Opinion ID: 2387298
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ken Edwards's Testimony

Text: For her fifth point for reversal, Appellant argues that it was error for the trial court to allow Appellees to present testimony from Edwards's cousin, Ken Edwards, concerning a prior violent incident involving Edwards. Appellee argues that Ken's testimony was independently relevant under A.R.E. Rule 404(b) to show Edwards's motive and intent in his actions against David Stills, and to show that Edwards had the mental capacity to commit the acts against Stills. The trial court found that the probative value of the evidence outweighed any prejudicial effect, in light of Appellant's defense that Edwards was suffering from a mental disease or defect. Ken testified that he had previously been partners with Edwards in a bonded and public warehouse venture. In mid-August 1994, Edwards called Ken's home and asked Ken to meet him for coffee at Edwards's new warehouse. Ken agreed to meet Edwards at the warehouse, and when he arrived, Edwards acted normal and was friendly to Ken. Within ten or fifteen minutes of their being inside the warehouse, Edwards's demeanor changed. They walked around the warehouse for a little while discussing business. When they went back in the inner recesses of the building, Edwards became angry and began to curse and said, someone's been in here messing with my paperwork and it would have to be a lawyer, and I think it's you. Edwards also accused Ken of messing around with his wife. Ken denied the accusations and started to leave when Edwards stated, No, stay right where you are. Edwards then went some distance away and came back with gloves on and a knife in his hand. A fight ensued and Edwards began swinging rather wildly, grazing Ken on the ear and cutting it a little bit. After some mutual shoving, Ken ran away from Edwards, but he could not get out of the building because Edwards had previously locked the door. They chased one another around the building for about three hours, until Edwards began to get exhausted and more upset. Afterwards, Edwards told Ken that he was convinced Ken was lying to him, and that Ken or some lawyer or some of Ken's partners were trying to ruin him. Edwards told Ken that he was going to let him go, but that if Ken's partner did not show up, as he had been invited to do, Edwards would know that Ken had intervened and he would have to kill him. Despite the threat, Edwards never pursued Ken again. Rule 404(b) provides that evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that he acted in conformity therewith, but such evidence is admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident. Johnson v. State, 333 Ark. 673, 972 S.W.2d 935 (1998). Evidence offered under Rule 404(b) must be independently relevant, thus having a tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Id. We have stressed the requirement that there be a very high degree of similarity between the charged crime and the prior uncharged act. Id. The admission or rejection of evidence under Rule 404(b) is left to the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed absent a manifest abuse of discretion. Munson v. State, 331 Ark. 41, 959 S.W.2d 391 (1998). Before testimony of another crime is admitted under Rule 404(b), the probative value of the evidence must be weighed against the danger of unfair prejudice. Id. The standard of review of a trial court's weighing of probative value against unfair prejudice is whether the trial court abused its discretion. Id. Appellant relies heavily on this court's decision in Diffee v. State, 319 Ark. 669, 894 S.W.2d 564 (1995), for her assertion that the evidence was improper because there was not a high degree of similarity between the acts against Ken Edwards and those against Stills. She relies on the following specific holding of Diffee : There are two requirements for introducing evidence of an unrelated prior act to show a method of operation: (1) both acts must be committed with the same or strikingly similar methodology; and (2) the methodology must be so unique that both acts can be attributed to one individual. Id. at 675, 894 S.W.2d at 567 (quoting Frensley v. State, 291 Ark. 268, 724 S.W.2d 165 (1987) (citing Edward J. Imwinkelried, Uncharged Misconduct Evidence §§ 3.10 to 3.12 (1984))). Appellant's reliance on this holding is misplaced. It is obvious from the language that the expressed requirements pertain only to evidence intended to show method of operation. Here, the evidence was admitted to show Edwards's intent and motive, as well as his mental capacity to form such intent or motive. Moreover, in Diffee, 319 Ark. 669, 894 S.W.2d 564, this court rejected the State's theory that the evidence was admissible to show Diffee's intent, plan, and identity, because there was little similarity between the charged act and the prior uncharged act. There, Diffee was charged with murdering her mother by stabbing her twenty-two times with an ice pick. The State presented testimony of Diffee's former husband, Eddie Diffee, that approximately three years earlier, Eddie had been sleeping in their home when he swiped and hit something that fell out of Diffee's hand, onto the floor. The object cut three of his fingers and struck him between his sideburn and eye. Diffee screamed and ran through the house to the kitchen, where she stated that a man had just run through their house. The next day, Eddie found an ice pick laying on the floor on the same side of the bed where he had been sleeping when he was injured. This court concluded that the trial court erred in allowing Eddie's testimony on the ground that such use of an ice pick to assault her ex-husband, absent specific threats to him or other evidence of an intent or plan to inflict harm or take his life, simply does not pass muster as permitted evidence under A.R.E. 404(b). Id. at 679, 894 S.W.2d at 570 (emphasis added). In contrast, here, Edwards's actions against both Ken Edwards and David Stills involved not only very similar methods, but also specific threats to inflict physical harm upon both victims and, ultimately, to kill them. Both incidents involved (1) Edwards's delusions that the victims were somehow out to ruin him or his family and were also involved with his wife; (2) a plan to get the victim alone on Edwards's turf by evidencing a desire to talk about business; and (3) terrorizing the victim with the threat of death and the use of physical violence. Considering Appellant's defense that Edwards suffered from a mental disease or defect at the time the acts were committed against Stills, evidence that Edwards had planned and committed a similar act a mere seven months earlier was relevant to show that he had the intent and capability to plan his actions against Stills and to carry out those plans. The trial court properly weighed the probative value of the evidence against the danger of unfair prejudice to Appellant's case and concluded that the evidence was probative of Edwards's intent and was particularly relevant to counter Appellant's defense of mental disease or defect. As such, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in permitting the testimony.