Opinion ID: 2361084
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Confession and Mental State

Text: Holloman argues that the trial court committed prejudicial error when it excluded evidence that demonstrated that his confession was not worthy of belief. The defense sought to introduce the testimony of Dr. Wagner, a Clinical Psychologist, concerning Holloman's mental retardation and how that condition affects his ability to understand and to communicate. It maintains that the proposed testimony was relevant on the question of the credibility of the confession because the condition of Holloman makes him vulnerable to suggestibility, to manipulation and to intimidation. When the trial judge ruled that the evidence could not be admitted at trial, Holloman presented the testimony of Dr. Wagner by avowal. After Dr. Wagner testified on avowal, the trial judge excluded the testimony for three reasons. First, he agreed with the Commonwealth that the opinion testimony would go to the ultimate issue of the voluntariness of the confession. Second, he believed the defense was using the testimony of Dr. Wagner as a subterfuge to get into evidence mental retardation as a sympathy factor for the defendant. Finally, the trial judge stated that he was concerned that defense counsel did not give appropriate notice that it intended to offer such testimony. In the context of lay testimony, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Crane v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 683, 106 S.Ct. 2142, 90 L.Ed.2d 636 (1986), held that a defendant is denied his 6th and 14th Amendment right to present a defense if prohibited from presenting evidence about the physical and psychological environment in which the confession was obtained. Therein, a 16-year-old minor was arrested for robbery and, while being questioned, confessed to a totally unrelated murder and robbery. Counsel for the defendant in that case unsuccessfully attempted to introduce evidence relating to the duration of the interrogation or the individuals who were present in order to show that the confession was not worthy of belief. In reversing the conviction and remanding the case for harmless error analysis, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected the determination by the trial court that the issue had been resolved by its earlier finding that the defendant had confessed voluntarily. The Court explained that the Due Process Clause and the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment entitle a criminal defendant to a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense, entirely independent of the determination of the voluntariness of his confession. Crane v. Kentucky, supra , is dispositive. Here, as in Crane , even though the issue of voluntariness had been ruled upon, Holloman also had the constitutional right to a fair opportunity to persuade the jury that his statements were not credible and should not be believed. His proffered expert testimony should not have been excluded on the basis of relevancy because it was permissible evidence bearing directly on the reliability of his statements. The stated reasons offered by the trial judge for excluding the testimony were not sufficient. When a constitutional error may have contributed to the conviction, it is presumed to be prejudicial unless the reviewing court can declare that it was harmless error beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967). In determining whether an error is prejudicial, an appellate court must consider whether upon the whole case there is a substantial possibility that the result would have been any different. Abernathy v. Commonwealth, Ky., 439 S.W.2d 949, 952 (1969). Two important circumstances in making such a determination are the weight of the evidence and the degree of punishment fixed by the verdict. Abernathy, supra . Here, although the testimony by the prosecuting victim was enough to convict Holloman, the jury imposed the maximum sentence on each charge. Consequently, the error was not harmless. Thus, we must reverse the conviction and remand for a new trial.