Opinion ID: 382644
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: You mean did I recognize it or

Text: 22 Q. What was the basis of saying that it could have been one of them? 23 A. Well, that I wasn't absolutely positive, but that he had the same maybe size, coloring. 24 I mean, we had, of course, discussed it, and I had remembered saying giving the description as the guy with the sawed-off shotgun being a heavy-set, dark-skinned man. 25 Q. To whom had you given that? 26 A. The police when they asked me. 27 Q. When was that? 28 A. The day after the robbery, I think, I can't remember exactly. 29 Q. Can you tell us as best you can recall what description you gave (of) the man, the sawed-off shotgun man, that is? 30 A. Heavyset; dark color. I think I told them he had on a black raincoat, sawed-off shotgun. 31 I can't remember exactly now. 32 Q. Heavyset, dark color? 33 A. Right. 34 Q. What else? 35 A. Afro. Had an afro. No, I didn't say that because I didn't see his hair. I can't remember exactly, to be honest. I just remember him being a fat fellow. 36 THE PROSECUTOR: Did you identify him by race at the time? 37 A. Yeah, Negro. Negro male, I think. I can't remember. I know I saw his nose and his mouth, so I said, Negro. Of course, I heard him talk. 38 THE COURT: What, if anything, do you recall saying to the police about his nose or mouth? 39 A. Nothing. I didn't say anything. 40 Q. But you saw nothing unusual, so you said nothing about it to the police? 41 A. Right. 42 Q. So then the best that you can remember is that he was heavyset and dark color; is that right? 43 A. Un-huh. 44 Trial Tr. at 51-53. When asked if she had discussed the characteristics of the shotgun robber with Ms. Hammeke after the crime, Ms. Emamali replied: 45 I think we discussed everybody. We probably did. We discussed what happened and some of the odd things that happened on that day, and, yeah, we discussed. Everybody discussed him as being the fat guy. Everybody remembered that like it stood out. 46 Id. at 60. 47 Hugh Smith testified that there were four robbers, Trial Tr. 231 (not five, as he had originally told the investigators), 22 that he never saw distinct facial characteristics of the two masked robbers in the lobby, id. at 70, and that he spent most of the time on the floor behind the counter. Id. at 84. Although he could not describe the shotgun robber's mask, id. at 85, Mr. Smith stated that his focus was on that robber, so that his impressions of him were the most valid. Id. at 84. He remembered the robber's silhouette as it appeared 15 to 20 feet away. Id. at 87: 48 He was standing in front of the glass, so there was the light factor plus the fact that he had a mask over his face . . . . (It was a) clear glass, yeah, but there was a bit of a glare, as I remember it, and what I was looking for (at the subsequent photographic identification) was the size of the head, the shoulders, the general characteristics of the body of the person that was involved in the robbery. 49 Id. at 85. Although not recorded in the 302 form or Officer Kaclik's notes, Smith testified that he had described the robber to the police: 50 THE COURT: Before you step down, Mr. Smith, on the day of the robbery, did you give a description of any of these persons who were involved to the police? 51 A. I did. 52 Q. And of more than one person? 53 A. I tried to identify the characteristics of, I think, four of the gentlemen that were in the bank at the time. 54 Q. And do you recall to whom you talked? 55 A. I spoke with at least five plain clothes men or Federal agents. 56 Q. Now can you describe the person who was closer to Ms. Hammeke? 57 A. My description? 58 Q. As you gave it to the policemen that afternoon? 59 A. Obviously, I can't give it to you verbatim. 60 Q. Yes. 61 A. My impression of them was a case involving a heavyset gentleman, large face, more roundish characteristics with an overcoat on with a weapon underneath the overcoat. 62 Q. Can you describe the overcoat? 63 A. It was a darkish raincoat type. 64 Id. at 81-83. 65 Appellant's trial counsel did not use the 302's to cross-examine Mr. Smith or Ms. Emamali, either at the suppression hearing or at trial. 23 Nor did she bring them to the attention of the trial judge. The motion to suppress was then denied from the bench without explanation and the trial began immediately thereafter. At trial, each of the three witnesses testified to their prior identifications, and identified the appellant in court as the bank robber who had held the shotgun. Hinton was found guilty on four of the five counts charged, 24 and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment on each of three counts and 6 years on the fourth, all to run concurrently.