res gestae
- The surrounding actions, facts, and circumstances closely linked with a major act or event, often a crime, which collectively help to illustrate its nature. They are considered a part of a continuous transaction
- A loophole or collection of exceptions to the hearsay rule, which allows for the introduction of hearsay evidence about spontaneous reactions or remarks reflecting the mental, emotional, or physical state or perception of a witness or participant
- An exception to the rule that normally prohibits the use of evidence of other crimes. This exception allows for the inclusion of such evidence if the other crime is sufficiently linked to the one under scrutiny to be considered part of a continuous incident or transaction
- The res gestae of the theft incident included the perpetrator's strange behavior and lingering around the store before the act.
- In trial, the attorney used the res gestae exception to allow the victim's terrifying scream recorded on a 911 call as evidence.
- The res gestae concept permitted the court to consider a series of fraudulent transactions as evidence, which were all part of a coherent financial scam.
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