Opinion ID: 2977333
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of Guntersville Bank Robbery

Text: 15 No. 07-5466 “A trial court’s Rule 403 determination is reviewed for abuse of discretion.” United States v. Foster, 376 F.3d 577, 592 (6th Cir. 2004). “A district court abuses its discretion when it applies the incorrect legal standard, misapplies the correct legal standard, or relies upon clearly erroneous findings of fact.” United States v. Pugh, 405 F.3d 390, 397 (6th Cir. 2005) (citation and quotation marks omitted). This Court may reverse the district court’s decision “only if [it is] firmly convinced that a mistake has been made.” Id. This Court reviews the district court’s exercise of discretion “in the light most favorable to its proponent, maximizing its probative value and minimizing its prejudicial effect.” United States v. Zipkin, 729 F.2d 384, 389 (6th Cir. 1984).
“Rule 403 governs whether evidence that is relevant under Federal Rule of Evidence 401 is admissible.” United States v. Caver, 470 F.3d 220, 240 (6th Cir. 2006). “Although relevant, evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury, or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence.” Fed. R. Evid. 403. The district court has “very broad” discretion in weighing the evidence under Rule 403. Caver, 470 F.3d at 240. “The term ‘unfair prejudice,’ as to a criminal defendant, speaks to the capacity of some concededly relevant evidence to lure the factfinder into declaring guilt on a ground different from proof specific to the offense charged.” Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 180 (1997) (citation omitted). Unfair prejudice “refers to the evidence which tends to suggest [a] decision on an improper basis.” Caver, 470 F.3d at 240. Such an improper basis is “commonly, though not necessarily, an emotional one.” Old Chief, 519 U.S. at 180. 16 No. 07-5466 One factor in the “Rule 403 balancing is the availability of other means of proof, which would reduce the need for the potentially confusing evidence.” United States v. Merriweather, 78 F.3d 1070, 1077 (6th Cir.1996). “Another consideration . . . is whether the ‘reverberating clang’” of the prejudicial nature of the evidence will “drown [the] weaker sound” of the probative value of the evidence. Id. (quoting Shepard v. United States, 290 U.S. 96, 104 (1933)). The district court initially determined that the only admissible testimony concerning the bank robbery was Melia’s statement that he was called to the duplex because he was investigating Kellogg’s role in “another crime.” The government argues that Kellogg’s testimony opened the door to the more detailed testimony on the bank robbery by challenging Melia’s credibility and by putting his own credibility at issue. However, maximizing the probative value of the evidence of the bank robbery and minimizing its prejudicial nature, see Zipkin, 729 F.2d at 389, this Court believes the district court abused its discretion in allowing the government to present as much evidence of the robbery as it did. As a preliminary matter, although the government contends the testimony of the bank teller and the FBI agent investigating the bank robbery were necessary to rebut Kellogg’s testimony, the government introduced prejudicial testimony concerning the robbery before Kellogg even took the stand. During Melia’s direct testimony, he stated that Kellogg had told him that forensic testing of the gun found at the duplex would match the shot “fired during the other crime I was investigating.” This statement was highly prejudicial, as it informed the jury that Kellogg may have been involved in a recent shooting; the fact that a shot had been fired was of little to no probative value in proving that Kellogg possessed the gun in the duplex. 17 No. 07-5466 During his testimony, Kellogg accused Melia, in claiming that Kellogg admitted the gun and drugs were his, of “stretching the truth,” and denied that Melia had ever questioned him about the gun. Certainly, the government was entitled to rebut that testimony by allowing Melia to testify as to some of the details of his interrogation of Kellogg in the FBI office that contradicted Kellogg’s account. However, the court went too far in allowing a lengthy narrative of the bank robbery to be presented at trial. The bank teller testified in great detail about the course of the robbery–including that the robber pointed a gun at her, threatened to kill her, and jumped onto the counter to force her to hand over the money. Moreover, the jury was presented with strong evidence that Kellogg was the bank robber: the teller, who had closely interacted with the bank robber, identified Kellogg as the robber; the FBI agent who had investigated the robbery testified that the robber’s Yankees hat and wristwatch were found at the duplex, as were shoes matching a shoe print the robber had left on the bank counter; the FBI agent also testified that ammunition matching the shot fired during the robbery was found in Kellogg’s car in Guntersville; and Melia testified that Kellogg confessed to the bank robbery at the FBI office. The unmistakable conclusion to draw from all of this testimony was that Kellogg, on trial for gun and drug possession, had menacingly robbed a bank at gunpoint just a few days earlier. While this evidence may have been somewhat probative as to whether the gun found at the duplex was Kellogg’s and whether it had traveled in interstate commerce, it was unfairly prejudicial because of its “improper basis:” to convince the jury that Kellogg was a bank robber, on the loose and dangerous. See Caver, 470 F.3d at 240. In our view, the evidence of the bank robbery likely “drown[ed] [the] weaker sound” of Kellogg’s gun possession, and could have led the jury to 18 No. 07-5466 convict him based on a crime for which he was not charged. See Merriweather, 78 F.3d at 1077; Old Chief, 519 U.S. at 180. Further, the government presented plenty of other evidence proving Kellogg’s possession of the gun–including its discovery at the duplex where he was staying and his statement to Melia at the FBI office that the gun was the same one fired during the other crime–and also presented unrebutted testimony that the gun had been manufactured in Arkansas. Thus, to the extent that the bank robbery evidence was admitted simply to rebut Kellogg’s assertion that he did not possess the gun, or to prove that the gun had traveled in interstate commerce, it was largely unnecessary. See Merriweather, 78 F.3d at 1077. “A limiting instruction will minimize to some degree the prejudicial nature of other criminal acts; it is not, however, a sure-fire panacea for the prejudice resulting from needless admission of such evidence.” United States v. Haywood, 280 F.3d 715, 724 (6th Cir. 2002). Although the district court instructed the jury not to consider the bank robbery as evidence of Kellogg’s guilt for the crimes charged, the sheer weight of the evidence that was introduced regarding the robbery would have likely undermined that instruction in the mind of a reasonable juror. Accordingly, this Court finds that the district court abused its discretion in admitting so much evidence of the bank robbery. The district court must conduct a new trial to remedy its error. III. Identification of Kellogg as Guntersville Bank Robber A. Standard of Review This Court reviews the admission of in-court identification testimony for abuse of discretion. United States v. Hill, 967 F.2d 226, 230 (6th Cir. 1992). 19 No. 07-5466 B. Analysis The introduction of an unreliable identification of a defendant obtained through impermissibly suggestive procedures violates the defendant’s right to due process. Moore v. Illinois, 434 U.S. 220, 227 (1977). To determine whether identification evidence is admissible, this Court must first ask whether the “identification procedure was impermissibly suggestive.” United States v. Hill, 967 F.2d 226, 230 (6th Cir. 1992). Should the identification procedure be found impermissibly suggestive, this Court must determine “whether, under the totality of the circumstances, the testimony was nevertheless reliable.” Id. An analysis of five factors guides the reliability determination: (1) the witness’ opportunity to view the suspect at the time of the crime; (2) the witness’ degree of attention; (3) the accuracy of the witness’ prior description of the suspect; (4) the level of certainty displayed by the witness during the confrontation; and (5) the length of time between the crime and the confrontation. Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 199 (1972); see Hill, 967 F.2d 226, 232 (applying Bigger factors to witness’ in-court identification). “Against these factors is to be weighed the corrupting effect of the suggestive identification itself.” Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 114 (1977). However, “[a]s long as there is not a substantial likelihood of misidentification, it is the function of the jury to determine the ultimate weight to be given to the identification.” United States v. Causey, 834 F.2d 1277, 1285 (6th Cir. 1987) (quotation marks and citations omitted). The bank teller’s in-court identification of Kellogg was not in response to any question from the prosecutor, who never asked her to identify the robber and had only asked her whether or not the bank robber was visible in one of the photos he was showing her. Accordingly, while the bank teller’s sudden ability to identify the bank robber in the courtroom might raise a credibility issue, the 20 No. 07-5466 identification does not appear to have derived from any suggestive procedure, and therefore did not violate Kellogg’s due process rights. See Hill, 967 F.2d at 230; Causey, 834 F.2d at 1286 (“The prior failure of the witness to identify the defendant goes only to the weight to be accorded testimony, not its admissibility.”). Moreover, even if the prosecutor’s questioning of the bank teller could be considered suggestive, the identification seemed to be reliable enough that the district court did not abuse its discretion by allowing it. The bank teller, as the employee who had to listen and respond to the robber’s demands, had ample opportunity to view the robber and pay close attention to him at the time of robbery. She testified that she “looked up at his face” when he handed her a robbery note, and exchanged several words with him before handing him the cash drawer. At trial, she demonstrated a detailed memory of the robbery before seeing the photos of the robbery scene, describing the robber’s gun, his clothing and his movements in detail. While her prior description of the robber–that he was a tall black man with “medium complexion”–was somewhat vague, its accuracy had not been questioned. She did not express any doubt that Kellogg was the robber, repeating twice that she recognized him sitting in the courtroom. Therefore, although significant time had elapsed since the robbery, the other Bigger factors tend to support the reliability of the identification. The district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the identification.