Opinion ID: 155750
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Evidence of Subsequent Attack on the Babysitters

Text: 23 Sarracino appeals the district court's decision to allow Corpuz and Trujillo to testify to his statement and to the circumstances surrounding his admission. He also appeals the court's denial of his motion for a mistrial. We review both the district court's decision to admit evidence and its denial of a motion for mistrial for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Segien, 114 F.3d 1014, 1022 (10th Cir.1997) (admission of evidence), petition for cert. filed (U.S. Aug. 26, 1997) (No. 97-6568); United States v. Linn, 31 F.3d 987, 993 (10th Cir.1994) (mistrial). 24 The government's notice of intent to introduce Corpuz and Trujillo's testimony indicated that Sarracino stated, I'm down for two, what's two more, while he was a fugitive facing charges on the murders of Nelson and Brown and while he was assaulting and threatening to kill Corpuz and Trujillo. Sarracino did not object to the admission of his statements as hearsay although he did make objections under Rules 401, 402, and 403. Sarracino's main objection, however, was a Rule 404(b) objection to the admission of the circumstances surrounding the statement which revealed a violent assault on the two babysitters. The trial court overruled Sarracino's objections and admitted the testimony as an admission against interest and an explanation of the circumstances surrounding the admission. The trial court explicitly stated that it was not admitting the evidence under Rule 404(b). 25 At trial, Corpuz testified that Sarracino stated he had already killed before and it wouldn't matter if he killed us because he was like a ghost and they wouldn't know where to call or where to look. Trujillo testified that Sarracino told Corpuz that it wouldn't matter what he did ... everybody was looking for him ... he was a dead man already, so what difference would two more make. The defense contended that Sarracino had a prior manslaughter conviction to which the statement about having killed before could refer and that as a result the testimony did not constitute an admission relevant to the case on trial. Consequently, the defense moved for a mistrial due to Rule 404(b) violations after Corpuz's testimony on direct examination. The motion was denied. 26 On appeal, Sarracino argues that the evidence was not admissible because the substance of the witnesses' testimony did not establish that Sarracino's statement related to the case on trial, as distinguished from other conduct. He also argues that the testimony about the details of the attack was inadmissible under Rule 404(b). 27 The district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to strike Corpuz's testimony and in refusing to grant Sarracino's motion for a mistrial. The jury could reasonably infer Sarracino's statements were made in connection with the events at issue in the trial, especially because the remarks tend to indicate that he was on the run from some sort of killing. In addition, when Sarracino testified on his own behalf he admitted making remarks about I'm down for two, what's two more, a statement even more specific than Corpuz and Trujillo's testimony, although he tried to dismiss that remark as drunk talk. 28 Because the evidence of the attack was clearly evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts, however, the district court erred in not analyzing the evidence under Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b). Under Rule 404(b), we examine whether: 29 (1) the prosecution offered the evidence for a proper purpose under Rule 404(b); (2) the evidence is relevant under Fed.R.Evid. 401; (3) the evidence's probative value is not substantially outweighed by its potential for unfair prejudice under Fed.R.Evid. 403; and (4) the district court, upon request, gave a proper instruction limiting the jury's consideration of the evidence to the purpose for which it was admitted. 30 Segien, 114 F.3d at 1022-23. Although the district court did not undertake a formal Rule 404(b) analysis, we may review the omission for harmless error. United States v. Kimball, 73 F.3d 269, 272 (10th Cir.1995). 31 Rule 404(b) identifies several proper purposes for admitting evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts, including proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Fed.R.Evid. 404(b). Further, we have recognized that Rule 404(b)'s listing is not exclusive: the rule is one of inclusion, rather than exclusion, unless the evidence is introduced for the impermissible purpose or is unduly prejudicial. Segien, 114 F.3d at 1022; see also United States v. Lara, 956 F.2d 994, 997 (10th Cir.1992) (admitting evidence of separate indictment to impeach defendant's direct testimony that he had not been prosecuted for anything); Jack B. Weinstein & Margaret A. Berger, 2 Weinstein's Federal Evidence § 404.22[a] (2d ed.1997) (collecting cases). 32 One proper purpose for admitting Rule 404(b) evidence is to show the context of a charged crime. See United States v. Brewer, 1 F.3d 1430, 1436 (4th Cir.1993); United States v. Lehder-Rivas, 955 F.2d 1510, 1516 (11th Cir.1992); United States v. Moore, 735 F.2d 289, 292 (8th Cir.1984) (per curiam); United States v. Masters, 622 F.2d 83, 86 (4th Cir.1980); United States v. Wright, 606 F.2d 939, 939 (10th Cir.1979) (per curiam). We recognize that the context evidence at issue here relates to the admission rather than directly to the charged crime. Although we have been unable to find any cases applying the context principle to a once-removed situation like the one before us, we believe the reasons for admitting context evidence apply equally in this situation. A jury cannot be expected to make its decision in a void. Masters, 622 F.2d at 86. The members of the jury had to determine what weight to give to Sarracino's admission, and to do so they had to know the circumstances under which the admission was made. Consequently, because the evidence was offered to show context and not merely to show Sarracino had a tendency toward violence, the first part of the Rule 404(b) test was satisfied. 33 Two other parts of the Rule 404(b) test are also satisfied. As discussed above, the testimony about the attack was relevant to evaluating the admission and therefore relevant to whether Sarracino committed the crimes for which he was indicted. Further, Sarracino does not argue, and the record does not indicate, that he was refused a jury instruction regarding the limited uses of the evidence. 34 The remaining part of the Rule 404(b) test--whether the prejudicial impact of the evidence outweighs its probative value--is only partially satisfied. The majority of the evidence was more probative than prejudicial in establishing context for the admission, and thus the district court did not abuse its discretion in admitting it. However, the testimony about the details of the attack may have been carried too far. Corpuz's testimony about Sarracino putting the rifle into her mouth and the recurring headaches she suffers as a result of the beating, for example, was not necessary to explain the context of Sarracino's admission, and it was more prejudicial than probative because those details tended merely to highlight Sarracino's violent nature. However, to the extent that the admission of such testimony was error, it was harmless given Sarracino's own testimony about the attack on the babysitters essentially confirming those details, as well as the overwhelming evidence about the horrific nature of the crimes for which Sarracino was tried.