Determinations of the relevance of evidence and of claims that evidence is unduly prejudicial are mainly for the trial court and are reviewable only for abuse of discretion.

Cf. United States v. Lawrence, 349 F.3d 109, 117 (3d Cir. 2003) (upholding trial court's exclusion into evidence of the victim's hospital bed identification of another suspect as a dying declaration because defendant failed....The hearsay exception for dying declarations applies only if the declarant believed that his or her own death was imminent when he or she made the statement.

Cf. United States v. Shryock, 342 F.3d 948, 981 (9th Cir. 2003) (upholding trial court's exclusion of Hernandez's statement [that he shot the victims in self-defense] as not against his penal interest because the statement....Federal Rule of Evidence of Evidence 804(b)(3) or a comparable State rule creates a hearsay exception for a statement which was at the time of its making so far contrary to the declarant's pecuniary or proprietary interest, or so far tended to subject the declarant to civil or criminal liability, or to render invalid a claim by the declarant against another, that a reasonable person in the declarant's position would not have made the statement unless believing it to be true. A statement tending to expose the declarant to criminal liability and offered to exculpate the accused is not admissible unless corroborating circumstances clearly indicate the trustworthiness of the statement.

United States v. Hadley, 918 F.2d 848, 851 (9th Cir. 1990) (upholding trial court's admission of witnesses' testimony about accused's prior sexual abuse acts because similarities of the prior acts to the offense charged were sufficient to show accused's intent ).Federal Rule of Evidence 414 and comparable rules in a few States create an exception to the prohibition against "circumstantial" use of character -- the prohibition against the use of character to show conduct -- by providing that in a criminal trial for child molestation or child sexual abuse, evidence of the defendant's commission of another offense or offenses of child molestation or child sexual abuse is relevant and admissible.