Rule 1231.4 If evidence of a prior statement is introduced pursuant to this article, the jury may not be told that the declarant died from other than natural caus…

When a recorded or written statement from someone is used in court because that person can no longer testify, the jury will only be told that the person is "unavailable." The jury will not be told how the person died or that they died in a way other than natural causes.

This rule exists to keep the jury focused on the facts of the case rather than being influenced by emotions about how the person died. Knowing that someone was murdered or died violently could unfairly sway how jurors view the evidence.