Opinion ID: 1275779
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Arizona Driver's License

Text: Higgenbotham next contends that the district court erred in allowing testimony concerning his fraudulent Arizona driver's license under the name of Matthew S. Murphy. The license was obtained a few months after Murphy was killed. Higgenbotham argues that because he offered to stipulate to his true identity, the license testimony was unnecessary and prejudicial. He relies on Old Chief v. United States, 519 U.S. 172, 136 L. Ed.2d 574, 117 S. Ct. 644 (1997). In that case, Old Chief offered to stipulate that he had a prior felony conviction for purposes of violating the statute prohibiting possession of a firearm while a felon. The prosecutor refused the offer. The federal district court upheld the refusal. In a 5-4 decision. the Supreme Court reversed, finding an abuse of discretion in allowing the evidence, in view of the offer to stipulate. The prosecution does not need evidentiary depth to tell a continuous story when the point at issue is a defendant's legal status, dependent on some judgment rendered wholly independently of the concrete events of a later criminal behavior charged against him. 519 U.S. at 190. The State argues that it had no obligation to accept the offer, citing State v. Colwell, 246 Kan. 382, 385, 790 P.2d 430 (1990), and State v. Wilson, 215 Kan. 28, 31-32, 523 P.2d 337 (1974). We agree. Here, the State had the obligation to establish Higgenbotham's true identity. The State is entitled to prove that element in a manner understandable to the jury. The question of Higgenbotham's true identity came up during the police investigation. Higgenbotham's acquaintances in Newton, including his wife, all knew him as Matthew Murphy. His car was registered in the name of Matthew Murphy, and he identified himself as Matthew Murphy when first contacted by the police. When police asked if he had also used the name Higgenbotham, he admitted doing so. However, he claimed his real name was Matthew Murphy. He was unwilling to talk about it. He said Chester Higgenbotham was someone he knew several years earlier who had been killed in a DUI accident. He admitted obtaining identification in Higgenbotham's name. He also told police that he used the name Matthew Murphy because he was in the government witness protection program. He explained his former wife had witnessed a murder in Arizona. This information had to be checked out by the police. The Wichita police learned that Matthew Murphy was an Arizona college student killed in a bicycle accident in 1989. This case is distinguishable from Old Chief in that Higgenbotham's legal status at the time of the crime was not an issue. His obtaining the fraudulent Arizona driver's license was relevant to both the identity issue and his behavior during the criminal investigation. The general rule that a party need not be required to accept a stipulation is applicable.