res gestae

res ges·tae   (rās' gěs'tī', rēz' jěs'tē)    pl.n.   Things done; deeds. Law The facts that are admissible in evidence as the surrounding circumstances of the event to be proved. [Latin rēs gestae : rēs, pl. of rēs, thing + gestae, feminine pl. past participle of gerere, to carry, show.]

Main Entry: res ges·tae
Pronunciation: 'rAs-'ges-"tI, 'rEz-'jes-"tE
Function: noun plural
Etymology: Latin, things done, deeds
1 : the acts, facts, circumstances, statements, or occurrences that form the environment of a main act or event and esp. of a crime and are so closely connected to it that they constitute part of a continuous transaction and can serve to illustrate its character res gestae —Lynch v. State, 552 North Eastern Reporter, Second Series 56 (1990)>
2 a : an exception or set of exceptions to the hearsay rule that permits the admission of hearsay evidence regarding excited utterances or declarations relating to mental, emotional, or bodily states or sense impressions of a witness or participant —compare dying declaration and spontaneous declaration at DECLARATION 2c, EXCITED UTTERANCE
NOTE: Res gestae in common law encompassed a variety of different exceptions to the hearsay rule, but most modern rules of evidence (as the Federal Rules of Evidence) have abandoned use of res gestae and specify the different exceptions on their own terms. b : an exception to the exclusionary rule against the use of other crimes as evidence that permits such use when another crime is closely enough connected to the one in dispute as to form part of a continuous episode or transaction