Opinion ID: 1095355
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: whether the trial court erred in allowing previous consistent statements by debra butler to be introduced during re-direct examination?

Text: At trial, Debra Butler testified on behalf of the State and implicated Griffin as the sole culprit in the murders. During cross-examination, defense counsel impeached Butler's testimony by introducing letters she had written to Griffin while she was incarcerated which indicated that she had lied to police officers when she told them that Griffin committed the crimes. On re-direct, over defense counsel's objection, the State was allowed to introduce Butler's initial statements made to police shortly after her arrest. Griffin now contends that this constituted an impermissible bolster of Butler's testimony and ultimately led to a miscarriage of justice. We cannot agree. In Smith v. State, 457 So.2d 327 (Miss. 1984), we held that evidence of prior consistent statements is admissible when a witness' credibility has been attacked by proof of prior inconsistent statements provided that the witness either denies or admits the statement but explains it. Smith, 457 So.2d at 335; see also, Stampley v. State, 284 So.2d 305 (Miss. 1973) (same and reaffirmed in Smith ). Such evidence is not evidence of the fact testified to by the witness, rather it is offered for the sole purpose of supporting the testimony of the witness whose veracity has been attacked and as such the evidence is to be received with great caution and only for the purpose of rebuttal so as to enable the jury to make a correct appraisal of the witness' credibility. Stampley v. State, 284 So.2d 305, 307 (Miss. 1973). In this case defense counsel attacked the truthfulness of Butler's initial statements with the subsequent letters. This amounted to a direct attack on Butler's veracity. Thereafter, on re-direct, she admitted writing the letters, attempted to explain why she wrote the letters, and testified that her initial statements were truthful. Under the authorities set forth above, we find no error in the admission of the prior consistent statements and conclude that this assignment of error is meritless.