Opinion ID: 1925518
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admission of Defendant's Previous Convictions for Domestic Violence

Text: The defendant's final contention on appeal is that the trial justice abused his discretion in permitting the jury to hear that he had been convicted twice previously of domestic assault, and then exacerbated the error by instructing the jury that one of the elements of the offense charged in count 4 was that defendant had two previous domestic assault convictions. During the trial, both parties stipulated that defendant had been twice previously convicted of a domestic violence crime. The trial justice then immediately instructed the jury that the stipulation was being offered to satisfy one of the elements of count 4, and that it was bound to accept the stipulation as conclusive proof of the facts so stipulated. He further instructed the jury that it could consider the stipulation only to satisfy the element of two previous convictions, and for no other purpose. [6] In the defendant's brief, however, he concedes that this issue is not properly before this Court because he did not raise it at trial. We agree. Under this Court's well established raise or waive rule, an issue that has not been raised and articulated previously at trial is not properly preserved for appellate review. State v. Gomez, 848 A.2d 221, 237 (R.I.2004) (quoting State v. Donato, 592 A.2d 140, 141 (R.I.1991)). Alleged errors at trial that were not brought to the attention of the trial justice will not be disturbed unless basic constitutional rights are concerned. Donato, 592 A.2d at 141. In the present case, not only did the defendant fail to raise an objection to his previous convictions being admitted to establish an element of simple assault, but he also, in fact, stipulated to their admission. Although the defendant did object when the state attempted to admit Ms. Eisom's testimony about the two previous assaults, his objection was sustained and the jury was prevented from hearing her account of the two previous incidents. See R.I.R. Evid. 404(b). However, the defendant later stipulated that the convictions did, in fact, occur and raised no objection to the jury instructions in this regard. Under these circumstances, based on our raise or waive rule, we decline to review the trial justice's admission of the stipulation concerning the defendant's two previous convictions. Having not raised it at trial, the defendant has waived the issue. We need not address, therefore, the trial justice's instructions regarding the convictions and the limited purpose for which the jury might have considered them.