Opinion ID: 2380238
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Evidence of Others' Threats and Motives

Text: Because of the circumstantial nature of the evidence linking the defendant to the homicide, the defendant sought at trial to create a reasonable doubt of his guilt by suggesting that other persons were responsible for the act. As defense counsel explained out of the jury's presence, two theories were thought to implicate as the assailant Joseph Albert, the husband of Arlene Ledger Albert and the son-in-law of the defendant. Both theories rest on the same factual basis. Mr. Albert was an inmate at the Pre-Release Center in Bangor where, defense counsel stated, members of its population are granted restricted liberties. Albert took some food, which he said was stolen from the Center, to the Ledger's house in Smithfield. Joan Ledger, another of the defendant's daughters, learned of this and reported it to the Center's officials. Joan also told her father who himself notified either the officials, or a person who later reported the matter to them. Defense counsel further represented that Mr. Albert made less than valid threats and indirect threats against both the defendant and his daughter, Joan. The defendant testified, without objection, that he thought the bullets which killed his wife were meant for me. Defense counsel also theorized that Mr. Albert intended to kill Joan because of her participation in reporting the stolen food. Counsel therefore sought to introduce a photograph demonstrating the physical similarities between Joan and her mother, the victim. Before the defendant testified, and at several points during Joan Ledger's testimony, both counsel engaged in colloquies with the court concerning the admissibility of Mr. Albert's testimony and of the photograph depicting Joan Ledger and her mother, as such evidence would bear on the issue of identification. The defendant asserts on this appeal that the presiding justice erred in excluding the testimony of Mr. Albert. We do not so construe the court's ruling. The lower court appeared to recognize the general rule that a defendant may introduce evidence tending to show that another person committed or harbored an intent, motive, and opportunity to commit the crime of which that defendant is charged, if such evidence is not too remote in time or too weak in probative value under M.R. Evid. 403. See, e.g., State v. LeClair, Me., 425 A.2d 182, 187 (1981); State v. Kotsimpulos, Me., 411 A.2d 79, 81 (1980); State v. Berube, 139 Me. 11, 15, 26 A.2d 654, 656 (1942); Marrone v. State, 359 P.2d 969, 984-85 (Alaska 1961); State v. Schmid, 109 Ariz. 349, 355-356, 509 P.2d 619, 625-26 (1973); cf. State v. Hilton, Me., 431 A.2d 1296, 1299 (1981). Before the defendant took the witness stand, both counsel and the court discussed the possibility that the defendant would implicate Mr. Albert in the homicide. The following exchange ensued after defense counsel expressed an intention to present Mr. Albert as a witness and to introduce into evidence proof of his manslaughter conviction: [State's counsel]: Well, regardless of the conviction, my position is, there is no way under the Rules of Evidence that is admissible to prove that he [Albert] might have committed this act. [Defense counsel]: I agree absolutely with that. COURT: Well, I don't want you to put him [Albert] on the stand and seek to discredit his testimony unless there is a reason that Harold [Ledger] had for fearing for his life. . . . ... I want to be satisfied there is a basis for [implicating Albert] as opposed to just charging someone because he is conveniently in the family and has been convicted in a criminal matter before, and he is conveniently there. After further discussion, the court told defense counsel: I don't think there is any way I am going to permit you to put on Albert unless you can establish the kind of testimony . . . [that can be] discredit[ed by] the introduction of his record. It doesn't make sense. You're trying to suggest something that isn't there. When making these remarks, the presiding justice appeared to have understood the defendant's strategy to be the presentation of Mr. Albert as a witness in order to introduce his criminal record. The court's remarks demonstrate that it would permit Mr. Albert to testify that he had threatened the defendant or Joan Ledger; conversely, the court would not permit him to take the stand if the defendant's only purpose was to effect the admission of Mr. Albert's manslaughter conviction. See M.R.Evid. 404(a)(2), 607-609. The nature of this ruling was made even more clear during a subsequent conference in chambers. [Defense counsel]: ... The Court at one point requested whether I was going to put [Albert] on the stand or not. COURT: I acknowledge that you can call him and put him on the stand. I said I didn't know what you would do. I understood you would put him on the stand just to try to discredit his testimony by showing his record. It is thus apparent that the court below did not prevent the defendant from calling Mr. Albert to testify as to whether he had made any threats against either the defendant or Joan Ledger. His failure to testify is not attributable to the court, and so no error can be found in the defense counsel's election not to call him as a witness. [13] Also revealing is the parties' discussion with the court about whether Joan Ledger would be permitted to testify that she was aware of threats made against her by Joseph Albert: COURT: Then, as I say, you want to put [Joan Ledger] on, I guess, and she will say she heard some threats. You're entitled to put them on, but I'm a little bit reluctant to listen to it, so once you have introduced this evidence by way of hearsay, because I guess the State is also entitled to cross examine the witness, equally, especially because of the consequence of this kind of evidence of this nature that could be put on. As I said, whether they are valid threats or invalid threats to this witness, you can introduce it. [Defense counsel]: Your Honor, can I not introduce the fact that she did make complaints [to the Center] on behalf of her father. From my question yesterday, as I understand it, I can't get into anything that she heard about these threats. That would be hearsay, as I understand it. COURT: What makes the information material and relevant, sure, but I can rule it as hearsay if you get the threats in. I don't know at this point. [State's attorney]: Maybe I won't object if she proves it.[ [14] ] Defense counsel asked no further questions on direct examination when this conference terminated. Thus, while defense counsel indicated to the court an intent to elicit from Joan Ledger testimony of the threats, and while the court left open the door to such questioning, the opportunity to do so was never actually exploited. The defendant cannot now argue that the court refused admission of testimony about such threats. The defendant also offered a photograph of Joan Ledger and her mother for the purpose of showing that the two looked alike. Without proving as a foundation that a third party may have intended to harm Joan, a demonstration that Joan physically resembled her mother would have been immaterial to any issue then in the case. See Field and Murray, Maine Evidence § 401.1 (1976). The trial court explicitly conditioned the admissibility of that photograph on the production of proof that threats were in fact made against Joan. This ruling was correct and without error. See M.R.Evid. 401. Finally, the defendant sought to introduce several photographs which portrayed Joseph Albert and the defendant's son. A hospital employee had testified that, for several seconds, he saw someone look into the defendant's car when it was parked in the hospital parking lot during the week of May 11, 1980. The witness' description of that person was vague, and he was unable to determine whether or not any of those persons in the photographs resembled the person he saw some months earlier. [15] Rulings on the admissibility of demonstrative evidence are reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Cope v. Sevigny, Me., 289 A.2d 682, 689 (1972). Because the hospital employee was unable to say whether the photograph portrayed the same person he saw peering into the car in May 1980, the court did not abuse its discretion in excluding the photograph. See McCormick, Handbook of the Law of Evidence § 214 (1972).