Opinion ID: 1187781
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: requiring a witness to testify

Text: Prior to Valdez' trial, Jose Avalos pled guilty to felony murder for his participation in the murder of Juan Ayon. Avalos had not yet been sentenced for felony murder. Avalos moved to withdraw his plea. The court denied his motion. The appeal of the denial of Avalos' motion to withdraw was still pending at the time of Valdez' trial. Avalos, invoking his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, refused to testify at Valdez' trial. Over Valdez' objection, the trial court found that Avalos had previously waived his privilege against self-incrimination by testifying under oath regarding his involvement in the murder of Ayon at Valdez' preliminary examination and ordered Avalos to testify. The court concluded that Valdez had no standing to object to a violation of Avalos' Fifth Amendment rights. Whether the trial court erred in ordering Avalos to testify in violation of Avalos' Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination is a question of law. An appellate court's scope of review on questions of law is unlimited. State v. Anderson, 259 Kan. 16, 18, 910 P.2d 180 (1996). There is no doubt that an individual's right against self-incrimination extends through sentencing. However, the right against self-incrimination pertains only to the person incriminated by his own testimony, not to others incriminated by his testimony. The right against self-incrimination is personal to the witness, and the defendant in a criminal action has no standing to assert the witness's privilege. State v. Smallwood, 223 Kan. 320, Syl. ¶ 5, 574 P.2d 1361 (1978). Valdez had the right to cross-examine the reluctant witness and cannot be protected by Avalos' Fifth Amendment right not to testify against himself. The trial court correctly found that Valdez had no standing to object.