Opinion ID: 2188938
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the motions in limine

Text: Ducharme argues that the trial justice erred in granting two motions in limine. The defendant suggests correctly that the two motions were related. One sought preclusion of any evidence concerning the suppression by the pretrial justice of Trepanier's confessions. The second motion sought preclusion of any evidence concerning or alluding to the fact that Trepanier had been burned by a stungun or similar weapon while in State Police custody on October 8, 1987. We have already pointed out that as a matter of constitutional law, Ducharme had no standing to complain of a violation of Trepanier's Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. We recognize that under the humane doctrine, a Rhode Island defendant is privileged to attack the voluntariness of his confession in his presentation to the jury as well as in his challenge to the admissibility of such confessions or admissions on a legal basis before a trial justice or a pretrial justice. State v. Killay, 430 A.2d 418 (R.I. 1981); State v. Boswell, 73 R.I. 358, 56 A.2d 196 (1947). Nevertheless, in presiding over the trial of a case, the trial justice must determine as a matter of law those evidentiary elements which are admissible in challenging the voluntariness of a defendant's confession or admission. A trial justice's determination on the issue of relevance is reviewed by us only for an abuse of discretion. State v. Bibee, 559 A.2d 618, 620 (R.I. 1989). In determining the issue of relevancy, the trial justice certainly did not abuse his discretion in precluding the advancing to the jury of a legal theory which had already been rejected by a pretrial justice. Although the jury has a right to determine voluntariness, it may do so only on the basis of facts which could as a matter of law affect voluntariness. In short, even an egregious violation of Trepanier's privilege against self-incrimination could not be utilized by Ducharme in respect to the voluntariness of his confession. Consequently the trial justice did not commit an abuse of discretion in granting the two challenged motions in limine.