Opinion ID: 220347
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Testimony of Tabatha Henness, Richard Curtis, and the Coroner

Text: Henness next argues that his trial was fundamentally unfair because of the trial court's evidentiary rulings. Specifically, he argues that the trial court improperly (1) held that Tabatha was competent to testify; (2) admitted Curtis's testimony concerning a post-arrest conversation between Henness and his wife; and (3) permitted the coroner to testify on a matter outside his field of expertise. [4] A state court's evidentiary ruling is generally not cognizable in federal habeas corpus, unless the decision was so fundamentally unfair that it amounts to a due process violation. Bey v. Bagley, 500 F.3d 514, 519-20 (6th Cir.2007). When reviewing a claim of evidentiary error in a federal habeas petition, we defer to the state court's interpretation of its own rules of evidence and procedure. Miskel v. Karnes, 397 F.3d 446, 453 (6th Cir.2005).
Henness first argues that the trial court improperly held that Tabatha, his wife, was competent to testify. Henness raised this claim on direct appeal, so there is no procedural default issue. Under Ohio Evid. R. 601(B), a spouse is not competent to testify against her spouse unless she elects to do so. She must make a deliberate choice to testify, with an understanding of her right to refuse. State v. Adamson, 72 Ohio St.3d 431, 650 N.E.2d 875, 877 (1995). In Ohio, the trial court must instruct the witness on the issue of spousal competency and find, on the record, that she voluntarily chose to testify. State v. Brown, 115 Ohio St.3d 55, 873 N.E.2d 858, 870 (2007). Prior to trial, Tabatha sent Henness letters stating that she would not testify against him. She changed her mind, however, by the time of trial. Before she testified, the court advised her of her right not to testify unless she chose to do so, and confirmed that she understood her right. Tabatha said that she wanted to testify. During defense counsel's examination, Tabatha repeated her desire to testify and stated that she had not been threatened in any form and was not being coerced. Defense counsel later opined in a post-trial affidavit that Tabatha acted under improper pressure from the prosecution, but her in-court statements belie this claim. Her voluntary intent to testify is clear from the record. Henness maintains that Tabatha's actions subsequent to testifying raise questions about whether her choice to testify was truly voluntary. After testifying on direction examination, Tabatha fled the jurisdiction and did not return for a week. When she returned, the trial court conducted a voir dire examination. Tabatha explained that her trial testimony made her nervous and stressed out. She returned because she knew she was under subpoena and could be arrested for failing to return, but no one made any threats or promises to induce her to return. Accordingly, the trial court concluded that Henness would suffer no prejudice if Tabatha was allowed to finish testifying. Under these circumstances, Henness does not show that the admission of Tabatha's testimony was so fundamentally unfair that it resulted in a due process violation. Henness also argues that Tabatha was not mentally and emotionally competent to choose to testify against him. He presented evidence in the district court of her history of suicide attempts, mental health treatment, and antidepressant and antianxiety medications. He claims that Tabatha was not taking her medication at the time of his trial, which rendered her incapable of intelligently and voluntarily deciding to testify. However, Henness never made this argument or presented this evidence to the state courts. Therefore, we cannot consider those facts in reviewing this claim. See Cullen v. Pinholster, 563 U.S. ___, 131 S.Ct. 1388, 1398-1400, 179 L.Ed.2d 557 (2011); Alley v. Bell, 307 F.3d 380, 386 (6th Cir.2002).
Shortly after Tabatha testified, Henness telephoned Curtis and asked him to tell Tabatha that he still loved her and did not hold her testimony against her. During closing argument, the prosecution asserted that this phone call demonstrated the truthfulness of Tabatha's testimony. Henness argues that the prosecution's use of Curtis's testimony constitutes improper vouching for Tabatha's credibility. Henness acknowledges that he did not raise this claim on direct appeal, but argues that the ineffectiveness of his appellate counsel in failing to raise the claim constitutes cause to excuse the procedural default. Regardless, Henness's claim fails on the merits. Improper vouching occurs when a prosecutor supports the credibility of a witness by indicating a personal belief in the witness's credibility thereby placing the prestige of the [State] behind that witness. United States v. Francis, 170 F.3d 546, 550 (6th Cir.1999). Typically, improper vouching involves comments or some implication by the prosecutor that he has some special knowledge of facts not before the jury related to the credibility of a witness. Johnson v. Bell, 525 F.3d 466, 482 (6th Cir.2008). The prosecutor's statement regarding Curtis's testimony does not amount to improper vouching. The entire content of Henness's phone conversation with Curtis was submitted to the jury for their determination of its impact on Tabatha's credibility. Hence, the prosecutor was not suggesting he had special knowledge of facts unavailable to the jury. Moreover, Henness's statements could equally be construed as forgiving Tabatha for testifying falsely against him.
Henness also argues that the trial court improperly admitted the testimony of the coroner concerning the use of a sound-muffling tool in the murder. The coroner noted that some of the bullets did not penetrate the victim's skull as deeply as would be expected, and he speculated that something was placed between the gun and the victim to quiet the sound of the gun. The Ohio Court of Appeals determined that this opinion may have been outside the coroner's area of expertise, but any error was harmless. The coroner characterized his opinion as theoretical and stated that he did not know if he [could] answer that per se. Henness responds that the coroner's testimony was not harmless, because it supported the conclusion that Henness premeditated intent to murder Myers. The admission of the coroner's testimony did not render Henness's trial so fundamentally unfair as to result in a due process violation. While the coroner's testimony supported a finding of premeditation, there was other evidence that Henness intended to murder Myers. Specifically, Henness stole Myers's car, credit card, and other possessions to fund his drug addiction.