Opinion ID: 2570536
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Guardian Ad Litem Report

Text: Baumgartner also claims that he is entitled to a new trial based on newly discovered evidence that the State's chief witness, his ex-wife, lied under oath during her testimony concerning the guardian ad litem report. At trial, defense counsel asked the wife if she recalled having seen the report before. The wife responded: I honestly don't know if I have seen it before. I don't know if I've seen it before. I have boxes. I don't at this moment in time ever recall seeing that before. Baumgartner asserts that after the trial the prosecuting attorney told defense counsel that he showed Baumgartner's wife the guardian ad litem report immediately before trial. Therefore, Baumgartner concludes, his ex-wife's testimony that she did not recall having seen the report before was false. Beyond the bare assertion in Baumgartner's brief, however, there is no evidence in the record verifying the prosecutor's alleged statement to defense counsel. Nowhere in the record do we find an affidavit of defense counsel or the prosecuting attorney or any other independent evidence of the prosecutor's purported statement to defense counsel. Absent some evidence in the record verifying appellate counsel's assertion, we cannot consider Baumgartner's claim that he is entitled to a new trial based on newly discovered evidence.