Opinion ID: 1867526
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Alternative-Perpetrator Evidence

Text: At the end of its case, the state renewed an earlier motion to prevent Blom from presenting alternative-perpetrator evidence. The state's motion was in response to the defense's plan to introduce evidence inculpating a man named Donald Christiansen as an alternative perpetrator. Before Blom became a suspect in Poirier's abduction, the police were investigating Christiansen as a possible suspect. The basis for the state's motion was that the alternative-perpetrator evidence lacked sufficient foundation. The defense responded to the motion by filing a proffer of proof regarding Christiansen. The proffer was based on testimony, but defense counsel did not identify the specific source for most of the testimony. [13] Responding to Blom's proffer of proof, the state noted that Christiansen was thoroughly investigated by the police, cooperated completely, and ultimately the police eliminated him as a suspect because there was no evidence connecting him to the crime. The defense's response was to point out deficiencies in the police investigation of Christiansen and the similarities between the purported evidence against Christiansen and the state's evidence against Blom. The district court reviewed the facts in several cases in which the decision to exclude alternative-perpetrator evidence was upheld. Explaining that it had already reviewed both the state's and defense's investigative reports, the court then reviewed the evidence submitted in the proffer and concluded that, based on the investigative reports, there were alternate explanations for the significance of the evidence. The district court acknowledged that there were similarities in the type of evidence against Blom and Christiansen, but the underlying explanations for the evidence pointed to different conclusions. The court noted that while some witnesses identified Christiansen in the surveillance video, others, such as his landlord and employer, could not. As to Christiansen's haircut, the court noted that someone accompanied him to the barbershop, telling him he should get a haircut because he looked awful. The court dismissed the proof regarding Christiansen's having a New York Yankees jersey and the knife because the information came from witnesses who had been untruthful to police on two or three previous occasions. As to Christiansen's strange behavior and fleeing the state, the court noted that there was evidence that Christiansen had alcohol, drug, and marital problems and that he left the state because he was charged with other crimes. As to Christiansen's alleged confession to a fellow inmate, the court concluded that the inmate was not credible. Finally, the court found that there was no direct evidence connecting Christiansen to the vicinity of Moose Lake at the time of the abduction. Using a clear and convincing standard for admission of the evidence, [14] the district court concluded that the evidence in the proffer was insufficient and that there was no inherent tendency to connect Christiansen to the crime. The court also noted that Christiansen's ex-wife had been a consistent alibi for him, that Blom had given a detailed confession, and there was evidence of Poirier's remains on Blom's property. The court then granted the motion to exclude Blom's alternative-perpetrator evidence.