Opinion ID: 2202344
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: the introduction into evidence of the boston herald article

Text: The defendant argues vigorously that the Boston Herald newspaper article describing the robbery and the taking of Officer Castillo as hostage should not have been admitted into evidence since it constituted the quintessence of hearsay. With this contention we are in agreement. Rule 801(c) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence defines hearsay as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. It is obvious that a newspaper article, if admitted into evidence as a full exhibit, fits the definition of hearsay. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine a more dramatic example of hearsay than a newspaper article written by a reporter from accounts given him by other persons and by his own observations when that reporter is not present in court and therefore not available for cross-examination. A veritable legion of cases have held that a newspaper article constitutes hearsay and is inadmissible to prove the facts asserted therein. See generally Annot., 55 A.L.R.3d 663 (1974). The state does not dispute the proposition that ordinarily a newspaper article would constitute hearsay. However, the state argues that this Boston Herald article is an exception to the rule of inadmissibility by reason of the fact that it was adopted as a statement by defendant and therefore qualifies as nonhearsay pursuant to Rule 801(d)(2)(B), which generally defines as nonhearsay a statement of which [defendant] has manifested [his] adoption or belief in its truth. This rule has long been recognized and is generally described in 4 Wigmore, Evidence § 1073 (Chadbourn rev. ed. 1972). The gist of an admission by adoption requires that the accused party, by conduct or express statement, creates the inference that he accepts the truth of the matter asserted in a written statement prepared by a third person. In the case at bar the only reference that the accused made to the newspaper article, according to the testimony of Ronnie Champagne, was that defendant pointed to a picture in the article and stated, That's me. In these circumstances defendant clearly adopted the photograph that depicted him as one of the persons involved in the robbery. It might also be inferred that he adopted the headline that stated that the article related to a bank robbery. However, there is absolutely nothing in the evidence introduced by the state that could justify an inference that defendant adopted the entire narrative of the article, including the hostage-taking and subsequent events leading to the death of John Hicks. This inflammatory and prejudicial material was not adopted by defendant either specifically or by implication. Consequently the trial justice was in error when he admitted this newspaper article in its entirety as a full exhibit for the truth of the matter asserted.