Opinion ID: 1399654
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Address of Witness

Text: Epperson states that the prosecution improperly concealed the whereabouts of Hamilton and denied him a fair trial. In a footnote to a September 10, 1998 motion the defense requested that the Commonwealth put forth proof why Hamilton's whereabouts have been kept secret. At a contentious pre-trial hearing on October 26, 1998, the prosecutor stated that Hamilton was afraid for her life. Hamilton's identity was not secret, thus, the balancing test enunciated in Roviaro v. United States, 353 U.S. 53, 77 S.Ct. 623, 1 L.Ed.2d 639 (1957) does not apply here. Furthermore, a defendant does not have a constitutional right to gain access to every witness he desires. United States v. Bailey, 834 F.2d 218 (1st Cir.1987). United States v. Oliver, 908 F.2d 260 (8th Cir.1990) identified two general inquiries that should be considered in determining whether such a right exists. First, whether the defendant has shown reasonable diligence in attempting to obtain the requested information without the government's assistance. Second, whether the defendant has demonstrated that the requested information would have led to the admission of otherwise undiscoverable evidence that is both material and favorable to the defendant. The first question requires consideration of whether the address of Hamilton was exclusively within the control and knowledge of the prosecutor. Oliver, supra . Here, there is no evidence Hamilton was in hiding  the prosecution noted she was working, nor is there any evidence that the prosecution limited her contact with the defendant. In fact, the prosecutor recognized that the defense had a right to talk to the witness, but he was not going to get the information for them. Even if defense counsel exercised reasonable diligence in searching for Hamilton, he still has not shown that her testimony would have been any more material and favorable had a pre-trial meeting occurred. Defense counsel had an adequate opportunity to cross-examine Hamilton at trial, especially on the alleged tape-recorded conversations that she had with Bartley.