Opinion ID: 2345197
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Denial of Motion in Limine to Preclude Juvenile Adjudications

Text: Appellant next contends that the trial court abused its discretion by denying his motion in limine, which requested the exclusion of evidence of his five juvenile adjudications that occurred in 1995 through 1997, more than ten years prior to his trial, which commenced on August 4, 2008. [15] As noted, Appellant's juvenile adjudications consisted of the following: (1) a July 20, 1995 adjudication for robbery, theft, and receiving stolen property; (2) a July 20, 1995 adjudication for burglary; (3) an October 1, 1996 adjudication for conspiracy to commit theft; (4) an April 7, 1997 adjudication for burglary; and (5) an August 21, 1997 adjudication for theft. Before discussing the parties' arguments on this issue, we examine the legal basis for their contention, namely our decision in Commonwealth v. Randall, 515 Pa. 410, 528 A.2d 1326 (1987), and our subsequent adoption of Pa.R.E. 609. In Randall, this Court held that evidence of prior convictions can be introduced for the purpose of impeaching the credibility of a witness if the conviction was for an offense involving dishonesty or false statement, and the date of conviction or the last date of confinement is within ten years of the trial date. Id., 528 A.2d at 1329. [16] We went on to hold that [i]f a period greater than ten years has expired the presiding judge must determine whether the value of the evidence substantially outweighs its prejudicial effect. Id. This rule of law is embodied in Pa.R.E. 609, which provides, in relevant part, as follows: Rule 609. Impeachment by evidence of conviction of crime (a) General rule. For the purpose of attacking the credibility of any witness, evidence that the witness has been convicted of a crime, whether by verdict or by plea of guilty or nolo contendere, shall be admitted if it involved dishonesty or false statement. (b) Time limit. Evidence of a conviction under this rule is not admissible if a period of more than ten years has elapsed since the date of the conviction or of the release of the witness from the confinement imposed for that conviction, whichever is the later date, unless the court determines, in the interests of justice, that the probative value of the conviction substantially outweighs its prejudicial effect. However, evidence of a conviction more than ten years old as calculated herein is not admissible unless the proponent gives to the adverse party sufficient advance written notice of intent to use such evidence to provide the adverse party with a fair opportunity to contest the use of such evidence.    (d) Juvenile Adjudications. In a criminal case only, evidence of the adjudication of delinquency for an offense under the Juvenile Act, 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 6301 et seq., may be used to impeach the credibility of a witness if conviction of the offense would be admissible to attack the credibility of an adult. We explained in Randall that the following factors should be considered by the trial court in determining whether previous convictions, which are outside the ten-year time frame, are admissible for purposes of impeachment: (1) the degree to which the commission of the prior offense reflects upon the veracity of the defendant-witness; (2) the likelihood, in view of the nature and extent of the prior record, that it would have a greater tendency to smear the character of the defendant and suggest a propensity to commit the crime for which he stands charged, rather than provide a legitimate reason for discrediting him as an untruthful person; (3) the age and circumstances of the defendant; (4) the strength of the prosecution's case and the prosecution's need to resort to this evidence as compared with the availability to the defense of other witnesses through which its version of the events surrounding the incident can be presented; and (5) the existence of alternative means of attacking the defendant's credibility. Id., 528 A.2d at 1328 (citing Commonwealth v. Roots, 482 Pa. 33, 393 A.2d 364, 367 (1978)). [17] Appellant argues that all five adjudications fell outside the ten-year time frame that would have rendered such evidence per se admissible under Rule 609(b), and were only admissible if their probative value outweighed any prejudicial effect. Contrary to the trial court's ruling, Appellant submits that the prejudicial effect clearly outweighed any probative value because most of the adjudications occurred when he was thirteen or fourteen years' old, and he was twenty-six years'-old at the time of trial. Further, Appellant contends that the number of adjudications besmirched his character and suggested to the jury that Appellant had a propensity to commit the crime for which he was charged. Finally, and, most significantly, he maintains that evidence of his previous juvenile adjudications severely prejudiced him because credibility was critical to the jury's determination of whether to believe Appellant's claim that he was justified in using deadly force. Appellant asserts that Officer Eddinger was the primary Commonwealth witness who observed the events leading to the shooting, and could not have testified as to Appellant's state of mind when he fired the fatal shots. Thus, he concludes that the entire case rested on credibility determinations, which he maintains would have been different had the jury not been aware of his juvenile adjudications. The Commonwealth counters that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying Appellant's motion in limine to preclude admission of his juvenile adjudications. Initially, it asserts that the various juvenile adjudications fall within the ten-year provision of Rule 609, and are automatically admissible because Appellant was still under some type of supervision within ten years of the date of trial. Regardless of whether the adjudications fall within the requisite time period of Rule 609, however, the Commonwealth maintains that the trial court properly held that the probative value of the crimen falsi adjudications outweighed any prejudicial effect because they reflect substantially upon [Appellant's] veracity and do not suggest a propensity to commit the serious offense with which [Appellant] was charged in this case, namely murder. Trial Court Opinion at 9. For the same reasons that Appellant advocates the evidence was prejudicial, the Commonwealth argues such evidence was probative, i.e., because Appellant's credibility was critical due to the fact that he asserted a claim of self-defense. The Commonwealth emphasizes that it bore the burden of proving that Appellant's acts were not justifiable, and it had no other means to do so other than presenting the testimony of Officer Eddinger and impeaching the testimony given by Appellant. When reviewing the denial of a motion in limine, this Court applies an evidentiary abuse of discretion standard of review. Commonwealth v. Mitchell, 588 Pa. 19, 902 A.2d 430, 455 (2006). It is well-established that the admissibility of evidence is within the discretion of the trial court, and such rulings will not form the basis for appellate relief absent an abuse of discretion. Commonwealth v. Baumhammers, 599 Pa. 1, 960 A.2d 59 (2008). Appellant has failed to demonstrate an abuse of discretion here. Initially, it is undisputed that the Commonwealth provided to Appellant the requisite written notice of intent to use such evidence under Rule 609. For purposes of argument, we further assume that in all five cases, more than ten years had passed since the date of the adjudication of delinquency or the last day of confinement and the time of trial. Randall, 528 A.2d at 1329. [18] Accordingly, as did the trial court, we examine whether the probative value outweighs the prejudicial effect arising from admission of the evidence. Considering the factors reiterated in Randall, we conclude that the trial court acted within its discretion in determining that Appellant's previous crimen falsi adjudications were more probative than prejudicial. First, as noted by the Commonwealth and the lower court, the previous adjudications of crimen falsi offenses were relevant to the jury's determination of Appellant's credibility, which was the crux of the case considering that no witness could testify as to Appellant's belief that the killing was justified, except for Appellant himself. While Officer Eddinger testified as to the circumstances surrounding Appellant's shooting of Officer Wertz, he was unable to opine on what Appellant believed at the time. We further note that Appellant's juvenile adjudications did not suggest a propensity to commit murder, as they were all theft offenses. While the age of Appellant at the time the offenses were committed may militate against admission of the evidence, the remaining factors, namely the prosecution's need to resort to this evidence and the lack of alternative means of attacking Appellant's credibility, clearly favor admission. Under these circumstances, we decline to hold that the trial court abused its discretion in denying Appellant's motion in limine.