Opinion ID: 791948
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: materiality of the cumulative impact of the withheld evidence

Text: 57 Thus far we have examined the force and nature of the withheld evidence item by item, but our materiality analysis is not complete until we consider the cumulative effect of the suppressed evidence. Kyles, 514 U.S. at 436-37 & n. 10, 115 S.Ct. 1555 (courts must first evaluate the tendency and force of each item of suppressed evidence and then evaluate its cumulative effect at the end of the discussion). Gauging the collective impact of the withheld evidence requires us to step back and consider the strength of the prosecution's case, paying close attention to how critical Abundiz's testimony was. See Banks v. Dretke, 540 U.S. 668, 700-01, 124 S.Ct. 1256, 157 L.Ed.2d 1166 (2004) (evidence impeaching witness who was the centerpiece of a case that lacked physical evidence was material); Strickler, 527 U.S. at 292-93, 119 S.Ct. 1936 (evidence impeaching important witness not material when the record provided strong support for the conviction apart from the witness's testimony); Horton, 408 F.3d at 578-79 (withheld evidence was material when it impeached a witness who was central to the prosecution's case). 58 The heart of the prosecution's case was Brown's identification of Barker. Without physical or forensic evidence, her testimony provided the only direct evidence that Barker was the robber. Brown was approximately four feet away from the robber for a couple of minutes during the robbery and, during that time, she got a good look at his profile. Brown was practiced at carefully looking at a person's features because of facial drawing classes she took and she made a conscious effort to memorize her assailant's profile. She was extremely confident in her identification of Barker from the photo montage. Her testimony and identification at trial were categorical that Barker was the robber. Right away, she said the picture just kind of took my breath away because I was like, that's him. . . . 59 We acknowledge that Brown's identification was not airtight. Her view was obstructed by the robber's makeup and, at times, by his handkerchief. Her description also became more precise after she talked with co-workers who knew and already distrusted Barker. Although she did not see any of his tattoos, Brown stated that his hands were covered with markings and makeup. Nonetheless, the question we decide is not whether we believe Brown, but whether we remain confident in the verdict despite the potential damage the withheld evidence would have wrought. In considering this question, we appreciate the central importance of the identification by a witness at the scene. [D]espite its inherent unreliability, much eyewitness identification evidence has a powerful impact on juries, Watkins v. Sowders, 449 U.S. 341, 352, 101 S.Ct. 654, 66 L.Ed.2d 549 (1981) (Brennan, J., dissenting), and the jury likely would have convicted when presented with a confident eyewitness like Brown whose trial testimony was clear and unwavering. Significantly, Abundiz was not such a critical part of the case, nor would the withheld evidence have so discredited him, that our confidence is shaken. 60 A useful measurement of the importance of Abundiz and the materiality of the withheld impeachment evidence is the lack of emphasis the prosecutor placed on his testimony. See Kyles, 514 U.S. at 444, 115 S.Ct. 1555(The likely damage is best understood by taking the word of the prosecutor. . . .); Horton, 408 F.3d at 580(noting that the prosecutor's emphasis on the importance of the witness's testimony highlights how important the witness was to the case). The prosecutor spent most of his closing argument reviewing Brown's identification and shoring up her testimony. The identification was the essential platform of the State's case. The prosecutor discussed Abundiz's testimony as corroborating evidence, but he devoted only a small portion of his argument to Abundiz. Unlike many cases in which withheld evidence is material because it would have impeached a key witness, Abundiz was not the glue holding together the prosecution's case nor would heaped-on impeachment evidence have altered his already shattered credibility. Consequently, the cumulative impeachment evidence is unlikely to have been the difference between conviction and acquittal. See, e.g., Benn, 283 F.3d at 1046, 1054 (evidence was material when witness who would have been impeached was critical to the prosecution); Carriger v. Stewart, 132 F.3d 463, 466, 480-81 (9th Cir.1997) (en banc) (impeaching evidence was material when the physical evidence was weak and the prosecution relied principally upon the witness who would have been impeached). 61 Barker makes much of the fact that the first jury that heard his case without Abundiz's testimony was hung but, when Abundiz's testimony was added, the jury returned a guilty verdict. It oversimplifies the two trials to conclude that Abundiz's testimony was necessarily the difference between a hung jury and a conviction. The fact that his testimony was a key piece of different evidence is surely significant; it is not, however, the defining factor standing alone. Instead, it must be acknowledged that different juries may view the same facts and testimony differently. In fact, the scope and nature of the testimony was different at the two trials, although identification by Brown remained firm. When he represented himself at the first trial, Barker was relentless in his cross-examination of Brown. Her testimony under fire from Barker covers forty-seven pages. He hammered at issues relating to the tattoos, makeup on the neck, markings on the hands, and ability to observe the robber. At the second trial, Brown's cross-examination was a mere thirteen pages and Barker's lawyer told the judge, We can see that the witness's testimony has changed from the first trial. I'm sure the holes will be plugged up that way. . . . We simply cannot conclude that Abundiz's testimony was necessarily the pivotal difference between the two trials. 62 The real question with respect to Abundiz is whether he was telling the truth. Even absent the withheld evidence, Abundiz was thoroughly impeached and showcased as a self-serving jailhouse snitch. The alleged confession was wholly suspect in light of the evidence. The withheld evidence simply made it more so. But even without the undisclosed evidence, the defense severely discredited Abundiz by highlighting his deal with the State, his history of lying, his drug addiction, and the errors in his initial statement. The difference between the story of Abundiz that the jury knew and that which would have been presented with the withheld evidence is not significant. Contra Benn, 283 F.3d at 1057(evidence was material when the jury never heard that a key witness lied about anything but suppressed evidence would have shown willingness to lie about his testimony); Carriger, 132 F.3d at 480-81 (evidence was material when prosecution portrayed star witness as nonviolent and truthful but withheld evidence would have shown that he was a sociopath, serial liar, and career felon). 63 In sum, looking at the withheld evidence in a cumulative sense, as well as than piece-by-piece, we are confident that the withheld evidence would not have changed the jury's calculus of Abundiz as a witness. Given Brown's powerful testimony, we conclude that the withheld evidence was not material. 64 AFFIRMED.