Case Title: State v. Dale

Citation: 

Docket Number: 99781

State: kansas

Court: Kansas Supreme Court

Date: 2011-12-23T00:00:00Z

Document:
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IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF KANSAS 
 
No. 99,781 
 
STATE OF KANSAS, 
Appellee, 
 
v. 
 
WILLIE J. DALE, 
Appellant. 
 
 
SYLLABUS BY THE COURT 
 
1. 
K.S.A. 60-467, the best evidence rule, provides that "to prove the content of a 
writing, no evidence other than the writing itself is admissible, except as otherwise 
provided in these rules."  
 
2. 
K.S.A. 60-401(m) defines the term "writing" to mean "handwriting, typewriting, 
printing, Photostatting, photographing and every other means of recording upon any 
tangible thing any form or communication or representation, including letters, words, 
pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combinations thereof."  
 
3. 
Under the plain language of K.S.A. 60-401(m), a video qualifies as a "writing" 
because it records a combination of moving pictures and sounds—a form of 
communication or representation—upon a tangible thing—in this case, a DVD. 
 
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4. 
Under the facts of this case, the best evidence rule did not prohibit the State's 
admission of a slow motion video because the original video, which was the best 
evidence, already had been admitted. Thus, the State did not introduce the slow motion 
video to prove the contents of the original video.  
 
5. 
Under the facts of this case, the district court did not abuse its discretion by 
admitting cumulative or unduly repetitive evidence when it admitted a slow motion video 
depicting the defendant shooting at a law enforcement officer. Although the court already 
had admitted the original video, the slow motion video enabled the jury to more carefully 
review the actual sequence of events and corroborated the officer's testimony as to the 
sequence of events.  
 
Review of the judgment of the Court of Appeals in an unpublished opinion filed June 5, 2009. 
Appeal from Reno District Court; RICHARD J. ROME, judge. Opinion filed December 23, 2011. Judgment 
of the Court of Appeals affirming the district court is affirmed. Judgment of the district court is affirmed. 
 
Rachel L. Pickering, of Kansas Appellate Defender Office, argued the cause and was on the briefs 
for appellant.  
 
Keith E. Schroeder, district attorney, argued the cause, and Steve Six, attorney general, was with 
him on the brief for appellee. 
 
The opinion of the court was delivered by 
 
MORITZ, J.:  The Court of Appeals affirmed Willie J. Dale's jury convictions of 
attempted first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and three counts of aggravated 
assault. State v. Dale, 2009 WL 1591400 (Kan. App. 2009) (unpublished opinion). We 
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granted Dale's petition for review on the single issue of whether the district court erred in 
admitting a slow motion version of a patrol-car video. Dale argues the video violated the 
best evidence rule and was cumulative. We conclude that because the best evidence, i.e., 
the original video, already had been admitted at trial and the modified video was not 
introduced to prove or disprove the content of the original video, the video's admission 
did not violate the best evidence rule. And because the video was not unduly repetitious 
and added something to the State's case, we hold its admission was not cumulative. 
 
FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND 
 
The evidence at trial showed that Dale robbed a flower shop using a gun and then 
attempted to flee on foot from law enforcement officers. Dale's flight ended abruptly 
when he shot at Hutchinson Police Sergeant Clay Rothe, who had stepped out of his 
patrol vehicle. Sergeant Rothe returned fire, injuring Dale. Dale was arrested and charged 
with attempted first-degree murder, two counts of attempted second-degree murder with 
two alternative counts of aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, and one additional 
count of aggravated assault.  
 
At trial, the State admitted a DVD, Exhibit 11, which contained video of the 
incident taken from Sergeant Rothe's patrol car. The State then identified and sought to 
admit a separate DVD, Exhibit 15, a slow motion enhancement of Exhibit 11. Dale 
objected, arguing the video was cumulative and violated the best evidence rule, because 
"the best evidence would be the original [Exhibit 11]." The district court overruled Dale's 
objection. 
 
After the jury convicted Dale of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated 
robbery, and three counts of aggravated assault, the trial court sentenced him to 753 
months' imprisonment. Dale appealed on multiple grounds, and the Court of Appeals 
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affirmed his convictions. State v. Dale, No. 99,781, 2009 WL 1591400, at *1-2 (Kan. 
App. 2009) (unpublished opinion). We granted Dale's petition for review on the single 
issue of whether the district court erred by admitting the modified version of the patrol-
car video.  
 
ANALYSIS 
 
Dale contends the admission of Exhibit 15, the slow motion enhancement of 
Exhibit 11, violated the best evidence rule as codified at K.S.A. 60-467(a). The State 
argues the best evidence rule does not apply because Exhibit 11 was the best evidence 
and was admitted at trial. Further, the State points out that Exhibit 15 was not offered as a 
substitute for the original video but rather was offered in addition to the original video. 
 
The Court of Appeals concluded the district court did not err in admitting Exhibit 
15: 
 
 
"Applying the best evidence rule to the videos at issue here, the original, full 
speed video was the best evidence. However, Exhibit 15 showed the exact same events 
and was supported by an adequate foundation as being the same video as the original, 
although played at a slower speed. Dale presents no authority to support his position that 
merely slowing the playback speed of a video depicting identical events and from an 
identical source as the full speed video makes the slow motion video something less than 
the best evidence." Dale, 2009 WL 1591400, at *2. 
 
Resolution of Dale's assertion requires interpretation of a statute, a question of law 
over which we have unlimited review. See State v. Arnett, 290 Kan. 41, 47, 223 P.3d 780 
(2010); State v. Riojas, 288 Kan. 379, 382-83, 204 P.3d 578 (2009). 
 
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The best evidence rule provides:  "As tending to prove the content of a writing, no 
evidence other than the writing itself is admissible, except as otherwise provided in these 
rules." K.S.A. 60-467(a). K.S.A. 60-401(m) defines "writing" to mean "handwriting, 
typewriting, printing, Photostatting, photographing and every other means of recording 
upon any tangible thing any form or communication or representation, including letters, 
words, pictures, sounds, or symbols, or combinations thereof."  
 
Under the plain language of the statute, a video qualifies as a "writing" because it 
is a means of recording upon a tangible thing—here, a DVD—any form of 
communication or representation—here, a combination of moving pictures and sounds. 
 
But the video's qualification as a writing does not automatically require 
application of the best evidence rule. Rather, that rule applies only when the challenged 
evidence is introduced to prove the content of a writing. Here, the State did not introduce 
Exhibit 15 to prove the content of the writing (i.e., the video) because the best evidence—
the original video—had already been admitted as Exhibit 11. Thus, the admission of the 
slow motion video, Exhibit 15, did not violate the best evidence rule. 
 
Dale also argues the district court abused its discretion in admitting Exhibit 15 
because it was cumulative and unduly repetitive. Dale points out that Exhibit 11, which 
accurately represented the events without enhancement, had already been shown several 
times to the jury. The State contends Exhibit 15 was not unduly repetitious and added to 
the State's case because it "provided the jury with a slowed down view." 
 
The Court of Appeals found Exhibit 15 was not unduly repetitious:  "It was 
offered to 'aid the jury in determining the facts' relating to the sequence of events in the 
exchange of gunfire between Dale and Rothe. Specifically, Exhibit 15 could have helped 
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jurors determine the actual sequence of events as they occurred over a very short space of 
time. [Citation omitted.]" Dale, 2009 WL 1591400, at *3. 
 
We review a question of whether evidence is cumulative for an abuse of 
discretion. State v. McCaslin, 291 Kan. 697, Syl. ¶ 18, 245 P.3d 1030 (2011). See State v. 
Ward, 292 Kan. 541, 550, 256 P.3d 801 (2011) (stating abuse of discretion standard of 
review). 
 
To support his argument that Exhibit 15 was unduly repetitious, Dale cites State v. 
Pennington, 276 Kan. 841, 848, 80 P.3d 44 (2003), where the defendant argued the 
district court erred in admitting numerous photos depicting multiple views of the same 
wound because the photos were unduly repetitious and added nothing to the State's case. 
However, the facts here are not analogous to those in Pennington. Here, the admission of 
a single exhibit, a slow motion version of an earlier-admitted exhibit, enabled the jury to 
more carefully review the actual sequence of events and shots fired. Further, the video 
corroborated Sergeant Rothe's testimony as to the sequence of events. Because Exhibit 15 
was not cumulative or unduly repetitious of Exhibit 11, the district court did not abuse its 
discretion in admitting Exhibit 15. 
 
Finally, Dale argues the district court abused its discretion in admitting Exhibit 15 
because the video was more prejudicial than probative. Specifically, Dale suggests the 
jury's viewing of the slow motion video may have misled the jury into believing that Dale 
had sufficient opportunity to premeditate the shooting. However, at trial, Dale objected to 
the introduction of Exhibit 15 as cumulative and as violating the best evidence rule—not 
as being more prejudicial than probative. Therefore, we are precluded from reviewing 
this issue on appeal. See McCaslin, 291 Kan. 697, Syl. ¶ 2.   
 
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Accordingly, we affirm the Court of Appeals' decision affirming Dale's 
convictions and sentence.