Opinion ID: 1058661
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: assignments of error waived or abandoned

Text: Teleguz argues that the trial court's failure to strike Juror 50 for cause was error because she stated she could not consider information about Teleguz's background as mitigating evidence. This argument is a new argument not presented to the trial court. At trial, Teleguz argued that Juror 50 should have been removed from the venire due to a potential scheduling conflict involving the juror's child. Accordingly, we will not consider this argument raised for the first time on appeal. Rule 5:25; Goins v. Commonwealth, 251 Va. 442, 463, 470 S.E.2d 114, 128, cert. denied, 519 U.S. 887, 117 S.Ct. 222, 136 L.Ed.2d 154 (1996).
Teleguz asserts that the trial court erred in denying his mistrial motions based upon comments made by the Commonwealth during opening statements. The first comment was that Teleguz gave no reaction when told by the police about Sipe's murder, and that he did not ask about his son. The second comment referred to expected testimony of Teleguz's brother, Pavel Teleguz. A review of the record demonstrates that the trial court never denied a motion for mistrial with regard to either statement because no such motions were made. Although the trial court sustained Teleguz's motion in limine to exclude any evidence regarding his precustodial silence, Teleguz did not object, ask for a cautionary instruction, or move for a mistrial in conjunction with the Commonwealth's reference to precustodial silence in its opening statement. While Teleguz did object to the Commonwealth's comments regarding Pavel Teleguz's testimony, he did not request a mistrial. Teleguz only commented, I don't think we should risk a mistrial based on that before the trial court overruled the objection. Accordingly, these assignments of error do not address a ruling made by the trial court and we do not consider them. [2] Rule 5:17(c); Rawls v. Commonwealth, 272 Va. 334, 344, 634 S.E.2d 697, 701 (2006).
Teleguz argues that the trial court should have granted a motion for continuance raised when Investigator Whitfield testified regarding Moore's identification of Teleguz. The record shows that during this testimony, Teleguz asked for a mistrial or at least a continuance to allow him to find and question Moore. The trial court denied the motion for a mistrial but never ruled on the continuance request, and Teleguz did not seek a ruling on his motion for a continuance. Because this assignment of error does not address any ruling made by the trial court, we do not consider it. Rule 5:17(c); Riner v. Commonwealth, 268 Va. 296, 325, 601 S.E.2d 555, 571-72 (2004); Lenz v. Commonwealth, 261 Va. 451, 462-63, 544 S.E.2d 299, 305-06, cert. denied, 534 U.S. 1003, 122 S.Ct. 481, 151 L.Ed.2d 395 (2001).
Teleguz claims that the trial court's decision to permit Pavel Teleguz to testify as a hostile witness was error because it allowed the Commonwealth to use an investigator's notes for impeachment in violation of the Confrontation Clause of the United States Constitution, U.S. Const. amend. VI. The only argument submitted by Teleguz in this Court in support of this claim was a single sentence that the use of the investigator's notes in questioning Pavel Teleguz was wholly improper. Because Teleguz has failed to brief this assignment of error, it is abandoned. Rule 5:17(c); Muhammad v. Commonwealth, 269 Va. 451, 478-79, 619 S.E.2d 16, 31 (2005), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 126 S.Ct. 2035, 164 L.Ed.2d 794 (2006); Elliott v. Commonwealth, 267 Va. 396, 422, 593 S.E.2d 270, 286 (2004), cert. denied, 543 U.S. 1081, 125 S.Ct. 875, 160 L.Ed.2d 825 (2005).
Teleguz claims that the trial court erred in allowing testimony from Investigator Whitfield regarding the driving time between Teleguz's residence in Pennsylvania and the crime scene in Harrisonburg because such testimony was irrelevant and prejudicial. Teleguz did not raise these arguments at trial. Instead, Teleguz argued that the testimony should not be admitted because it described an experiment. We will not consider this new argument because it was not presented to the trial court. Rule 5:25; Goins, 251 Va. at 463, 470 S.E.2d at 128.
At trial, Pamela Woods testified, over Teleguz's objection, that Teleguz had asked Sipe to go with him but to leave their son behind. Teleguz argues that this testimony was irrelevant and prejudic[ial] and its admission was reversible error. At trial, Teleguz objected to this testimony on relevancy and hearsay grounds. The trial court sustained the hearsay objection but never ruled on the relevancy objection. Because the trial court did not issue a ruling on Teleguz's relevancy objection, there is no basis upon which this Court may consider the issue. Rule 5:17(c); Riner, 268 Va. at 325, 601 S.E.2d at 571-72; Lenz, 261 Va. at 462-63, 544 S.E.2d at 305-06. Finally, we do not consider Teleguz's argument that this testimony was prejudicial, because that argument was not presented to the trial court. Rule 5:25; Goins, 251 Va. at 463, 470 S.E.2d at 128.
When the Commonwealth sought to elicit testimony about a knife and a pair of gloves found in Teleguz's car shortly after the murder, Teleguz objected, arguing that the knife and gloves had not been connected to the murder and such evidence was therefore irrelevant. The trial court sustained Teleguz's objection finding the evidence too attenuated and prejudicial. Teleguz subsequently moved for a mistrial and if the mistrial was not granted to certainly instruct the jury with regard to the excluded evidence. The trial court responded by instructing the jury that the knife and gloves were not to be considered as evidence. Teleguz assigns error to the trial court's failure to grant his motion for a mistrial, arguing the Commonwealth's comments on the knife and gloves tainted the jury. Based on the record, we conclude that Teleguz has waived this assignment of error. When the trial court granted the request for the jury instruction, Teleguz raised no objection to the failure to grant the mistrial. Accordingly, this assignment of error is waived. Rule 5:25.
Teleguz assigns error to the admission of the photograph array because it was unduly suggestive. Teleguz's primary argument on this issue is that Moore's identification was unreliable due to the time of the day when Moore stated he saw Teleguz, and the fact that Moore was using drugs and drinking heavily when he saw the person leave Sipe's apartment. Teleguz's argument does not address the grounds on which the error was assigned and only refers to the array as containing four minorities as `fillers' and Teleguz's brother without more. In the absence of any substantive argument on why the display was unduly suggestive, this assignment of error has been abandoned. Rule 5:17(c).
Teleguz assigns error to the trial court's refusal to accept a stipulation regarding the testimony of Kimberly Woods. On brief, Teleguz argues only that the trial court erred in refusing to grant a continuance to allow Teleguz to secure Woods' attendance at trial. This argument does not relate to the assignment of error and accordingly we do not consider it here. Rule 5:17(c). In the absence of any argument in support of the assignment of error, the assignment of error is abandoned. Rule 5:17(c); see Juniper v. Commonwealth, 271 Va. 362, 414, 626 S.E.2d 383, 416, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 127 S.Ct. 397, 166 L.Ed.2d 282 (2006). Teleguz also claims that the trial court erred by refusing to allow Investigator Whitfield to testify regarding Woods' out of court statements. The only argument in support of this assignment of error is a single sentence that reiterates the assignment of error. Such a statement does not constitute an argument in support of the error assigned. Accordingly, this assignment of error is abandoned. Rule 5:17(c); Muhammad, 269 Va. at 478-79, 619 S.E.2d at 31; Elliott, 267 Va. at 422, 593 S.E.2d at 286.