Opinion ID: 2590797
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pinder's New Evidence Is Insufficient to Justify a New Trial

Text: ¶ 68 Having laid out the relevant law, we now apply the standard articulated above to the newly discovered evidence proffered at the evidentiary hearing. Pinder's new witnesses can be loosely categorized in accordance with the substance of their testimony. [12] Therefore, we will address in turn the testimony of (1) James Hill (James) and Leann Hill (Leann), (2) Christina Moellmer and Gene Kelley, (3) Robert Brunyer (Robert) and Kristy Barnes, and (4) Joey Silva.
¶ 69 In support of his claim that newly discovered evidence warrants the grant of a new trial, Pinder first offers the testimony of James and Leann Hill, David Brunyer's brother-in-law and sister. ¶ 70 The substance of James's testimony at the evidentiary hearing concerned only reservations about David Brunyer's character, and events that occurred prior to Pinder's trial, all of which James had related to the defense team prior to the commencement of trial. Not only was this evidence discoverable with reasonable diligence prior to the conclusion of trial, it actually was discovered, and the defense team simply chose not to make use of it. As a result, James's evidence cannot properly be defined as newly discovered evidence. ¶ 71 Similarly, the bulk of Leann's evidentiary hearing testimony contained no new information. [13] Leann testified that David Brunyer used drugs, was very manipulative, and had stored explosives at their mother's house. ¶ 72 Because the information provided by James and Leann was available or known to Pinder before the conclusion of his trial, that evidence cannot be classified as newly discovered and therefore cannot justify the grant of a new trial.
¶ 73 The evidence provided by Christina Moellmer and Gene Kelley suffers from the same defect as the evidence provided by James and Leann Hill. Specifically, the defense has failed to show that the information was not obtainable prior to the conclusion of Pinder's trial. ¶ 74 Moellmer is David Brunyer's sister. She offered testimony that he possessed explosives paraphernalia and at one time threatened to blow up the house of Stephen Brunyer, their brother. Although Moellmer had no contact with Pinder's defense team prior to trial, we conclude that a reasonably diligent search would have uncovered the information she possessed. ¶ 75 Kelley, unlike the majority of the witnesses that form the basis for Pinder's newly discovered evidence claim, is not a relative of David Brunyer. Rather, it appears that Kelley and David Brunyer were acquaintances. According to Kelley's stipulated testimony, in 1996, David Brunyer asked Kelley to kill some men who had cheated him in a drug deal. Kelley also alleges that David Brunyer once fired a rifle pointing dangerously close to Kelley's head. Pinder has made no effort to explain why the information from Kelley could not have been obtained through a reasonably diligent search and produced at trial. As a result, the evidence offered by Kelley, like that offered by Moellmer, is not newly discovered evidence. ¶ 76 Even if Pinder had met his burden of illustrating that the evidence provided by Moellmer and Kelley could not have been discovered before the conclusion of trial, we would still be disinclined to consider the evidence of any substantial importance. The trial court concluded that Kelley's credibility was suspect and that the evidence both Kelley and Moellmer provided amounted to nothing more than cumulative impeachment evidence, which would likely be inadmissible [14] at a new trial if Pinder proceeded on the theory that David Brunyer was involved in the murders. We are inclined to agree with the trial court's conclusion, but because Pinder has failed to establish that the evidence supplied by Moellmer and Kelley was not discoverable before the conclusion of Pinder's trial, we hold that the evidence was not newly discovered and therefore cannot serve as grounds for a new trial.
¶ 77 The next witnesses Pinder identifies in support of his newly discovered evidence claim are Robert Brunyer and Kristy Barnes. Robert is David Brunyer's brother and Barnes is Robert's girlfriend. According to Pinder, both of these witnesses heard David Brunyer confess, after the conclusion of Pinder's trial, that he participated in the actual murders of Flood and Tanner. In the proceedings below, the trial court concluded that the testimony offered by Robert and Barnes was not discoverable before the conclusion of Pinder's trial and that the evidence was not cumulative. The State has not challenged those conclusions. ¶ 78 Despite considering the testimony newly discovered and not cumulative, the trial court ruled that the testimony did not justify the grant of a new trial. The trial court considered the credibility of the two witnesses to be highly suspect and not entitled to any significant weight. As a result of this credibility assessment, the trial court reasoned that the testimony of Robert and Barnes would not have a strong enough impact on a jury to make a different result on retrial probable. We agree. ¶ 79 Robert's testimony is riddled with equivocation and inconsistencies, rendering his credibility highly suspect. To begin with, his story has changed significantly. The trial court found that, sometime after Pinder's conviction, Robert provided Todd Gabler, a defense investigator, with a written statement reflecting comments David Brunyer had made to Robert concerning the murders of Flood and Tanner. The statement Robert provided was consistent with evidence adduced at trial. Robert provided the written statement while he was in jail after being arrested on felony theft charges. Prior to his conviction on those charges, for which he served six months in jail, Robert learned that he had been arrested due to information provided by David. Robert subsequently contacted Pinder's defense team, submitted to interviews, and altered his previous written statement, changing mentions of John [Pinder] and Filo [Ruiz] to  David [ Brunyer ] and Filo [Ruiz]. (Emphasis added.) ¶ 80 In addition to Robert's blatant about-face in his written statement, the testimony he provided at the evidentiary hearing is inconsistent in multiple respects with physical evidence gathered during the investigation of the murders and testimony admitted at trial. For example, he stated that a .50 caliber handgun was used in the murders and that David Brunyer injected Tanner with a mix of lion tranquilizers and methamphetamine prior to the time Tanner was killed. However, during the trial, evidence was introduced that a .10 millimeter gun was used in the shooting, and toxicology reports revealed no evidence of tranquilizers or methamphetamine in Tanner's bloodstream. Robert's account also places Pinder in Wyoming on the night of the murders, even though Pinder himself testified that he was at his ranch that night. ¶ 81 Perhaps most important, it appears clear that Robert is now unwilling to state that David Brunyer ever confessed to participating in the murders. At the evidentiary hearing, Robert testified that David Brunyer didn't come straight out and say he was present, but he knows quite a bit about it. Makes you wonder. Robert also stated that while David Brunyer did not directly tell him that he had beaten Tanner with a baseball bat, Robert believed he did. Given the incompatibility of Robert's testimony with evidence presented at trial and his highly suspect credibility, we determine that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that the presence of Robert's testimony at a new trial would not result in a more favorable outcome for Pinder. ¶ 82 The testimony of Barnes is similarly of suspect credibility. Barnes, who is currently serving prison time for a theft conviction, was also arrested due to information provided by David Brunyer. Barnes testified that David Brunyer discussed the murders of Flood and Tanner around forty times in her presence and that he confessed his participation in those murders, declaring that Pinder was not present when Flood and Tanner were killed. According to Barnes, other people were present during those conversations many, many times. However, none of the individuals she identified as being present during those discussions, including her boyfriend Robert, corroborate her testimony. ¶ 83 The trial court concluded that both Robert and Barnes have a motive to retaliate against David Brunyer. The trial court also concluded that the testimony provided by the two witnesses conflicted with each other, as well as with testimony provided by defense witnesses at trial, and that the testimony further failed to mesh with physical evidence admitted at trial. ¶ 84 We agree with the trial court that the weight to be accorded to the testimony of Robert and Barnes is so slight that its impact on a jury would be insignificant. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining that the presence of the testimony of Robert and Barnes would not make a more favorable outcome on retrial probable.
¶ 85 The final individual Pinder identifies as a newly discovered witness is a jailhouse informant named Joey Silva. Silva was being held at Duschesne County Jail while Ruiz was an inmate there. According to Silva, Ruiz stated that he and this white guy, the one that went to the police, killed this female and this other guy. Silva also testified that Ruiz stated that Pinder was not present when the murders occurred. ¶ 86 At the end of the evidentiary hearing, the trial court concluded that it is difficult to conceive of a less trustworthy witness than Silva. The trial court's credibility assessment is amply supported by the record. Silva has been convicted of multiple felonies, including a communications fraud conviction stemming from an incident in which Silva attempted to trick a man into posting bail for Silva while under the impression that he was providing bail for his own elderly brother. [15] The State also put forward an impressive amount of evidence undercutting Silva's credibility, including numerous witnesses who cast serious doubt on Silva's veracity. For example, Silva's parole officer testified that Silva was very deceitful and one of the most manipulative individuals [he had] ever known. Another officer who was acquainted with Silva testified that [a]nything [Silva] says would be very self-serving. ¶ 87 Silva was initially reticent when approached to participate in this case and stated that he would not feel comfortable testifying unless he received a transfer or was paroled. In subsequent interviews with State investigators, Silva refused to have the conversations recorded and stated that if he were called as a witness he would lie. Citing perjury concerns, Silva also refused to sign any statements. ¶ 88 Although the trial court found that Silva was deemed capable of providing accurate information to law enforcement officials at one point in time, that time has since passed. Silva has been terminated as a confidential informant with the recommendation that he never be used again. In fact, testimony given at the evidentiary hearing reveals that even when officers did work with Silva, they were distrustful of his information and would use it only if independent verification was possible. ¶ 89 Given the slight weight to which Silva's testimony would be entitled, the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it concluded that the presence of that testimony would not make a different result on retrial probable. ¶ 90 Even when considered cumulatively, the evidence offered by Pinder's newly discovered witnesses is not sufficient to justify a new trial. This case is not purely a credibility contest. At trial, the jury had the benefit of both physical and testimonial evidence that clashes with the evidence now brought forward by the defense. In light of the suspect credibility of the new witnesses, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in concluding that Pinder's newly discovered evidence does not justify a new trial.