Opinion ID: 1059186
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: lucas' prior inconsistent statements

Text: At the habeas hearing, the court considered an affidavit handwritten by Lovitt's habeas counsel and signed by Lucas in September 2001. The affidavit, which was prepared after Lovitt's trial, contained several statements that conflicted with Lucas' trial testimony. For example, in the affidavit, Lucas stated that he initially informed the prosecutors that Lovitt had stated he used a gun to shoot Dicks, that Lovitt had discarded the weapon in a drain, and that Warren Grant had driven Lovitt from the pool hall to Grant's house. These statements contradicted Lucas' trial testimony that Lovitt stated he used a knife or other object to stab Dicks, and that he discarded the weapon while walking from the pool hall to Grant's house. In the affidavit, Lucas also stated that he received a reduced sentence for his cooperation in the Young case, and that he learned about the details of Dicks' murder from Crime Stoppers and the Washington Post. At habeas counsel's request, Lucas had initialed each paragraph of the affidavit. Lucas testified that the inconsistent statements contained in the affidavit were not accurate and that his testimony during Lovitt's trial was truthful. Lucas stated that on the day he signed the affidavit, he was confused after answering three hours' worth of questions posed by Lovitt's habeas counsel. Lucas also stated that he did not feel too good that day because he had undergone a tooth extraction and was waiting to receive some medication. Lucas further testified that he did not thoroughly read the affidavit, but merely glimpsed through it and glanced over it, not paying attention to its content. He also testified that he was mistaken when he had stated that he received a sentence reduction in exchange for his cooperation in the Young case. Additionally, Lucas stated that Lovitt was his sole source of information concerning the testimony he gave at Lovitt's trial. Eastman testified that Lucas' trial testimony was consistent with the statements he had made before Lovitt's trial. She stated that Lucas' description of Lovitt's initial story was consistent with a statement that Lovitt had given to the police shortly after his arrest. Included in Lovitt's initial story to Lucas were assertions that Lovitt was in the pool hall restroom during Dicks' murder, and that he took the cash register drawer after an allegedly unknown assailant had killed Dicks. [2] The circuit court found that Lucas had disavowed the affidavit written by Lovitt's habeas counsel that had set forth the inconsistent statements Lucas allegedly had made before trial. The court also found that Lucas did not make any statements before trial that were inconsistent with his trial testimony.