Title: Lloyd v. State

State: nevada

Issuer: Nevada Supreme Court

Document:

460 P.2d 111 (1969) Eddie Anthony LLOYD, Jr., Appellant, v. The STATE of Nevada, Respondent. No. 5773. Supreme Court of Nevada. October 24, 1969. James D. Santini, Public Defender, and Earle W. White, Deputy Public Defender, Las Vegas, for appellant. Harvey Dickerson, Atty. Gen, Carson City, George E. Franklin, Jr., Dist. Atty., and Addeliar D. Guy, Deputy Dist. Atty., Las Vegas, for respondent. BATJER, Justice. A robbery was committed against Frank Dudley at a service station located at Main and Mesquite streets in Las Vegas, Nevada, during the early morning hours on February 23, 1968. The appellant was charged with the robbery and on July 16, 1968, he was found guilty by a jury. Now he appeals from the judgment entered pursuant to the jury verdict and alleges that the trial court erred (1) when it permitted the respondent to cross-examine the accused's alibi witness regarding testimony given in a prior unrelated case; (2) when it prohibited the appellant from eliciting a previously expressed recommendation from one of the respondent's rebuttal witnesses; and (3) when it permitted the respondent's eyewitness to make an in court identification of the appellant and also to testify regarding his "lineup" identification of the appellant after he had been previously shown a group picture in which the appellant appeared. We find that all of the appellant's contentions are without merit. 1. Counsel for the state had the duty and obligation as well as the right to test the veracity and credibility of the appellant's witness and his questions put to Betty L. Jacobs were within the bounds of propriety.[1] Cross-examination of Betty L. Jacobs by Mr. Guy, attorney for respondent: A wide range of cross-examination is allowed to test a witness's motives, interest, animus, accuracy, veracity and credibility. Anderson v. Berrum, 36 Nev. 463, 136 P. 973 (1913); State v. Boyle, 49 Nev. 386, 248 P. 48 (1926). Here the respondent did not mention the appellant in his cross-examination. The cross-examination placed Miss Jacob's motives, interest, accuracy, veracity and credibility squarely before the jury and did not impinge against the appellant. The reference by respondent's counsel in his final argument to the jury to Miss Jacob's testimony was within the language and scope of her answers on cross-examination and was not excessive. 2. Some time before trial the respondent's witness, Frank Dudley, was shown a group photograph containing a picture of the appellant.[2] The record is unclear as to the exact time when the photograph was exhibited to Dudley. The appellant contends that it was immediately before Dudley viewed the lineup, and the respondent contends that it was shortly after the robbery occurred. The exact time of the viewing is extremely important. If Dudley was shown the photograph before the accusatory stage of the proceeding the safeguards required by Thompson v. State, 85 Nev. ___, 451 P.2d 704 (1969) are not involved. In that case we said: "The fact that Wade, supra [United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 87 S. Ct. 1926, 18 L. Ed. 2d 1149 (1967)], involved a post-indictment lineup is not determinative. The right to counsel attaches when the prosecutorial process shifts from the investigatory to the accusatory stage and focuses on the accused." In the absence of a clear indication, in the record, of the exact time when the photograph was viewed by Dudley, we reject the appellant's claim of error and adhere to the rule that every presumption is indulged in favor of the validity of a judgment of a court of general jurisdiction. Daly v. Lahontan Mines Co., 39 Nev. 14, 151 P. 514, 158 P. 285 (1915). 3. We dismiss as frivolous the appellant's contention that the trial court erred when it prohibited him from eliciting from one of the state's rebuttal witnesses a previously expressed recommendation. Sanchez v. State, 85 Nev. ___, 450 P.2d 793 (1969); Watkins v. State, 85 Nev. ___, 450 P.2d 795 (1969). The judgment of the district court is hereby affirmed. COLLINS, C.J., and MOWBRAY and THOMPSON, JJ., concur. [1] Cross-examination of Betty L. Jacobs by Mr. Guy, attorney for the respondent. [2] The group photograph is not a part of the record.