Opinion ID: 1801800
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admission of Steven Farmer's Statement

Text: Defendant's theory at trial was that Steven Farmer, and not defendant, assisted Duane Holt in the murder of Richard Urban. Farmer refused to testify, invoking his privilege against self-incrimination. Instead, the defense called Cliff Garoupa, a defense investigator for Duane Holt. He testified that when he had visited Farmer in custody, after telling him that Grajiola had accused him of being involved in the Urban murder, Farmer told him to convey a message to a member his family to get rid of a pair of boots. The purpose of this evidence was to establish a consciousness of guilt on Farmer's part. In rebuttal, the prosecution was allowed to call Detective Pete Chavez. Chavez testified that Farmer had told Chavez he spent the night of the murder at his parents' house. The trial court admitted the testimony over a defense hearsay objection under Evidence Code section 1235, as a prior inconsistent statement. On appeal, defendant contends, and the Attorney General concedes, that the trial court erred in admitting the testimony under this section because that section applies only when the [prior] statement is inconsistent with [the witness's] testimony at the hearing . . . (Evid. Code, § 1235, italics added), and, in this case, Farmer did not testify. Nonetheless, the Attorney General contends the statement was admissible under Evidence Code section 1202 and, in any event, any error was harmless. (8) Evidence Code section 1202 states in part: Evidence of a statement or other conduct by a declarant that is inconsistent with a statement by such declarant received in evidence as hearsay evidence is not inadmissible for the purpose of attacking the credibility of the declarant though he is not given and has not had an opportunity to explain or to deny such inconsistent statement or other conduct. Section 1202 creates `a uniform rule permitting a hearsay declarant to be impeached by inconsistent statements in all cases, whether or not the declarant has been given an opportunity to explain or deny the inconsistency.' (Cal. Law Revision Com. com., 29B, pt. 4 West's Ann. Evid. Code (1995 ed.) foll. § 1202, p. 27.) [¶] The purpose of section 1202 is to assure fairness to the party against whom hearsay evidence is admitted without an opportunity for cross-examination. ( People v. Corella (2004) 122 Cal.App.4th 461, 470 [18 Cal.Rptr.3d 770].) We find Evidence Code section 1202 to be inapplicable. Farmer's statement was not hearsay but simply verbal conduct consisting of a directive that was neither inherently true nor false. Furthermore, the statement was offered for the nonhearsay purpose of demonstrating consciousness of guilt. Accordingly, as he was not a hearsay declarant, section 1202 does not apply. Thus, there was no basis upon which to permit Chavez's testimony. It should be noted, however, that the testimony was less than compelling rebuttal since, if Farmer had been involved in Urban's murder, it can be assumed he would have lied to a police detective questioning him about it. Moreover, any error was harmless given the powerful evidence of defendant's guilt that included evidence that he and Holt had left Holt's residence with Urban the day of the murder, defendant's possession of the rings Urban had offered to Holt as payment for drugs and defendant's admissions to Baxter and DeSoto that he had shot and killed Urban.