Opinion ID: 1671765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the trial court erred in refusing to allow beckwith's former testimony to be read into evidence.

Text: ¶ 153. Mississippi Rule of Evidence 804(b) provides that a witness' former testimony is not excluded by the hearsay rule if the witness is unavailable. Rule 804(a) provides that a witness is unavailable if he [t]estifies to a lack of memory of the subject matter of his statement, or [i]s unable to be present or to testify at the hearing because of death or then existing physical or mental illness or infirmity. Beckwith argues that because he was over 73 years old at the time of trial, had several serious physical problems, was on numerous medications that affected his mental abilities, and had testified at his speedy trial hearing to the effect of his memory loss, the trial court erred in overruling his motion to have the transcript of his 1964 testimony read into evidence. ¶ 154. In Parker v. State, 514 So.2d 767, 773 (Miss. 1986), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 1014, 108 S.Ct. 1487, 99 L.Ed.2d 715 (1988), this Court set out the requirements of the former testimony exception. Those requirements are (1) the former testimony must have been given under oath; (2) the party against whom the testimony is offered must have had a reasonable opportunity for cross-examination; (3) there must have been an identity of the parties in the former trial and in the trial in which the testimony is offered; (4) there must have been an identity of the issues; and (5) the witness must be unavailable at the time of the second proceeding. Parker, 514 So.2d at 773 (citing Jolly v. State, 269 So.2d 650, 654 (Miss. 1972)). In Parker, because the trial at issue was a retrial of the same charges of the earlier trial, we held the witness' former testimony was admissible. Id. Beckwith argues that likewise, because the 1994 trial was a retrial of the same charges tried in 1964, his former testimony was admissible. In Parker, however, because the witness was in West Germany at the time of trial, there was no issue as to his unavailability. Id. In the case sub judice, on the other hand, although there was no issue as to the identity of the parties and issues, Beckwith was present at the trial. ¶ 155. The party offering the former testimony bears the burden of proving the unavailability of the witness, and the determination of unavailability is a judicial exercise reviewable on appeal only for abuse of discretion. See United States v. Amaya, 533 F.2d 188, 191 (5th Cir.1976), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 1101, 97 S.Ct. 1125, 51 L.Ed.2d 551 (1977). In the case sub judice, although the trial court overruled Beckwith's motion to have his former testimony read into evidence, the court ruled: The Court will, however, allow the defense the latitude of presenting evidence which was recorded at the previous trial through the  through the deposition or the transcript in the event the defendant's testimony reveals that he fails  his memory fails him in that  in that respect. In McDonnell v. United States, 472 F.2d 1153, 1155 (8th Cir.), cert. denied, 412 U.S. 942, 93 S.Ct. 2785, 37 L.Ed.2d 402 (1973), the Eighth Circuit held that such a ruling was supported by textwriters and case law. Beckwith, however, declined the court's offer and invoked his Fifth Amendment right not to testify, which indicates that his allegation of unavailability was motivated by his desire not to take the witness stand. While a defendant clearly has the right not to testify, he may not invoke that right and avoid cross-examination while claiming the right to have his former testimony put before the jury. United States v. Bennett, 539 F.2d 45, 54 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, 429 U.S. 925, 97 S.Ct. 327, 50 L.Ed.2d 293 (1976). Under the circumstances of this case, we find the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that Beckwith's former testimony could be read to the jury in the event his testimony revealed a lack of memory as to a portion of the subject matter.