Opinion ID: 2575997
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Hearsay objection to Detective Troughton's testimony

Text: Detective Clinton Troughton read from his police report a statement by Doreen Westbrook's brother, Robert Duclos (also known as Robert Lenore), as to defendant's explanation about his possession of the murder victim's credit cards. Defendant argues that the trial court erred in allowing this testimony as a prior consistent statement, an exception to the hearsay rule. We reject defendant's challenge, for the reasons given below. After the killing, defendant and Doreen Westbrook drove from the Maxwell Rest Stop to Rancho Tehama, where they visited her brother (Robert Duclos) and his girlfriend (Rochelle Hendricks). During direct examination by the prosecution, Robert Duclos said that he saw defendant going through a wallet while they were in Rancho Tehama. Defendant told Duclos a guy pinched my sister in the butt and [defendant] beat him up for it and took his wallet. On cross-examination, Duclos testified that although he was not promised immunity, the prosecutor had shown him letters from the surrounding counties stating that the counties were not interested in prosecuting him. The defense re-called Detective Troughton as a witness. On cross-examination, the prosecution asked Troughton to read from his report as to what Duclos had told him about defendant's explanation to Duclos as to the source of the credit cards. When the defense objected, the prosecution pointed out that the defense had questioned Detective Troughton about the accuracy of the report and the statement by Duclos to Troughton. Defense counsel responded that Duclos had made different statements in his testimony. After the prosecution explained that its question to Detective Troughton sought to elicit a prior consistent statement by Duclos, the court overruled the defense objection. Troughton then read a statement by Duclos that, in referring to the victim, defendant said: Don't worry about him, he's not a problem. I hurt him so bad that an ambulance came and took him away. Defendant claims that the trial court's evidentiary ruling was wrong because the prosecution failed to show that Duclos made the statement at issue to Detective Troughton before making any inconsistent statement. As discussed above, a prior consistent statement is admissible as an exception to the hearsay rule if offered after an express or implied charge of bias or fabrication, and the prior consistent statement was made before the bias or motive for fabrication arose. (Evid.Code, งง 791, 1236.) Here, the defense in its examination of Duclos asserted bias and a motive for fabrication by Duclos when it suggested that his testimony was influenced by promises from the counties surrounding Colusa County that they would not prosecute Duclos. Duclos's statement to Detective Troughton was consistent with his testimony at trial and was made before any promises not to prosecute him. Thus, the testimony was admissible as a prior consistent statement.