was arrested and charged with second degree murder. A jury
convicted the defendant of voluntary manslaughter, and the court sentenced him to fifteen years
imprisonment as a Range III, persistent offender.

1
Saylor and his girlfriend were tenants in the victim’s house at 904 Grover Street in Johnson City, Tennessee.

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 The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the conviction and the sentence.

We granted Saylor’s application for permission to appeal.

ANALYSIS

Motion To Suppress

Prior to trial, the defendant Saylor moved the trial court to suppress the confession he made
to an investigating officer. The trial court denied the motion, finding that the defendant made an
equivocal request for counsel and that the officers were under no duty to clarify his request.

Saylor argues in this Court that he made four unequivocal requests for an attorney that, either
considered separately or together, invoked his Fifth Amendment rights and precluded the officers
from asking any further questions. Saylor also contends that his right to counsel under Article I,
Section 9 of the Tennessee Constitution was violated because the officers did not limit their later
questions to clarifying his desire for an attorney. See State v. Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d 530, 548
(Tenn. 1994).

The State contends that Saylor did not effectively invoke his right to counsel and that the
investigating officers were under no legal obligation to limit the scope of their interrogation under
the United States or Tennessee Constitutions.

The following evidence was introduced at the trial court suppression hearing on Saylor’s
motion. After Saylor was arrested, he was brought to the Johnson City Police Station where he was
detained in a police interview room. A video recording revealed the following exchange between
an unnamed officer and Saylor:2

Officer: You’re arrested ain’t you?

Saylor: For what?

Officer: We’ll let you know in a minute.

Saylor: People, I haven’t done nothing. Only thing I can
figure is that I’ve violated my parole. That’s the only
thing I can figure. That’s about the only thing I can
figure.

Officer: What are you on parole for?

2
A red acted copy of the vid eotap e was later playe d at trial.

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 Saylor: Well . . . I guess it don’t matter until I can get a
lawyer present.

Officer: It don’t make any difference to me.

Saylor: I’m supposed to have a lawyer though, don’t I?

Officer: Hmm?

Saylor: I have to have a lawyer present, I reckon. Before you
ask me. That’s the story, isn’t it?

Officer: What’s that?

Saylor: You have to have a lawyer present before questioning.

Officer: I ain’t asked you any questions!

Saylor: That’s right.

(emphasis added). About ten minutes later, Lieutenant Debbie Baron entered the interview room
and read Saylor his Miranda rights, reaffirming his right to an attorney. She then asked Saylor to
sign a waiver of rights form, and the following exchange occurred:

Saylor: But I’ll talk to you, but I don’t want to waive my
rights. I’ll sign it, but what I’m saying is . . .

Baron: Well, you basically, if you sign that you are waiving
your rights.

Saylor: But I haven’t done nothing is what I’m trying to tell
you.

Baron: Well if you haven’t done anything, then you don’t
need a lawyer, right?

Saylor: No, I might need a lawyer because somebody might
try to accuse me of something I didn’t do.

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 Baron: Well, I will too. I don’t know. I can’t make any
promises. If you sign that, you’re waiving your rights.
I mean, that’s what it says right there.

Saylor: No, I don’t need to do that, do I? Of course, I haven’t
done anything, but . . . and I can stop at any time,
right?

Baron: You can stop anytime you want to.

[Saylor appears to sign the form.]

Saylor: I shouldn’t have done that really. Of course, I haven’t
done anything.

Saylor then told Lieutenant Baron that Case hit him with a hammer, that he “snapped,” and that he
took the hammer away from Case and hit him with it.

The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the trial court’s denial of the motion to suppress on
the grounds that the defendant’s requests for counsel were equivocal and thus did not require
clarification under either the federal or state constitutions. Moreover, the court held that regardless
of whether the defendant effectively invoked his right to counsel, he subsequently waived this right
before making a statement to Lieutenant Baron.

It is well-settled that a trial court’s determination at a suppression hearing is presumptively
correct on appeal. State v. Harbison, 704 S.W.2d 314, 318 (Tenn. 1986). The presumption of
correctness may only be overcome on appeal if the evidence in the record preponderates against the
trial court’s findings. Id.; see also State v. Kelly, 603 S.W.2d 726, 729 (Tenn. 1980); State v.
Johnson, 717 S.W.2d 298, 304-05 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1986).

We begin our analysis by examining the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
and Article I, Section 9 of the Tennessee Constitution. The Fifth Amendment to the United States
Constitution, which is applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment, see Malloy v.
Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 6 (1964), provides that “[n]o person . . . shall be compelled in any criminal case
to be a witness against himself[.]” The corresponding provision of the Tennessee Constitution
provides “[t]hat in all criminal prosecutions, the accused . . . shall not be compelled to give evidence
against himself.” Tenn. Const. art. I, § 9. Encompassed within these constitutional provisions is the
right to counsel, which is applicable whenever a suspect requests that counsel be present during

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police-initiated custodial interrogation.3 When a suspect invokes that right to counsel, police must
cease questioning until counsel is present. See Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 444-45 (1966);
see also Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477, 484-85 (1981); State v. Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d 530,
548 (Tenn. 1994).

Although courts have clearly held that all police questioning must cease when an accused
invokes the constitutional right to counsel, there has been uncertainty as to what constitutes a valid
invocation of that right under the Fifth Amendment and Article I, Section 9. When the Supreme
Court decided Miranda, for example, it did not adopt a rigid formula for invocation of the Fifth
Amendment right to counsel, but stated generally that the right was effectively invoked when a
suspect “indicates in any manner and at any stage of the process that he wishes to consult with an
attorney before speaking . . . .” Miranda, 384 U.S. at 444-45. The Court later clarified in Michigan
v. Jackson that courts should “give a broad, rather than a narrow interpretation to a defendant’s
request for counsel.” 475 U.S. 625, 633 (1986).

Eight years later, however, the Supreme Court narrowed this standard and held that
“[i]nvocation of the Miranda right to counsel ‘requires, at a minimum, some statement that can
reasonably be construed to be an expression of a desire for the assistance of an attorney.’” Davis v.
United States, 512 U.S. 452, 459 (1994) (quoting McNeil v. Washington, 501 U.S. 171, 178 (1991).
Accordingly, the Court concluded that ambiguous requests for counsel do not constitute an
invocation of the right to counsel and therefore, do not trigger the Fifth Amendment’s prohibition
on further questioning. See Davis, 512 U.S. at 461. Moreover, the Court specifically refused to
adopt a rule requiring officers to ask questions clarifying the accused’s statements. Id. at 461-62.

This Court has also struggled with defining the proper standard for a valid invocation of the
right to counsel under Article I, Section 9. In Stephenson, for instance, we applied the decision in
Michigan v. Jackson and held, under both the United States and Tennessee Constitutions, “that when
a suspect makes an ambiguous or equivocal request for counsel, further questions by officers
thereafter must be limited to clarifying the suspect’s desire for an attorney.” Stephenson, 878
S.W.2d at 548. The officer did ask clarifying questions, the defendant waived his right to an
attorney, and the case was reversed on other grounds.

Two years later, we adopted a similar standard to that enunciated in Davis v. United States
that “[a]lthough a suspect need not speak with the discrimination of an Oxford don,” the accused
“must articulate his desire to have counsel present sufficiently clearly that a reasonable officer would
understand the statement to be a request for an attorney.” State v. Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d 666, 669-
70 (Tenn. 1996) (quoting Davis, 512 U.S. at 459). In Huddleston, we held there was no request for
an attorney under this standard, but reversed on other grounds. Id., 924 S.W.2d at 670, 676. In
adopting this rule, however, this Court did not specifically reference Stephenson or Article I, Section
9 of the Tennessee Constitution, nor did it engage in an exhaustive discussion.

3
In contrast, the Sixth Amendment right to counsel guarantees the accused the assistance of counsel after the
adversarial judicial proc ess has b egun. See Michigan v. Jackson, 475 U.S. 625 , 630-32 (198 6).

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 As a result, Saylor claims that the Tennessee Constitution, as interpreted by Stephenson, still
requires police officers to limit the scope of their questions following an equivocal request for
counsel. In Stephenson, we summarized other court decisions and observed that most, including five
state court decisions, had adopted the Michigan v. Jackson standard. Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d at
548. Since that time, however, a number of other states have applied the later Davis standard.4

Accordingly, the viability of Saylor’s argument depends upon whether the right to counsel
protections of Article I, Section 9 are broader than those of the Fifth Amendment. In State v. Smith,
834 S.W.2d 915 (Tenn. 1992), this Court noted that the state constitutional provision might be
applied more broadly than its federal counterpart “based upon considerations other than, and in
addition to, the difference in terminology.” Id. at 918.5 However, as detailed above, this Court has
chosen to apply a standard similar to the federal standard when assessing the validity of invocations
of the right to counsel under our state constitution. See Stephenson, 878 S.W.2d at 548.
Furthermore, we have never held that the protections under Article I, Section 9 are broader than
those under the Fifth Amendment in this specific context.

Therefore, we hold today what we implicitly held in Huddleston: The standard for a valid
invocation of the right to counsel is the same under both Article I, Section 9 and the Fifth
Amendment. The accused “must articulate his desire to have counsel present sufficiently clearly that
a reasonable [police] officer . . . would understand the statement to be a request for an attorney.”
Huddleston, 924 S.W.2d at 670 (quoting Davis, 512 U.S. at 459). If the suspect fails to make such
an unambiguous statement, police may continue to question him without clarifying any equivocal
requests for counsel. Id. We find the following observation in Davis persuasive:

The Edwards rule6 – questioning must cease if the suspect asks for a
lawyer – provides a bright line that can be applied by officers in the
real world of investigation and interrogation without unduly
hampering the gathering of information. But if we were to require

4
See Higg ins v. State, 879 S.W.2d 424, 428 (Ark. 1 994 ); People v. Cunningham, 108 Cal. Rptr. 2d 291, 343-
44, 25 P .3d 5 19, 5 63 (Cal. 2001 ); State v. Anonymous, 694 A.2d 766, 775 (Co nn. 199 7); State v. Owen, 696 So. 2d 715,
719 (Fla. 1997); Taylor v. State, 689 N.E .2d 6 99, 7 04 (Ind. 1 997 ); State v. Caenen, 19 P .3d 1 42, 1 50 (Kan. 2001); Harte
v. State, 13 P.3d 42 0, 429 (Ne v. 2000); State v. Salinas, 706 N.E .2d 3 81, 3 86 (Ohio Ct. App . 199 7); Dennis v. State,
990 P.2d 277, 2 88 (Okla. Crim . App . 199 9); State v. Charboneau, 913 P.2d 30 8, 31 7, 32 0-21 (Or. 1 996 ); State v.
Kennedy, 479 S.E.2d 838, 845 (S.C. Ct. App. 19 96); State v. Aesoph, 647 N.W .2d 7 43, 7 52 (S.D. 200 2); State v.
W arness, 893 P.2d 66 5, 66 7 (W ash. Ct. App . 199 5); State v. Jennings, 647 N.W .2d 142, 150-52 (W is. 2002). In
contrast, we have found only four states that have rejected the Davis standa rd. See State v. Hoey, 881 P.2d 504, 522-23
(Haw. 199 4); State v. Risk, 598 N.W .2d 6 42, 6 48 (Minn. 19 99); State v. Spang, 48 P.3d 727, 732 -34 (M ont. 20 02); State
v. Chew, 695 A.2d 13 01, 1318 (N.J. 1997).

5
In Smith, we held that “adherence to the spirit and principles of Article I, § 9 . . . required us to hold that the
test of voluntariness for confessions under Article I, Section 9 is broader and more protective of individual rights than
the test of voluntariness under the Fifth Am endment.” 834 S.W .2d at 919 .

6
See Edwards v. Arizona, 451 U.S. 477 (1981).

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 questioning to cease if a suspect makes a statement that might be a
request for an attorney, this clarity and ease of application would be
lost. Police officers would be forced to make difficult judgment calls
about whether the suspect in fact wants a lawyer even though he
hasn't said so, with the threat of suppression if they guess wrong.

Id., 512 U.S. at 461 (emphasis in original); see also State v. Owen, 696 So. 2d 715, 719 (Fla. 1997)
(discussing Davis).

The defendant argues the statements he made during the interview were unequivocal requests
for counsel. We disagree. Saylor’s remarks, which were made to an unnamed officer and not to the
questioning detective, are better categorized as generic and equivocal statements made by a person
who is still in the decision making process. No reasonable police officer in these circumstances
would understand Saylor’s remarks to be an unequivocal request for an attorney. Consequently, the
detective was free to continue questioning Saylor. The evidence does not preponderate against the
trial court’s finding that the defendant did not make an unequivocal request for counsel.
Accordingly, Saylor’s federal and state constitutional right to counsel claims are without merit.

Moreover, we believe, as did the Court of Criminal Appeals, that the defendant’s claim must
fail regardless of the invocation standard we apply. The evidence shows that at the time of his
videotaped statements, the defendant was under arrest in a police interview room with an
unidentified officer. The defendant was aware he was going to be questioned and in anticipation of
that questioning, made several equivocal requests for counsel to the unidentified officer.
Subsequently, Lieutenant Baron entered the interrogation room, read the defendant his rights, and
asked him to sign a waiver of rights form. The defendant initially said that he did not want to waive
his rights, but then decided to sign it after Lieutenant Baron explained that he would be waiving his
rights if he signed the form. Under these facts, we conclude that the defendant made equivocal
requests for counsel, that Lieutenant Baron clarified these requests by explaining the waiver of rights
form, and that by signing the form, the defendant decided not to have an attorney present during
questioning. Consequently, the trial court did not err when it ruled that defendant’s videotaped
statement was admissible at trial.

Exclusion of Victim’s Threat

The defendant next challenges the trial court’s exclusion of testimony defense counsel sought
to elicit from witness Ruthie Hall. The record reflects that during the direct examination of Ruthie
Hall, defense counsel requested a bench conference and informed the trial court that he was going
to attempt to elicit testimony regarding a threat made by the victim on the day he died. The trial
judge dismissed the jury and held a jury out hearing in which Hall testified that at 1:55 p.m. on the
day Case was killed, Case said “he was going to kill [Saylor].” This threat was never communicated
to Saylor. The State objected to the introduction of this statement and, after a lengthy discussion,
the trial judge sustained the objection:

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 [T]he court [is] of the opinion that [the statement’s] slight probative
value was more than substantially outweighed by dangers of prejudice
to the jury’s rational and [un]impassioned consideration of the
evidence because it – if they made the mistake and became confused
and considered that in self-defense, or any [sic] than the issue of first
aggressor which is clearly not only proved by two witnesses, but, also
stipulated then the entire instructions–that instruction becomes
virtually meaningless.

Saylor argues that the trial court improperly excluded Hall’s testimony that the victim, John
Case, had threatened to kill him and that the testimony was necessary to support his self-defense
theory. The State argues that the trial court properly excluded Hall’s testimony because it was
hearsay and irrelevant.

In Tennessee, admissibility of evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial judge. See
Otis v. Cambridge Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 850 S.W.2d 439, 442 (Tenn. 1992). When arriving at a
determination to admit or exclude even that evidence which is considered relevant, trial courts are
generally accorded a wide degree of latitude and will only be overturned on appeal where there is
a showing of abuse of discretion. Id.

We addressed the admissibility of uncommunicated threats made by a victim against a
defendant in State v. Butler, 626 S.W.2d 6 (Tenn. 1981). In Butler, the defendant was convicted of
second degree murder for the shooting death of his wife. The defendant admitted to the shooting,
but insisted that it was in self-defense.7 To support this theory, the defense counsel proffered a
witness who would testify that the victim had previously brandished a .22 caliber pistol and said
“[she was going] to get rid of that son-of-a-bitch one way or another.” Id., 626 S.W.2d at 12
(bracketing in original). The trial court concluded that the statement was inadmissible because it was

7
The defendant in Butler raised the common law defense of self-defense. Ten nessee officially cod ified the
doctrine of self-defense in 1989 at Tennessee Co de Annotated section 39-11 -611. T he statute provide s:

(a) A person is justified in threatening or using force against another
person when and to the degree the person reasonably believes the force is
immediately necessary to protect against the other’s use or attempted use of
unlawful force. The person must have a reasonable belief that there is an imminent
danger of death or serious bod ily injury. The danger creating the belief of imminent
death or serious bodily injury must be real, or honestly believed to be real at the
time, must be found ed upo n reasonable ground s.

....

(d) The threat or use of force against another is not justified if the person
provoke d the o ther individuals use or attemp ted use of unlaw ful force . . . .

Tenn. Cod e Ann. § 39-11-611 (a), (d) (1997).

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not communicated to the defendant. This Court held that the trial court committed reversible error
by refusing to allow the jury to hear the evidence.

The character of the deceased for violence, as well as her animosity
toward the defendant, as indicated by words and actions at the time
of the killing and before, are proper matters for consideration of the
jury upon the question of self-defense. In some cases where self-
defense is an issue, uncommunicated threats made by a deceased
against a defendant are admissible as going to the state of mind of the
deceased. However, the applicability of this rule is limited and it
becomes operative only where relevant to explain the conduct of the
deceased in establishing who was the aggressor.

Id. at 11 (citations omitted); see also Little v. State, 65 Tenn. 491, 493 (1873). We further held that
the statement should not be excluded even where there was other overwhelming evidence showing
that the victim was the aggressor. Rather, we found this to be a question of weight of the evidence
properly resolved by the jury. Butler, 626 S.W.2d at 11.

We think that Butler controls the issue in the case before us. Ruthie Hall’s testimony
consisted of an uncommunicated threat made by the victim, John Case, towards Saylor prior to the
victim’s death. Under Butler, such testimony is admissible as an exception to the rule excluding
hearsay statements as an indication of the victim’s state of mind, and it is relevant to establish the
victim’s status as the aggressor. Id., 626 S.W.2d at 11.

We reject the State’s argument that the testimony was properly excluded simply because the
parties had stipulated that Case was the aggressor. The State’s argument, which is tantamount to
concluding that a stipulation always serves as conclusive proof of the facts so stipulated in a criminal
case, is not supported by authority. Indeed, we rejected a similar argument in Butler by holding that
the uncommunicated threat was admissible even where there was overwhelming evidence because
such issues affect the weight of evidence and are thus properly resolved by the jury. Moreover, the
State’s position conflicts with decisions of our appellate courts that have upheld the admission of
stipulated evidence on more than one occasion. See Hunter v. Burke, 958 S.W.2d 751, 755 (Tenn.
Ct. App. 1997) (upholding admission of confession even though defendant stipulated as to liability);
State v. Hill, 885 S.W.2d 357, 360-61 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1994) (upholding trial court’s decision to
allow victim to remove his shirt to show scars even though the defendant had stipulated that victim
had sustained bodily injury).

Moreover, the State’s argument ignores the fact that Rule 403 of the Tennessee Rules of
Evidence is narrow in its application and is a rule of admissibility that places a heavy burden on the
party seeking to exclude evidence. See State v. James, 81 S.W.3d 751, 757 (Tenn. 2002) (quoting
Roy v. Diamond, 16 S.W.3d 783, 791 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999)). “[E]xcluding relevant evidence under
[this rule] is an extraordinary remedy that should be used sparingly, . . . and persons seeking to
exclude otherwise admissible and relevant evidence have a significant burden of persuasion.” White

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v. Vanderbilt Univ., 21 S.W.3d 215, 227 (Tenn. Ct. App. 1999) (citations omitted). In short, the
existence of a stipulation by itself is not sufficient to invoke the narrow provisions of Rule 403.8

Accordingly, we hold that the existence of substantial evidence – including a stipulation –
establishing the victim as the aggressor does not, by itself, preclude the admission of an
uncommunicated threat. By excluding Ruthie Hall’s testimony, the trial court in this case effectively
denied Saylor an opportunity to present relevant and probative evidence to the jury on a critical
element of his claim of self-defense. Case’s threat against Saylor was never related to the jury,
which ultimately rejected Saylor’s self-defense claim. Furthermore, we do not believe that the State
carried its burden under Rule 403 to show that the danger of unfair prejudice resulting from the
admission of Case’s threat substantially outweighed the probative value of Ms. Hall’s testimony.
We therefore conclude that the trial court erred.

Having concluded that it was error for the trial court to exclude Ruthie Hall’s testimony, we
must now resolve whether such error affected the jury’s verdict and requires a new trial. We have
previously explained that “nonconstitutional errors will not result in reversal unless the error
affirmatively appears to have affected the result of the trial on the merits . . . .” State v. Harris, 989
S.W.2d 307, 315 (Tenn. 1999) (citing Tenn. R. Crim. P. 52(a)) (emphasis in original).

Here, the uncontroverted evidence establishing Case as the first aggressor was substantial.
Brenda Hull testified that Saylor did not strike the victim until after Case had hit him with the
hammer and knocked him to the ground. Kenneth White likewise testified that Case hit Saylor with
the hammer before Saylor retaliated. The defendant’s videotaped statement repeatedly asserted that
Case had hit Saylor with a hammer first and the State stipulated that Case had been the first
aggressor. In addition, the evidence demonstrated that by striking the victim at least six times in the
head with enough force to shatter the victim’s skull, the defendant’s actions were not reasonably
necessary to protect himself. In sum, we cannot conclude that the exclusion of the victim’s
uncommunicated threat affected the outcome of the trial on the merits.

Mistrial

Finally, defendant Saylor contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a
mistrial following the introduction by the State of the videotaped interview. Defense counsel argues
that a mistrial was required based on the admission of evidence indicating that Saylor was on parole
when the offense was committed. The State contends that the trial court was within its discretion
to refuse to order a mistrial.

8
Although not contro lling law, the Tennesse e pattern jury instructions for civil cases require the jury to regard
stipulated facts as proven; however, there is no such provision in the Tennessee pattern jury instructions for criminal
cases. See 8 Tn. Prac. Pattern Jury Instr.-Civ T.P.I. 3-Civ. 15.03 (200 2). Moreo ver, under federal practice, stipulations
support the existence o f a fact, but do not necessarily prove the fact conclusively: “W hen the attorneys on both sides
stipulate or agree as to the existence of a fact, you may accept the stipulation as evidence and regard that fact as proved.
You are not required to do so, however, since you are the sole judge of the facts.” See 1A Fed. Jury Prac. & Instr.
§ 12.03 (5th ed. 2002 ). See also Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172 , 200 (1997 ) (O’Connor, J., dissenting).

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 In a pretrial hearing, defense counsel had moved that the defendant’s statements that he was
“on the run” and “on parole” be redacted from the videotaped interview, and the trial court agreed.
The State agreed to work with defense counsel to redact any such objectionable portions from the
videotape. Notwithstanding counsels’ efforts to redact such portions, the statements may have been
audible when the videotape was played for the jury during Lieutenant Baron’s testimony at trial.
After the State played the tape for the jury, a bench conference was held where the following
exchange occurred:

Defense: I was a little concerned when he said he was
on the run. I thought we’d cut that out.

THE COURT: On the run?

Defense: It sounded like he said that.

THE COURT: I didn’t – I didn’t hear that.

State: I didn’t hear that.

THE COURT: That would have been – that would have been
relevant.

Defense: I think he said I was on the run, and I thought
I heard the word parole, and we tried to get
that out.

THE COURT: All right. I’ll just tell the jury that you want to
take a break.

....

Defense: Yeah, I think probably just to protect the
record there if there was a mention of the
word parole, that was supposed to have been
edited out, and . . .

THE COURT: I didn’t hear it.

Defense: And for that reason I think – I don’t know if –
I guess for the protection of the record. I
know it was an hour and twenty minute
interview almost. It may be lost, but I think

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 just for the – I mean, I think I’m obligated to
say mistrial, Your Honor. . . .

Although the trial court offered to give a curative instruction, defense counsel declined because he
feared it would draw the jury’s attention to Saylor’s statements. Defense counsel instead moved for
a mistrial. The trial court overruled the motion after finding that the error did not rise to the level
of manifest necessity to warrant a mistrial.

The decision of whether to grant a mistrial is within the sound discretion of the trial court.
State v. McKinney, 929 S.W.2d 404, 405 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1996). Normally, a mistrial should be
declared only if there is a manifest necessity for such action. State v. Millbrooks, 819 S.W.2d 441,
443 (Tenn. Crim. App. 1991). “In other words, a mistrial is an appropriate remedy when a trial
cannot continue, or a miscarriage of justice would result if it did.” State v. Land, 34 S.W.3d 516,
527 (Tenn. Crim. App. 2000). An appellate court will not disturb that decision unless there is an
abuse of discretion. State v. Adkins, 786 S.W.2d 642, 644 (Tenn. 1990).

We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in finding that the unredacted
videotape did not justify declaring a mistrial. The record reflects that the trial court, the defense, and
the State disagreed as to what was audible on the videotape. Furthermore, the record does not reflect
any evidence that the jury heard Saylor’s statements that the offense occurred when he was on parole
or “on the run.” Because the defendant has not demonstrated a manifest necessity warranting a
mistrial, he is not entitled to relief.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the trial court properly refused to suppress the defendant’s confession; that
the trial court committed harmless error when it excluded Ruthie Hall’s testimony; and that the trial
court properly exercised its discretion by not declaring a mistrial. The judgment of the Court of
Criminal Appeals is affirmed. It appearing that the defendant, Gerald Saylor, is indigent, costs of
this appeal are taxed to the State of Tennessee.

_________________________________________
E. RILEY ANDERSON, JUSTICE

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