Opinion ID: 2738560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Denial of Motion for Production of Statements

Text: of Those Not Called as Witnesses The defendant next contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for production of statements of those not called as witnesses by the State and that the State was required to disclose those statements pursuant to Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). “[T]he suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution.” Id. at 87. In order to establish a Brady violation, a defendant must show that he or she requested the information, the State suppressed the information, the information was favorable to his or her defense, and the information was material. State v. Edgin, 902 S.W.2d 387, 389 (Tenn. 1995). Evidence is -12- “material” only if there is a reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would have been different had the evidence been disclosed to the defense. United States v. Bagley, 473 U.S. 667, 682 (1985). “Materiality” has been further explained as follows: The question is not whether the defendant would more likely than not have received a different verdict with the evidence, but whether in its absence he received a fair trial, understood as a trial resulting in a verdict worth of confidence. A “reasonable probability” of a different result is accordingly shown when the government’s evidentiary suppression “undermines confidence in the outcome of the trial.” Kyles v. Whitley, 514 U.S. 419, 434 (1995) (quoting Bagley, 473 U.S. at 678). The burden of proving a Brady violation rests with the defendant, and the violation must be proven by a preponderance of the evidence. Edgin, 902 S.W.2d at 389. First, the defendant has failed to establish that the State suppressed the information or that the information was favorable to the defense. During the pretrial hearing on the motion, defense counsel acknowledged that the State provided open-file discovery. The prosecutor also commented that “anything that’s in the possession of the Memphis Police Department has to be turned over to the Defense.” The defendant identifies testimony from various officers at trial that they received numerous tips regarding problems that Cecil was having with a gang and money that he allegedly took. The defendant, however, was able to present evidence through cross-examination of the State’s witnesses, as well as through witnesses that he called to testify, that Cecil was in trouble with the Gangster Disciples for committing a gang violation and that Cecil owed $300,000 to “the mob.” The defendant does not state what additional information he alleges that the State failed to disclose. Moreover, the defendant has failed to show that the information was material. Evidence of the defendant’s guilt was overwhelming. The jury heard and rejected evidence suggesting that Cecil might have been killed due to his debt with “the mob,” in retaliation for the shooting death of a member of a rival gang, or as the result of committing a violation against one of his fellow gang members. The defendant fails to establish a reasonable probability that the result of the proceedings would have been different had such additional evidence been disclosed to the defense. We conclude, therefore, that the defendant is not entitled to relief on the basis of this issue. -13-