Opinion ID: 1869128
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony Regarding Circumstances of a Police Interview

Text: In the third claim in his petition, Hurd argues that the district court erred when the court sustained the State's objection to portions of Hurd's testimony that would have described the circumstances of his 1981 interview by three police officers at a park in Cushing, Wisconsin. We review district court rulings on evidentiary issues for abuse of discretion. State v. Henderson, 620 N.W.2d 688, 698 (Minn. 2001). Taking the stand in his own defense, Hurd testified that he initially refused to answer the officers' questions after he received a Miranda warning, but that his probation officer, who was also present, told him it would be in his best interest to answer the questions. On direct examination, Hurd's attorney asked, Did [the probation officer] elaborate on that, on what he meant by it would be in your best interests [to answer questions]? The State objected and argued that further testimony about the probation officer's statements to Hurd would have been hearsay. Hurd's attorney argued that the probation officer's statement was not offered for its truth, but was offered to show the facts and circumstances under which [Hurd] made the statement [to the police]. Such facts and circumstances, according to Hurd, would include the probation officer's statements showing that the officer encouraged Hurd to talk. The State responded that the probation officer's statements would be offered to show that Hurd's answers at the interview were not voluntary, and that the issue of voluntariness had been already decided in the omnibus hearing before trial. The trial court agreed with the State that voluntariness had been already litigated and that these statements would serve no other purpose, and it sustained the State's objection. The right to present evidence attacking the credibility of a confession is derived from the guarantee that a criminal defendant must have `a meaningful opportunity to present a complete defense.' Crane v. Kentucky, 476 U.S. 683, 690, 106 S.Ct. 2142, 90 L.Ed.2d 636 (1986) (quoting California v. Trombetta, 467 U.S. 479, 485, 104 S.Ct. 2528, 81 L.Ed.2d 413 (1984)); Bixler v. State, 582 N.W.2d 252, 255 (Minn.1998). The ability to present a complete defense is compromised if a defendant who previously confessed to the crime cannot answer the jury's implicit question: If the defendant is innocent, why did he previously admit his guilt? Crane, 476 U.S. at 689, 106 S.Ct. 2142. But Hurd did not confess to any crime in the Cushing police interview. Instead, Hurd attempts to discredit his statements to the police because some of those statements are inconsistent with his testimony at trial. [17] Even if the rationale of Crane was applicable in this situation, and the trial court could therefore be said to have erred, an issue we do not decide, any error is harmless on this record. Crane, 476 U.S. at 691, 106 S.Ct. 2142 (stating that harmless error analysis applies to determine if defendant's right to present a complete defense was violated); State v. Greer, 635 N.W.2d 82, 92 (Minn.2001) (concluding that any error was harmless because defendant was otherwise able to directly attack the credibility of his statement to police). As in Greer, Hurd had ample opportunity to explain the physical and psychological environment of the interview, and thereby attempt to undermine the credibility of his statement, even though he was not able to relate precisely everything that the probation officer allegedly said to him. Because Hurd was able to explain the circumstances of the interview, any error in refusing admission of the specific testimony was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt, and therefore there is no merit to the third claim in Hurd's petition.