Title: State v. Morgan
Citation: 541 S.W.2d 385
Docket Number: N/A
State: Tennessee
Issuer: Tennessee Supreme Court
Date: August 9, 1976

541 S.W.2d 385 (1976) STATE of Tennessee, Petitioner, v. David MORGAN, Respondent. Supreme Court of Tennessee. August 9, 1976. *386 Etrula R. Trotter, Asst. Atty. Gen., Nashville, for petitioner; R.A. Ashley, Jr., Atty. Gen., Nashville, of counsel. John Edgar Brown, III, Bell, Painter, McMurray, Callaway, Brown &amp; Mashburn, Cleveland, for respondent. FONES, Justice. Defendant Morgan was convicted of assault with a deadly weapon and sentenced to not less than one (1) nor more than two (2) years in the penitentiary. The Court of Criminal Appeals reversed and remanded for a new trial, each member of the panel writing a separate opinion. All agreed that reversible error was committed but did not agree on the principles of law applicable to cross-examination of a defendant about prior convictions, nor on the admissibility or scope of rebuttal in the event of a denial thereof by defendant. We granted the writ of certiorari because our case law is not clear on these questions. Defendant testified in his own behalf and was cross-examined, in part, as follows: At the conclusion of defendant's proof, the State called Joe Talley, the clerk of the Criminal Court of Bradley County, as a rebuttal witness. He testified that the records in his office reflected that David Wayne Morgan was tried on October 26, 1962, convicted of assault to commit voluntary manslaughter, and sentenced to one year in the penitentiary. During the course of adducing the foregoing testimony, an objection was raised that defendant had not been identified as the same David Morgan convicted in 1962. As a result of that objection, testimony of defendant and his son was thereafter interlaced with that of Talley; and the Attorney General dispatched the clerk to his office for additional records. Upon his return, Talley testified that in the 1962 case Morgan shot one Beecher Watson, the prosecuting witness; that it happened in a poolroom; and that he personally recalled the defendant on trial to be the same David Morgan tried and convicted in the former case. All of the cross-examination quoted above and the events described, took place in the presence of the jury. No instruction was given the jury by the Court that the proof of the prior conviction was admitted solely on the issue of the credibility of the defendant as a witness, and that it should not be considered upon the issue of guilt or innocence. This case was tried on July 24, 1974, almost twelve (12) years after the former conviction and raises a question of remoteness. Our decisions dealing with the scope of cross-examination on the issue of credibility of a criminal defendant who elects to testify in his own behalf are in conflict. It is clear that a defendant who elects to testify may be asked on cross-examination whether he has been convicted of an offense involving moral turpitude. With respect to prior indictments, pending indictments, instances of alleged commission of specific bad acts involving moral turpitude and the ambiguous words "charges" and "offenses," authority may be found for and against admissibility as subject of cross-examination. Compare Zanone v. State, 97 Tenn. 101, 36 S.W. 711 (1896); Powers v. State, 117 Tenn. 363, 97 S.W. 815 (1906); Keith v. State, 127 Tenn. 40, 152 S.W. 1029 (1912); Brooks v. State, 187 Tenn. 67, 213 S.W.2d 7 (1948); Gray v. State, 191 Tenn. 526, 235 S.W.2d 20 (1950); State v. Fowler, 213 Tenn. 239, 373 S.W.2d 460 (1963); and Collard v. State, 526 S.W.2d 112 (Tenn. 1975) with Hendricks and Brooks v. State, 162 Tenn. 563, 39 S.W.2d 580 (1931); Kirby v. State, 182 Tenn. 16, 184 S.W.2d 41 (1944) and Posley v. State, 199 Tenn. 608, 288 S.W.2d 455 (1956). The Zanone group of cases allow cross-examination beyond convictions involving moral turpitude while Hendricks and Brooks, Kirby and in particular Posley are subject to the interpretation that a testifying criminal defendant, as distinguished from other witnesses, may only be asked about prior convictions involving moral turpitude. The moral turpitude standard, applied to convictions or to specific acts, offenses and charges, is a source of much disagreement. *388 The Court in Brooks v. State, supra, acknowledging that the term "moral turpitude" has no satisfactory definition, quoted from a standard law dictionary: In applying this definition, the courts of this State have experienced difficulty in determining whether a specific crime involves moral turpitude and may be used for impeachment.[1] The Court in Davis v. Wicker, 206 Tenn. 403, 333 S.W.2d 921 (1960), held that defendant in a civil action was properly impeached by showing a conviction for not having a proper driver's license. In McKenzie v. State, 3 Tenn.Cr.App. 362, 462 S.W.2d 243 (1970), the Court apparently found that a conviction for inciting to riot involved moral turpitude, while a conviction for inciting children to leave school did not. In Everhart v. State, 194 Tenn. 272, 250 S.W.2d 368 (1952), the Court held that a testifying defendant might be asked about convictions for violating the liquor law. The Court in Gray v. State, supra, held that being a bootlegger does not involve moral turpitude. Although these examples do not represent a comprehensive collection of our cases, they are illustrative of the difficulty that our courts are faced with in applying a test that is vague and cannot be explicitly defined. The Court in Zanone condemned inquiries into remote matters, for the reasons expressed in a quote from Greenleaf On Evidence: We are persuaded that adoption of the Federal Rules of Evidence on this question should achieve a higher degree of consistency, fairness and justice and better serve the quest for truth. The Federal Rules of Evidence applicable to the inquiry under consideration in this case are Rule 608(b) and Rule 609(a) and (b). Said Rules are as follows: In this case the question asked by the District Attorney was, "Do you have any prior felony convictions?" That question is too broad because it could elicit incompetent testimony. Campbell v. State, 469 S.W.2d 506 (Tenn.Cr.App. 1971). The question of whether evidence of a particular crime or specific acts is admissible must be determined by the trial judge out of the presence of the jury, to avoid possible prejudice to defendant. If it is determined that the prior crime is within the admissible category, the inquiry in the presence of the jury, Also, see McGee v. State, 206 Tenn. 230, 332 S.W.2d 507 (1960) where this Court approved the action of the trial judge in not allowing the details of the offense assault to commit murder in the first degree to be related to the jury. Defendant McGee had pistol-whipped a young girl. The plurality opinion of the Court of Criminal Appeals held that if defendant denied a prior conviction involving moral turpitude or affecting credibility, the issue is foreclosed and the State cannot adduce any evidence to the contrary in rebuttal. That is the rule where defendant is cross-examined about prior specific bad acts involving moral turpitude or affecting credibility, as distinguished from prior convictions. Gray v. State, supra, Powers v. State, supra, and Zanone v. State, supra, relied upon by the Court of Criminal Appeals involved bad acts, not convictions; and the answers of the defendants were held to be conclusive and not subject to contradiction in rebuttal. Parenthetically, it is well to note that Zanone stated the rule as allowing cross-examination as to specific acts and indictments involving moral turpitude; but Posley v. State, supra, and Brooks v. State, supra, have held to the contrary as to indictments, charges and accusations that some particular offense has been committed, and we approve the latter cases on that question. The plurality opinion also relies on the following quote from Chief Justice Neil's concurring opinion in Posley: We think that only answers to the second category of questions under discussion by Chief Justice Neil, that is "offenses" not necessarily subject to prosecution (bad acts), were intended to be conclusive. Earlier in the same concurring opinion the author had said, "If he is guilty of such a crime, involving moral turpitude, the record of conviction is the best evidence." 288 S.W.2d at 458. We hold that a defendant's negative answer to a proper question involving a prior conviction is not conclusive; and the State may introduce in rebuttal, in the approved manner, the documentary evidence of the conviction, but nothing more. No lengthy inquiry into collateral matters is involved as would be the case if rebuttal should be allowed where bad acts are in question and denied. We further hold that where a witness is sought to be cross-examined as to specific instances of conduct as contemplated by Rule 608(b), the Court shall conduct a jury-out hearing for the purpose of determining that the probative value of such evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect. When such cross-examination is permitted the answer of the witness shall be conclusive. Apparently no Tennessee case has so held, but inferentially Fee v. State, 497 S.W.2d 748 (Tenn.Cr.App. 1973) supports this rule. Both concurring opinions in the case at bar insist that the correct rule allows proof of the record of conviction in rebuttal. Cases from other states in conformity with our conclusion are: Headley v. State, 51 Ala.App. 148, 283 So. 2d 458 (1973); People v. Theodore, 121 Cal. App. 2d 17, 262 P.2d 630 (1953); State v. Sorrell, 85 Ariz. 173, 333 P.2d 1081 (1959); Lockwood v. State, 107 So. 2d 770 (Fla.App. 1958); State v. Bock, 80 Idaho 296, 328 P.2d 1065 (1958); Hardin v. State, 232 Miss. 470, 99 So. 2d 600 (1958); City of Troy v. Cummins, 107 Ohio App. 318, 159 N.E.2d 239 (1958). See also, Paine, Tennessee Law of Evidence, § 205. Whether Morgan's prior conviction of assault with intent to commit murder involves moral turpitude under prior decisions of this Court presents a difficult question. In his concurring opinion, presiding Judge Walker correctly observes that, "voluntary manslaughter is when one kills another upon a sudden heat, produced by adequate provocation without malice, and is an act of passion rather than judgment." Neither a conviction of voluntary manslaughter nor assault with intent to commit voluntary manslaughter renders one infamous pursuant to T.C.A. § 40-2712, which permits the use of convictions of infamous crimes as a reflection upon credibility. In our opinion, if the 1962 conviction could be held to involve moral turpitude under our prior case law, it would be necessary to reverse this case because of the testimony of the clerk relating to details of the offense and the failure of the trial judge to instruct the jury that proof of the prior conviction was admitted solely on the issue of the defendant's credibility as a witness, and could not be considered as to defendant's guilt or innocence. It appears that under the tests we have adopted today, the 1962 conviction would not be admissible for remoteness. On remand, if the State seeks to introduce the prior conviction, the trial judge shall determine out of the presence of the jury whether or not it is admissible under the rules we have adopted in this opinion. The results reached by the Court of Criminal Appeals are affirmed for the reasons stated herein, and the case is remanded to the Criminal Court of Bradley County for a new trial. HENRY, BROCK and HARBISON, JJ., and HYDER, Special Judge, concurs. [1] See Paine, Tennessee Law of Evidence, § 202 at 225.