Opinion ID: 1346416
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: impeachment of one's own witness

Text: The appellant further asserts that the trial court erred when it permitted the prosecution to impeach its own witness with a prior inconsistent statement that was unsworn and which the prosecution knew would be refuted at trial. During trial the prosecution called as one of its own witnesses the appellant's girlfriend, Pam Glasure. In her original statement made to the police, Glasure stated that she was the one who placed the anonymous telephone call to the local rescue squad directing them to send an ambulance to the address of the victim. She stated that she made the telephone call upon the instructions of the appellant. Glasure, however, at the preliminary hearing and before the grand jury, denied the truth of that portion of her statement as she did at the trial of the appellant. The trial judge then permitted the prosecution to impeach her testimony with the prior inconsistent statement over the objection of the appellant. In West Virginia, [t]he general rule is that one may not impeach his own witness absent entrapment, hostility or surprise. State v. Wayne, W.Va., 245 S.E.2d 838, 841 (1978). See also syl. pt. 5, State v. Ferguson, W.Va., 270 S.E.2d 166 (1980); syl. pt. 11, Hartley v. Crede, 140 W.Va. 133, 82 S.E.2d 672 (1954); syl. pt. 2, State v. Blankenship, 137 W.Va. 1, 69 S.E.2d 398 (1952), overruled on other grounds, State v. McAboy, W.Va., 236 S.E.2d 431, 432 (1977); syl. pt. 2, Lambert v. Armentrout, 65 W.Va. 375, 64 S.E. 260 (1909); syl. pt. 2, Stout v. Sands, 56 W.Va. 663, 49 S.E. 428 (1904). See generally 3A Wigmore on Evidence §§ 896-918 (Chadbourn Revision Supp. 1981). Pursuant to this well founded principle, the trial judge determined that the appellant's girlfriend had become hostile toward the prosecution during her direct examination and allowed the prosecution to impeach her with the prior inconsistent statement. At the request of the appellant, however, the jury was admonished by the trial judge that the prior inconsistent statement of the girlfriend could only be considered for credibility purposes and not for the truth of the matter asserted. The appellant cites many cases to support the proposition that a party may not impeach his own witness, however, we believe that the better rule is embodied in Rule 607 of the Federal Rules of Evidence which simply states: The credibility of a witness may be attacked by any party, including the party calling him. The purpose for the rejection of the previous rule is set forth in the Notes of the Advisory Committee which state: The traditional rule against impeaching one's own witness is abandoned as based on false premises. A party does not hold out his witness as worthy of belief, since he rarely has a free choice in selecting them. Denial of the right leaves the party at the mercy of the witness and the adversary. Fed.R.Evid. 607 advisory committee notes. See United States v. Freeman, 302 F.2d 347 (2d Cir.1962) (criticizing the traditional rule). See generally F. Cleckley, Handbook on Evidence for West Virginia Lawyers § 22 (Cum.Supp.1983). It should be noted that the adoption of Rule 607 does not free either party to introduce otherwise inadmissible evidence into trial under the guise of impeachment. See United States v. Miller, 664 F.2d 94 (5th Cir.1981), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 103 S.Ct. 121, 74 L.Ed.2d 106 (1982); United States v. Morlang, 531 F.2d 183 (4th Cir. 1975); United States v. Crowder, 346 F.2d 1 (6th Cir.1964), cert. denied, 382 U.S. 909, 86 S.Ct. 249, 15 L.Ed.2d 161 (1965). This Court stated in syllabus point 1 of State v. Spadafore, W.Va., 220 S.E.2d 655 (1975): In a criminal case prior out-of-court statements made by a witness cannot be admitted into evidence for the truth of the matter asserted unless they were made under oath in a judicial atmosphere during the taking of a deposition or at a former trial and were subject at that time to cross-examination by the opposing party's counsel. As we noted above, the trial judge admonished the jury to only consider the prior inconsistent statement of the appellant's girlfriend for credibility purposes and not for its truth. Therefore, the trial court did not violate the standards set forth in State v. Spadafore, supra . See also State v. Cochran, W.Va., 310 S.E.2d 476 (1983). With respect to the impeachment testimony of the appellant's girlfriend by her prior inconsistent statement, we hold that the trial court did not err when it allowed the prosecution to impeach its own witness with a prior inconsistent statement and limited the statement's value to the credibility of the witness. To the extent that prior cases expound a rule contrary to Rule 607 of the Federal Rules of Evidence they are overruled.