Opinion ID: 2310758
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Donald Kiser

Text: Finally, Kiser sought to call his brother, Donald Kiser. Through separate counsel, Donald Kiser indicated that he intended to invoke his Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate himself if asked any questions concerning his involvement in the activities at the Willow Grove open air drug market. Kiser stated that he planned to ask Donald Kiser two questions: (i) his name, and (ii) his relationship to Kiser. Kiser wished to place his brother before the jury to demonstrate the physical similarities between the two individuals in an attempt to explain the potential for misidentification. The trial court determined that the limited questioning of Donald Kiser should be excluded for two reasons. First, the court found the evidence was cumulative because there were already two photographs of Donald Kiser in evidence. Second, the court ruled that the State would be unfairly prejudiced if Donald Kiser were permitted to testify because the State would be unable to cross-examine him in an effort to establish that there was no mistaken identification. Donald Kiser's appearance and identification could lead the jury to infer that he, and not his brother, was the individual who sold crack cocaine to the officers at the Willow Grove drug market. But his refusal to answer any questions other than his name and relationship to Kiser, would have precluded the State from effectively cross-examining him to dispel the inference that he was present at the time and place of the sale of drugs to the undercover officers. Cf. Farmer, 698 A.2d at 949. Here, the defense sought to restrict the State from conducting the cross-examination to which it was clearly entitled. The trial court did not err in refusing to permit the defense to set the parameters for the State's cross-examination. Finally, because there were already two photographs of Donald Kiser in evidence that were viewed by the jury, it was not error for the trial judge to determine that the State would be unduly prejudiced if Donald Kiser was permitted to testify. [4]