Opinion ID: 555071
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Contested Factual Findings

Text: 37 The government asserts that the district court made two factual findings that were clearly erroneous: (1) that Galimi was hypnotized; and (2) that the hypnotism affected Galimi's recollection of the events surrounding the Mistretta murder. 38 The district court did not make an explicit finding that Galimi was hypnotized. What it did was determine that the government had not carried its burden of showing that Galimi was not hypnotized. We believe the court treated the government's failure as the equivalent of a finding that Galimi was in fact hypnotized. Although the government argues to the contrary, we shall assume for purposes of this appeal that the court's finding is not clearly erroneous. We indulge in this assumption because we are satisfied that under the present circumstances it is not incompatible with our resolution of the government's two other contentions of error. 3 39 The government's second contention of factual error is the district court's finding that the hypnotism had an effect on Galimi's recollection of the Mistretta murder. No such factual finding is explicit in the district court's opinion. The district court did, however, conclude that Galimi's prospective identification testimony was the product of suggestive police procedures.... Although the phrase suggestive police procedures refers to both the initial interrogation and the hypnotic session, we believe that a fair reading of the district court's opinion supports the government's contention that the district court made a factual finding as to the possible effects of hypnosis. Thus, we shall review that finding under the clearly erroneous standard. Reversal is warranted only if our review of the record leaves us with 'the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed.'  United States v. McMillen, 917 F.2d 773, 776 (3d Cir.1990) (quoting United States v. United States Gypsum, 333 U.S. 364, 395, 68 S.Ct. 525, 542, 92 L.Ed. 746 (1948)). 40 The district court recounted Galimi's identification statements as follows: 41 Before the session Galimi told the police that he recognized the assailants but he could not identify them. He told police that Mistretta's dying words were Al Wolshonak did it. ... During the session, Galimi stated that he could not be certain, but he thought the assailant was Wolshonak. Testifying before the court [on July 30, 1990] Galimi stated that he was absolutely certain that Wolshonak was the assailant. 42 These three statements, the district court believed, showed that Galimi's increasing certainty in the correctness of identification is consistent with hypnosis and suggestion. Thus, it concluded that it could not ignore that the exact phenomenon, that is memory hardening, that makes post-hypnotic testimony so suspicious is consistent with events here. 43 Even if we were to agree with the district court that Galimi's certainty increased, that would not render Galimi's prospective trial testimony constitutionally infirm. Cf. Chaussard v. Fulcomer, 816 F.2d 925, 929 (3d Cir.) (But to say that hypnosis may have increased the prosecutrix's certainty that her subsequent identification of Chaussard was accurate does not necessarily imply that the testimony violated the confrontation clause.), cert. denied, 484 U.S. 845, 108 S.Ct. 139, 98 L.Ed.2d 96 (1987); Clay v. Vose, 771 F.2d 1, 4 (1st Cir.1985), cert denied, 475 U.S. 1022, 106 S.Ct. 1212, 89 L.Ed.2d 324 (1986); United States v. Harrelson, 754 F.2d 1153, 1180 (5th Cir.1985). More importantly, although the relevant post-hypnotic change in Galimi's account of the Mistretta murder might be logically consistent with the effect of memory hardening, the change in Galimi's account of the incident cannot be understood as simply a change in his degree of certainty. 4 44 At the suppression hearing Galimi testified that at the time of the incident he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants. At the six and one half hour police interrogation, he would neither affirm nor deny recognizing either of the assailants. During the hypnotic session, he stated that he was almost certain that one of the assailants was Grecco. Thus, the relevant change is that at the suppression hearing Galimi testified that he was absolutely certain at the time of the incident that he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants. Consequently, under the circumstances of this case, the fundamental factual issue is whether hypnotic suggestion caused that substantive change. 45 Grecco did not introduce any evidence in support of the proposition that hypnotic suggestion caused the substantive change in Galimi's post-hypnotic account of the events. See Beachum v. Tansy, 903 F.2d 1321, 1326 (10th Cir.) (defendant has burden to show that hypnosis caused a change in the witness' post-hypnotic testimony), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 111 S.Ct. 269, 112 L.Ed.2d 225 (1990). Rather, he only adduced evidence supporting his claim that the hypnotism by Dr. Wagle was suggestive. But even if we were to assume that Grecco established that the hypnotism was suggestive, that does not prove that the hypnotism caused the relevant substantive change in Galimi's account of the events. 46 The government concedes that certain suggestive elements surrounded the hypnotic session. It nonetheless contends that the evidence shows that the hypnosis did not affect Galimi's recollection. Specifically, the government argues that the expert testimony and a full and accurate chronology of the statements made by Galimi show that hypnotic suggestion was not responsible for Galimi testifying at the suppression hearing that at the time of the incident he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants. 47 Dr. Orne, a preeminent expert on hypnosis, testified that hypnotic suggestion is most effective immediately after hypnosis, and its effectiveness decreases significantly over time. More importantly, Dr. Orne opined that it was just almost impossible for hypnosis to produce a suggestive effect ten years later. Therefore, if the hypnosis were suggestive, Galimi would normally have changed his account of the events and stated that he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants at the session with Dr. Wagle or shortly thereafter. He did not. As the record clearly shows, Galimi offered substantially the same account of the Mistretta murder to Investigator Scioli on May 3, 1979, and to the grand jury on March 31, 1988, as he did to the hypnotist on April 27, 1979. Thus, the government's unrebutted testimony is inconsistent with a finding that the hypnotism had an effect on Galimi's account of the Mistretta murder. 48 Furthermore, our independent review of the record reveals nothing to support the district court's finding that the hypnotic session affected Galimi's recollection. In addition, the brute fact is that between the time of the hypnotic session and his appearance before the grand jury, Galimi's certainty did not increase. Therefore, the district court's characterization of the evolution in Galimi's statements is incompatible with the fact that for nearly nine years Galimi did not experience memory hardening. 49 We believe, therefore, that the government's contention that hypnosis did not, in fact, affect Galimi's post-hypnotic testimony is uncontradicted. Moreover, our review of the entire record has left us with the definite and firm conviction that a mistake has been committed. United States Gypsum, 333 U.S. at 395, 68 S.Ct. at 542. Consequently, we think that the district court committed clear error in finding that hypnosis affected Galimi's recollection of the event's surrounding the Mistretta murder. See McMillen, 917 F.2d at 775-76.2. The Independent Basis 50 As we have already stated, the district court did not rest its due process conclusion solely upon the suggestiveness of the hypnosis. Rather, the district court concluded that the initial six and one half hour police interrogation coupled with the potential suggestiveness of the hypnotic session was impermissibly suggestive. Thus, contrary to the government's assertion, our conclusion that the hypnotism did not affect Galimi's recollection does not justify reversing the district court's suppression order. We turn, therefore, to the government's contention that the district court erred when it determined that, under the totality of the circumstances, the suggestiveness of the police procedures overcame the independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. 51 In support of its position, the government asserts that the district court erred by (1) attaching significance to the absence of a recording of the hypnotic session with Dr. Wagle; and (2) overlooking the substantial evidence establishing an independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. Consequently, the government argues, the district court erred by concluding that the suggestiveness of the police procedures overcame the independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. 52 The government challenges the district court's assessment of the constitutional significance to be attached to the evidence. Thus, our review of the district court's legal determination is plenary. Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 193 n. 3, 93 S.Ct. 375, 379 n. 3, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972); Landano v. Rafferty, 856 F.2d 569, 571 (3d Cir.1988); see also United States v. Frank, 864 F.2d 992, 1001 (3d Cir.1988) (plenary review of district court's application of a legal standard in denying suppression request), cert. denied, 490 U.S. 1095, 109 S.Ct. 2442, 104 L.Ed.2d 998 (1989). 53 With respect to the government's first contention, we note that recordings are procedural safeguards used to determine whether a hypnotic session was impermissibly suggestive. They are not constitutionally required, see Chaussard, 816 F.2d at 930-31, and, as the government points out, New Jersey state courts did not require tape recordings of hypnotic sessions until 1981, two years after Galimi met with Dr. Wagle. See State v. Hurd, 86 N.J. 525, 432 A.2d 86 (1981). Thus, the failure of the government to produce a recording might have an entirely innocent explanation, and in any event that failure shows nothing about the suggestiveness of the hypnotic session itself. 54 The government's second contention is that the district court overlooked the substantial evidence demonstrating an independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. In assessing that basis, the district court followed Biggers, where the Supreme Court stated: 55 [T]he factors to be considered in evaluating the likelihood of misidentification include the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of the witness' prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation, and the length of time between the crime and the confrontation. 56 Biggers, 409 U.S. at 189, 93 S.Ct. at 377. 57 The district court went on to determine that Galimi had an opportunity to view the assailants, possessed a high degree of attention when he responded to the screams, and offered a description of the assailants that could include Grecco. It also found that Galimi unequivocally identified Grecco at the suppression hearing in July 1990, and that approximately eleven years had passed between the time of the incident and the identification. We emphasize the fact that Galimi knew Grecco for fifteen years prior to the incident because that factor supports admitting Galimi's prospective trial testimony and is not undermined by hypnosis. Cf. United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 241 n. 33, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 1940 n. 33, 18 L.Ed.2d 1149 (1967) (noting that how well the witness knows the suspect is one of the factors having an important bearing upon the true basis of the witness' in-court identification). 5 58 We believe that these findings constitute substantial evidence demonstrating that Galimi's prospective trial testimony, including his identification of Grecco as one of the assailants, rested on an independent basis. We next consider whether the suggestiveness of the police procedures overcame that independent basis, thus making Galimi's prospective trial testimony so unreliable that its admission would violate due process. See Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 114, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 2253, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977) (reliability is the linchpin in determining the admissibility of identification testimony). 59 We have determined that the government's failure to provide a recording of the hypnotic session shows nothing about the suggestiveness of the hypnotic session with Dr. Wagle. Thus, we believe that the record contains little, if any, evidence showing that Galimi was subjected to hypnotic suggestion. This fact, and our determination that the district court erred by finding that hypnosis had an effect on Galimi's recollection, demonstrate that the suggestiveness of the hypnotism was negligible for purposes of evaluating Grecco's due process challenge. Consequently, the issue upon which that challenge must rest is whether the initial six and one half hour police interrogation was impermissibly suggestive, thus overcoming the independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. 60 If the initial police interrogation were impermissibly suggestive, then at that interrogation, the hypnotic session or shortly thereafter Galimi would have been expected to change his account of the Mistretta murder, presumably stating that he recognized Grecco and identifying him as one of the assailants. The three police reports filed immediately before and after the hypnotic session, however, show that Galimi did not change his account of the Mistretta murder. 61 Detective McGill's report of April 27, 1989 states that at the police interrogation Galimi described the assailants as being the same height as AL WOLSHONAK, however, he did not affirm or deny that AL WOLSHONAK was one of the assailants. Investigator Grieco's report of April 30, 1979 states that at the hypnotic session Galimi said that he did not get a good look at their faces only the back of their heads ... [and] that he was almost certain that one of the assailants he observed was AL WOLSHONAK. Finally, Investigator Scioli's report of May 18, 1979 repeats Galimi's statement that Mistretta told him that Grecco was one of the assailants, and repeats Galimi's description of the assailants' appearance. Scioli's does not report that in his interview with Galimi, Galimi stated that he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants. 62 Thus, there is no evidence in the record showing that the initial six and one half hour interrogation caused Galimi to change his account of the events and state that he recognized Grecco as one of the assailants. As we have already pointed out, that change did not occur until nearly ten years later. Thus, even if the initial six and one half hour interrogation were unnecessarily suggestive, we do not think that it overcame the independent basis for Galimi's prospective trial testimony. See Manson, 432 U.S. at 112-14, 97 S.Ct. at 2252-53 (under totality approach, testimony can be sufficiently reliable despite an unnecessarily suggestive police procedure). 63 We conclude that the police procedures were not impermissibly suggestive. Furthermore, we do not think that the facts of this case support the conclusion that the initial interrogation, the hypnotism, or the hypnotism coupled with the interrogation created a very substantial likelihood of misidentification. United States v. Dowling, 855 F.2d 114, 117 (3d Cir.1988) (quotations omitted) (emphasis added), aff'd on other grounds, --- U.S. ----, 110 S.Ct. 668, 107 L.Ed.2d 708 (1990). Instead, we believe that the government introduced clear and convincing evidence showing that Galimi's prospective trial testimony had an independent basis, and thus it was sufficiently reliable to withstand Grecco's due process challenge. Therefore, the district court erred by barring the government from introducing that testimony, and thereby preventing the jury from according it appropriate weight. See Manson, 432 U.S. at 116, 97 S.Ct. at 2254 (Juries are not so susceptible that they cannot measure intelligently the weight of identification testimony that has some questionable feature.).