2007 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 5-25-2007 

# U SA v . El liott P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 06-1417

F o l low thi s a nd a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2007

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e a nd ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2007 D e c i sion s b y a n author i z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i l l a nova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . El l iott " (2007). 2007 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1065. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi l l a nova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2007/1065NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL I N TH E UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS

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M ay8, 2007 B e f o re : R E N D E L L a n d J O R D A N , C i rcui tJud ges. a n d V A N A S K IE * , D is tr i ct Judge ( Fi l ed: M ay25, 2007)

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______________ *H onor abl e Thom as I . V anas ki e, D i s t r i ctC our tJ udge fort he M i ddl e D i s t r i ctof Penns y l vani a, s i t t i ng bydes i gnat i on2

J O R D A N , C i r cui tJudge .

W i l l i am E l l i ot tappea l s t he j udgm entof the U ni t ed St at es D i s t r i ctC our tfor th e E a ste rn D istric t o f

P e n n sy lv a n ia, c o n v ictin g h im a f ter a ju rytrial o f

b e in g a f

e lo n in p o s s e s s i o n o f

a f i r e a r m a n d a f

e l o n i n p o s s e s s i o n o f

a mmu n i t i o n i n v i o l a t i o n o f 1 8 U. S . C. § 9 2 2 (g )(1 ) a n d § 9 2 4 (e ). E lli o tt as se rts th a t th e D istric t C o u rt a b u se d its d isc re tio n in al l ow i ng t he governm entt o pr es entevi dence r egar di ng hi s i nvol vementi n a r obberyand s hoot i ng t hatt ook pl ace s hor t l ybefor e he w as found i n pos s es s i on of the fi r earm and amm uni t i on forw hi ch he w as convi ct ed. H e as s er t s t hatt he C our terr ed i n admi t t i ng t he evi dence w i t houteval uat i ng w hetheri tw as admi s s i bl e underFeder al R ul e of Evi dence 4 0 4 (b ). F o r th e f

o llo w in g re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D istric t C o u rt. I. B eca us e w e w r i t e s ol el yfort he part i es , w ho ar e fa m i l i arw i t h t he fa ct s of thi s cas e, w e r evi ew her e onl yt hos e fa ct s nece s s aryforouranal y s i s . A t1: 55 a. m . on A pr i l 19, 2003, a Phi l adel phi a pol i ce of fi cerr es ponded t o a r epor tof a s hoot i ng. T he vi ct i m had b e e n sh o t in th e lef

t leg b ytw o u n k n o w n b lac k m a les , an d th e o f f ice r tra n sp o rte d h im to T empl e U ni ver s i t yH os pi t al . W hi l e hel pi ng t he vi ct i m ont o a gurney , t he off i cernot i ced a bul l etcas i ng pr ot rudi ng fr om t he l eftpant s l eg of the vi ct i m . T he off i cerr emoved t he cas i ng and s aved i tas evi dence . A t1: 58 a. m . , a s econd of fi cer , act i ng on i nfor m at i on s he r ece i ved w hi ch i ndi cat ed t hata bl ue For d T aurus m ayhave be en the get - aw aycarfort he men i nvol ved i n t he3

s hoot i ng, began t o fol l ow t he Taurus . T hatoffi cer , al ong w i t h s ever al ot heroffi cer s w ho c a m e to p ro v id e b a c k -u p , s to p p e d th e T a u ru s , w h ic h h a d f o u r i n d iv id u a ls in s id e . E lli o tt w as i n t he r ears eatof the vehi cl e on the pas s enger ' s s i de. W hen the off i cer s r emoved E ll iottan d the th ree o ther ind ividu als fro m the c ar, on e o f th e o ff icers n o ti ce d that there w as a . 25 cal i berfi r earm on t he pas s engerfl oorbehi nd t he dr i ver ' s s eat . I n fr i s ki ng E lli o tt, th e o f

f ice rs f o u n d ten .2 5 c a lib e r ro u n d s o f a m m u n iti o n in h is rig h t-f ro n t p a n ts p o ck et. A b all ist ics ex p ert m atch ed the b u ll et ca sing fo u n d o n the v ict im w ith the f ir ea rm in th e b a c k o f

th e c a r. T h e b a lli stic s e x p e rt a lso tes tifie d th a t th e b u llets f o u n d o n E lli o tt w e re th e k in d o f

b u lle ts th a t c o u ld h a v e b e e n f ir e d b yth a t f

ir e a rm . T he i ndi vi dual i n t he fr ontpas s engers eatof the vehi cl e, M s . H al l , t ol d t he pol i ce t hat , s hor t l ybefor e the pol i ce pul l ed the ca rover , E l l i ot tand the otherback- s eat pas s engerhad got t en outof the ca r . She t ol d t he off i cert hats he hea r d guns hot s and that th e tw o m e n th e n g o t b a c k in th e c a r a n d th e yd ro v e a w a y . E lli o tt w a s c h a rg e d w ith b e in g a f e lo n in p o ss e ss io n o f

a f ire a rm a n d a f

e lo n in pos s es s i on of amm uni t i on i n vi ol at i on of 18 U . S. C . § 922( g) ( 1) and § 924( e) , butw as neverchar ged i n t he s hoot i ng. A ft era j ur yt r i al , w her e the governm entpr es ent ed e v id e n c e re g a rd in g th e s h o o tin g , E llio tt w a s c o n v ic te d o f b o th c o u n ts o f

th e in d ic tm e n t. H e w as s ent ence d t o 293 m ont hs of i m pr i s onm ent . H e now appea l s hi s convi ct i on, ci t i ng as err oronl yt he D i s t r i ctC our t ' s rul i ng al l ow i ng t he governm entt o pr es entevi dence of t he s hoot i ng.4 II. W e revi ew t he D i stri ctC ou rt ' s deci si on s on the adm i ssi bil i t yof ev i den ce fo r abuse o f d is c re tio n . U

ni t ed Stat es v. Ser af

i ni , 233 F. 3d 758, 768 n. 14 ( 3d C i r . 2000) . “To t he ext entt hatt hes e rul i ngs w er e bas ed on an i nt erpr et at i on of the Feder al R ul es of Evi dence , how ever , ourr evi ew i s pl enary . ” Id . A tt r i al , aft ert he D i s t r i ctC our tdeni ed El l i ot t ' s m ot i on i n l i m i ne, t he governm ent p re s e n te d e v id e n c e re g a rd in g th e s h o o tin g th ro u g h th e te s tim o n yo f th e p o lic e o f

f ic e rs . T he governm entas s er t ed, and the D i s t r i ctC our tfound, t hatt he evi dence of the s hoot i ng w a s re lev a n t, as it w a s p ro b a tiv e o f th e p o ss e ss io n e lem e n t o f th e c h a rg e d c rim e s. E lli o tt ar gues t hatt he evi dence of the s hoot i ng w as notpr obat i ve of the pos s es s i on el ementand t hatadmi s s i bi l i t yof the evi dence s houl d t her efor e have been de t erm i ned underFeder al R u le of E v iden ce 4 0 4 (b). Feder al R ul e of Evi dence 404( b) pr ovi des , i n r el evantpar t , t hat E vi dence of othercr i m es , w r ongs , oract s i s notadmi s s i bl e t o pr ove the ch ara cter o f a p erso n in o rde r t o sh o w ac ti o n in co n fo rm itythere w ith . It m ay , how ever , be admi s s i bl e forot herpurpos es , s uch as pr oof of mot i ve, oppor tuni t y , i nt ent , pr epar at i on, pl an, know l edge, i dent i t y , orabs ence of m is ta k e o r a c c id e n t... T h is ru le, h o w e v e r, d o e s n o t ap p lyw h e n e v id e n c e o f a n o th e r c rim e o r w ro n g is in trin sic to th e p ro o f

o f th e c h a rg e d o f

f e n s e . U ni t ed Stat es v. G i bbs , 1 9 0 F . 3 d 1 8 8 , 2 1 7 (3d C ir . 1999. H er e, t he evi dence of the s hoot i ng, i ncl udi ng t he t es t i m onyof H al l and the5

bal l i s t i cs evi dence , pr ovi des pr oof of pos s es s i on of the gun byE l l i ot tata t i m e j us ta fe w m inu tes p ri o r t o h is arrest. W h en E ll iottan d the o ther p asse n g ers in the T au rus w ere s t opped, t he fi r earm w as found on the fl oorof the r ears eatof the ca ron t he dr i ver ' s s i de, noti n fr ontof El l i ot t . B eca us e El l i ot tw as s eat ed i n t he r earof the ca rbehi nd t he pas s enger , t he evi dence r egar di ng hi s i nvol vementi n t he s hoot i ng t hathad t aken pl ace j us tm i nut es befor e l i nked hi m t o t he fi r earm . H al l ' s t es t i m onyt hatE l l i ot thad got t en out of the ca rj us tbefor e s he hea r d guns hot s , al ong w i t h t he bal l i s t i cs expert ' s t es t i m onyt hat t he bul l etcas i ng found on the vi ct i m had bee n fi r ed byt he fi r earm found i n t he Taurus pr ovi des pr obat i ve evi dence t hatE l l i ot thad pos s es s ed the gun, oratl eas tt hathe had s har ed j oi ntpos s es s i on w i t h t he per s on w ho gotoutof the ca rw i t h hi m , j us tm i nut es pr i or t o bei ng s t opped byt he pol i ce. B eca us e thi s evi dence i s pr obat i ve of the pos s es s i on e le m e n t o f

th e c h a rg e d c ri m e s , it is in tr in s ic to th e p ro o f o f th o s e c ri m e s . A ccor di ngl y , t he D i s t r i ctC our tdi d notabus e i t s di s cr et i on w hen i trul ed that e v id e n c e re g a rd in g th e sh o o tin g w a s a d m iss ib le a n d th a t R u le 4 0 4 (b ) d o e s n o t ap p lyin th e s e c ir c u m s ta n c e s . III . F o r th e f o re g o in g re a so n s, w e w ill a f f irm th e ju d g m e n t o f

th e D istric t C o u rt.