Opinion ID: 2590797
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Christina Moellmer and Gene Kelley

Text: ¶ 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.