Opinion ID: 2546826
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Third-Party Statement

Text: During trial, the circuit court also allowed certain testimony from Detective Paul Shepard over Decay's objection. In doing so, Decay alleges that the circuit court violated his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him. The State contends that the testimony was not hearsay and, therefore, there was not a violation of the Confrontation Clause. Again, the decision to admit or exclude evidence is within the sound discretion of the circuit court, and we will not reverse a circuit court's decision regarding the admission of evidence absent a manifest abuse of discretion. See Rodriguez v. State, 372 Ark. 335, 276 S.W.3d 208 (2008). Detective Paul Shepard testified at trial that the investigation had led us to an individual that told us that Mr. Decay told him that he committed the murders. Although Decay made a hearsay objection, the State argued that the information was not being used to try to prove that Decay committed the murders, but why the investigation turned to Decay. The record reveals that this testimony was in response to a line of questioning from the State regarding why Decay was not arrested on April 4, 2007, but was arrested on April 6, 2007. Therefore, as the State contended, the testimony went to the course of conduct of the officers and why Decay was arrested, not to prove the truth of the matter asserted in the statement. Hearsay is defined as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Ark. R. Evid. 801(c) (2009). The circuit court correctly held that Shepard's testimony was not hearsay, as it was not offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Therefore, Decay's argument under the Confrontation Clause is misplaced, as the admission of testimony that is not hearsay raises no Confrontation Clause concerns. See Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36, 124 S.Ct. 1354, 158 L.Ed.2d 177 (2004) (observing that the Confrontation Clause does not bar the use of testimonial statements for purposes other than establishing the truth of the matter asserted); see also United States v. Tucker, 533 F.3d 711 (8th Cir.2008) (noting that testimonial statements offered for purposes other than their truth do not implicate the Confrontation Clause).