Opinion ID: 2354297
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Cross-examination of Angel Soto.

Text: Angel Soto, Appellant's older brother, testified during the penalty phase that he and Appellant were both physically and psychologically abused by their foster parents and that, as a result, he (Angel) had difficulty controlling his own anger. The following colloquy occurred during cross-examination by the prosecutor: Q. And despite the treatment and abuses that you have described earlier, I assume that you do not beat your wife, do you? A. No sir. Q. You do not beat your nine-year-old daughter? A. No sir. Q. And you have never murdered two people? A. No sir. Contrary to Appellant's assertion, this line of questioning did not exceed the wide latitude afforded to parties on cross-examination. KRE 611(b); Bray v. Commonwealth, Ky., 68 S.W.3d 375, 384-85 (2002); Commonwealth v. Maddox, Ky., 955 S.W.2d 718, 721 (1997). The purpose of Angel's testimony on direct examination was to imply that Appellant's abusive family background caused him to shoot his ex-wife and murder his former in-laws. The Commonwealth was entitled to rebut this premise by showing that, despite sharing the same background, Angel had not been moved to commit similar crimes of violence. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in permitting this line of questioning. Bray, supra, at 384-85; Maddox, supra, at 721.