Title: Staten v. State

State: alabama

Issuer: Alabama Supreme Court

Document:

547 So. 2d 607 (1989)
Ex parte State of Alabama.
(Re Leonard STATEN
v.
STATE of Alabama).
88-203.

Supreme Court of Alabama.
April 7, 1989.
Don Siegelman, Atty. Gen., and J. Thomas Leverette, Asst. Atty. Gen., for petitioner.
Britt Cauthen of Cauthen & Cauthen, Decatur, for respondent.
ADAMS, Justice.
We granted the State's petition for writ of certiorari in this case to determine if the Court of Criminal Appeals erred in reversing Leonard Staten's conviction of rape in *608 the first degree and remanding for a new trial. As a result of his conviction, Staten had received a sentence of 25 years' imprisonment. We reverse the Court of Criminal Appeals' judgment and remand the case.
In reversing Staten's conviction, the Court of Criminal Appeals relied on our case of Anonymous v. State, 507 So. 2d 972 (Ala.1987), in holding that evidence that Staten had tried to have sex with the victim on prior occasions should not have been admitted. The following facts, as set out in the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion, are pertinent to the determination of this case:
547 So. 2d 603 (1988).
In its opinion, the Court of Criminal appeals stated:
"`The general evidentiary principle, long adhered to in Alabama, which must be applied in this case may be stated as follows: In a prosecution for one offense, evidence of collateral crimes or acts is generally inadmissible to prove the guilt of the accused. See Ex parte Cofer, 440 So. 2d 1121 (Ala. 1983); Ex parte Killough, 438 So. 2d 333 (Ala.1983); Brasher v. State, 249 Ala. 96, 30 So. 2d 31 (1947); Haley v. State, 63 Ala. 89 (1879); Ingram v. State, 39 Ala. 247 (1864). In fact, it has been stated that such evidence is prima facie inadmissible. See Cofer, supra; Brasher, supra; Allen v. State. 380 So. 2d 313 (Ala.Crim.App. 1979), cert. denied, 380 So. 2d 341 (Ala. 1980).
"`As was explained in Cofer:
"`"`This is a general exclusionary rule which prevents the introduction of [collateral] criminal acts for the sole purpose of suggesting that the accused is more likely to be guilty of the crime in question. This rule is generally applicable whether the other crime was committed before or after the one for which the defendant is presently being tried.
"`"`This exclusionary rule is simply an application of the character rule which forbids the state to prove the accused's bad character by particular deeds. The basis for the rule lies in the belief that the prejudicial effect of [collateral] crimes will far outweigh *609 any probative value that might be gained from them. Most agree that such evidence of [collateral] crimes has almost an irreversible impact upon the minds of the jurors.'"
"`Cofer, 440 So. 2d  at 1123 (quoting C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence § 69.01(1) (3d ed.1977)....'
The Court of Criminal Appeals then stated that it was bound by law to reverse Staten's conviction pursuant to the holding in Anonymous, supra. We disagree. In Anonymous, after stating that collateral criminal acts were not admissible to prove that a defendant committed the crime for which he was charged, we held as follows:
Id. at 974-75.
In Anonymous, we held, therefore, that evidence of collateral sexual offenses against the prosecutrix was inadmissible. Then, in Bowden v. State, 538 So. 2d 1226 (Ala.1988), we clarified our position with regard to the Anonymous decision, when we stated:
Ex parte Bowden, supra (emphasis original).
While we recognize that, under the holding of Anonymous and Bowden, supra, the evidence of prior and subsequent acts should not have been in evidence at the time they were admitted, we are of the opinion that in this case the admission of such evidence falls squarely within one of the recognized exceptions to the general rule. In his defense, Staten asserted that he was not the one who raped the victim. Instead, he argued, Milton Gaiter, the victim's uncle, had raped her. That argument made the identity of the perpetrator an issue in the case and when he made that argument the questioned evidence became admissible. See Watson v. State, 538 So. 2d 1216 (Ala.Cr.App.1987) aff., because the defendant claimed that someone else had raped the victim, evidence of prior sexual offenses against the prosecutrix was properly admitted).
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment of the Court of Criminal Appeals is reversed and the case is remanded for the entry of an order not inconsistent with this opinion.
REVERSED AND REMANDED.
HORNSBY, C.J., and MADDOX, JONES, STEAGALL and KENNEDY, JJ., concur.
ALMON and HOUSTON, JJ., concur in the result.