Opinion ID: 1314848
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: the identification instructions

Text: The defendant offered seven instructions to the jury on the issue of identification. The trial court gave two of the instructions and refused to give the other five. The trial court instructed the jury as follows: The Court instructs the jury that in order to find the defendant, Robert Payne, guilty of the offense charged you must believe that the identification of him by [the complaining witness] was accurate beyond a reasonable doubt. The Court instructs the jury that the burden of proof on the state extends to every element of the crime charged, and this specifically includes the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt the identity of the defendant as the perpetrator of the crime. Therefore, if after examining the testimony, you have a reasonable doubt as to the accuracy of the identification you must find the defendant not guilty. The defendant, on this appeal, argues that, under the circumstances of this case, the instructions given were not enough and that a further cautionary instruction should have been given because the identification of the defendant was based on the uncorroborated testimony of the prosecuting witness. In support of that argument the defendant cites State v. Perry, 41 W.Va. 641, 24 S.E. 634 (1896). In State v. Perry, supra , the defendant had been accused of rape. The only testimony that identified the defendant as the assailant was that of the prosecuting witness. Her testimony was contradicted by the defendant's testimony. The trial court, in that case, refused to give the jury the following instruction: The court instructs the jury that if they believe from the evidence in the case that the crime charged against the defendant rests alone on the testimony of the prosecuting witness ... then they should scrutinize her testimony with care and caution. Id. at 651-652, 24 S.E. 634. In holding the refusal to give the instruction to be error we said: In the trial of all felony cases, the jury should scrutinize the testimony of all contradicted and uncorroborated witnesses with care and caution. This instruction propounds a general principle of law, is unobjectionable, and should have been given, as it leaves the weight of the testimony entirely with the jury, and relates only to the proper discharge of the duty they owe to the accused and the state alike. Id. at 652, 24 S.E. 634. The defendant in the case presently before us offered three instructions that incorporated the language of the instruction approved in State v. Perry . All three instructions were refused. In opposing this assignment of error, the State argues, relying on State v. Garten, 131 W.Va. 641, 49 S.E.2d 561 (1948), that the trial court's refusal to give the instruction was not error because the identification testimony of the complaining witness in the case presently before us was uncontradicted. In State v. Garten the prosecutrix's testimony was not only uncontradicted, it was also corroborated. State v. Perry was distinguished on that basis. In the case presently before us, the prosecuting witness was the only person to offer testimony regarding the identity of her assailant. She identified Robert Payne as that person in an in-court identification. Her testimony was not contradicted, but, the defendant, as noted above, was prevented from testifying. The record discloses that the prosecuting witness did not see her assailant until they were in a secluded, shaded area on the night the assault occurred. The record also discloses that she gave descriptions of her assailant, prior to identifying the defendant, which were inconsistent with the defendant's physical appearance. We also note that the assault occurred on March 28, 1973, but the defendant was not identified as the assailant until May 9, 1973. There are indications in the record that the prosecuting witness may have been subjected to pressure by her father and the police to identify someone as her assailant between March 28 and May 9. Her initial identification of the defendant amounted to a statement that she believed Robert Payne to be her assailant. The essential facts of the case presently before us fall squarely between the facts found in State v. Perry and State v. Garten . In State v. Perry the testimony of the prosecutrix was uncorroborated and contradicted. In State v. Garten the testimony of the prosecutrix was corroborated and uncontradicted. In this case the testimony of the prosecutrix was uncorroborated and uncontradicted. So, the question is, in this intermediate situation, which case should control? Under the circumstances of this case we think that the State v. Perry instruction should have been given. Here, as in State v. Perry the testimony was not corroborated and here, even more than in Perry, the identification is itself questionable. The distinction is that the defendant did not testify in this case whereas the identification testimony in State v. Perry was contradicted by the defendant's testimony. Under the circumstances here the defendant was the only person who could have contradicted the testimony of the complaining witness and he was prevented from taking the stand by the trial court action discussed in section I, supra. Under these circumstances the fact that the testimony was not contradicted is not enough to justify the refusal to give a Perry type instruction. Where the State's case is based upon the uncorroborated and uncontradicted identification testimony of a prosecuting witness, it is error not to instruct the jury upon request that, if they believe from the evidence in the case that the crime charged against the defendant rests alone on the testimony of the prosecuting witness, then the jury should scrutinize such testimony with care and caution. The defendant also asks us to adopt a rule that an instruction be given advising the jury of the factors to be considered in evaluating the identification testimony. The defendant refers us to the model instructions in United States v. Telfaire, 469 F.2d 552 (D.C.Cir.1972), and United States v. Holley, 502 F.2d 273 (4th Cir. 1974). [1] We think that this type instruction may be appropriate in cases where the State's case rests largely upon the uncorroborated identification testimony of a witness. The instruction may also be modified to fit the circumstances of any other type of case involving identification testimony where, in the trial judge's discretionary opinion, the giving of such an instruction would aid the jury. We emphasize that we are not here mandating the use of this type instruction in every case involving identification testimony. Rather, we note that this type instruction may be proper in cases where the identification testimony is uncorroborated. We think that this type instruction is a logical corrollary and extension of a long line of cases dealing with identification testimony. It is well established that, prior to allowing an in-court identification, the trial judge should consider several factors in evaluating the identification. See, e. g., Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 93 S.Ct. 375, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972); State v. Kennedy, 249 S.E.2d 188 (W.Va.1978); State v. Williams, 249 S.E.2d 752 (W.Va.1978); State v. Casdorph, 230 S.E.2d 476 (W.Va.1976). In State v. Casdorph, supra, at Syl. pt. 3, we held: In determining whether an out-of-court identification of a defendant is so tainted as to require suppression of an in-court identification a court must look to the totality of the circumstances and determine whether the identification was reliable, even though the confrontation procedure was suggestive, with due regard given to such factors as the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of the witness' prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation, and the length of time between the crime and the confrontation. The Neil v. Biggers line of cases, in essence, make the initial question of in-court identification a question of law to be decided by the trial judge prior to trial. Once a decision is made to admit the identification testimony, it becomes a question of fact for the jury. We think that, in some cases, it is only proper that the jury be apprised of those same factors so as to better be able to evaluate the identification testimony. This is what the United States v. Telfaire type instruction would do. A jury should be alerted to those facts which are relevant in determining the reliability of identification testimony and in deciding how much weight should be given to that testimony in cases where the identification testimony is uncorroborated.