Opinion ID: 2264062
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Decedent's Declarations

Text: The defendant assigns as error the trial justice's admission of out-of-court statements that the victim made to Paiement, a neighbor of defendant. Paiement testified, over defendant's objection, that Jacques told her over the phone that on one occasion Jacques attempted to get in touch with defendant, and, on a separate occasion, that Jacques was concerned about the whereabouts of a package. The defendant argues that the trial justice erred in admitting these statements pursuant to the decedent's declarations exception to the hearsay rule. The record discloses that the substance of these statements was corroborated by other evidence suggesting that defendant had not finished returning Jacques's assets, including the note found at the crime scene concerning defendant's obligation to return Jacques's money. Therefore, any error in admitting this evidence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. 2