Opinion ID: 1371864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Hearsay and Privileged Statements.

Text: Appellant contends that inadmissible evidence was admitted during the jury's hearing of a portion of the video taped statement. The challenged testimony consists of remarks by Detective Levos during the video interrogation regarding comments appellant's wife made to police officers. [9] The appellant asserts that the statements are inadmissible because they are privileged spousal communications, as well as hearsay. Appellant contends that the officer is placing testimony before the jury indirectly when the wife could not testify against her husband. The spousal privilege, [10] however, is intended to protect confidential communications between spouses, not communications between a spouse and third parties. Foss v. State, 92 Nev. 163, 167-68, 547 P.2d 688, 691 (1976). The privilege cannot be applied to protect communications disclosed, as here, by strangers. State v. Lindley, 11 Or. App. 17, 502 P.2d 390, 392 (1972). Hearsay evidence is evidence of a statement made other than by a witness while testifying at the hearing, which is offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted. NRS 51.035. It is inadmissible unless it comes within an exception. NRS 51.065. Respondent argues that the statements made by the police officer in the video taped interview concerning what appellant's wife had said were not admitted to prove the truth of what the wife had said. Without citing authority, the state contends that the officer's statements were merely relevant to setting the scene and establishing the circumstances under which the defendant's incriminating statement evolved. It was the statement of the defendant, and not the officer's statements to the defendant, which was offered into evidence. We cannot agree with the state based on the record before us. Traditionally, hearsay evidence has been excluded because it is not subject to the usual tests to show the credibility of the declarant. Lacking is cross-examination to ascertain a declarant's perception, memory and truthfulness. Moore v. United States, 429 U.S. 20, 21-22, 97 S.Ct. 29, 50 L.Ed.2d 25 (1976) (per curiam); Donnelly v. United States, 228 U.S. 243, 273, 33 S.Ct. 449, 57 L.Ed. 820 (1913). The same problems are present here as to two declarants. First, it is the officer on a video tape making a statement as to what he was told by appellant's wife. Second, the wife has allegedly made certain statements as to appellant's whereabouts on the night of the murder. Appellant's wife was not subject to cross-examination to discover if she indeed said this or as to her memory. Although the officer could have been questioned as to the accuracy of his recollection, it is apparent he was basing his knowledge of appellant's whereabouts upon what someone else had informed him. This is inadmissible hearsay. Toti Contracting Co. v. A.J. Orlando Contracting Co., 149 Conn. 473, 181 A.2d 594, 596 (1962). Indeed, both of these statements were hearsay. See Archibald v. State, 77 Nev. 301, 307, 362 P.2d 721, 723-24 (1961); cf. Alexander v. State, 84 Nev. 737, 449 P.2d 153 (1968) (defendant's testimony as to what a friend had said was hearsay). Together, these statements constituted multiple hearsay. We perceive no hearsay exceptions to what appellant's wife said, let alone what the officer has stated. See NRS 51.065-.375. Additionally, it cannot seriously be argued that the purpose was only to show that the statements were made or conversation had or that they were to show the circumstances of appellant's statements. The officer had even said to the appellant, Henry, your wife is present in the room... . Are you going to make a liar out of her? If the purpose of these statements was merely to show the surrounding circumstances, we believe they would have been irrelevant. The statements by appellant himself could have and should have been admitted by themselves. We must now determine whether the admission of these hearsay statements was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 21-24, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967); Drummond v. State, 86 Nev. 4, 8-9, 462 P.2d 1012, 1015 (1970); NRS 177.255, 178.598. We note that whether or not appellant's wife did in fact make the statements, there is other uncontradicted evidence placing the appellant at the Wagon Wheel Bar after midnight. Appellant was seen leaving the bar with the victim at approximately 2 a.m. and he was seen near the bar and not far from the murder scene at 6 a.m., shortly before the body of the victim was discovered. In addition, there is overwhelming evidence of appellant's guilt as shown by appellant's possession of two blood-stained fifty dollar bills and testimony by the victim's husband that the victim had two fifty dollar bills on her person before she was killed. The appellant appeared to have been in need of money; he was quite familiar with the scene of the crimes and entire area whereas the victim was not; there were bootmarks at the scene which matched boots appellant had discarded and an expert testified that the bite marks on the victim were made by appellant. Moreover, blood found at the scene matched the blood-type of the appellant and the blood in the fingernail scrapings taken from appellant was of the same blood type as that of the victim. All of this is extremely convincing even without regard to appellant's confession or the statement of appellant's wife. [11] While these statements by the wife should have been excluded, we hold that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt as there was other undisputed inculpatory evidence concerning appellant's whereabouts on the night in question, cf. State v. Rover, 13 Nev. 17, 24-25 (1878) (Beatty, J., concurring) (admission of evidence not harmful where other evidence already established fact), and overwhelming evidence of his guilt. Hendee v. State, 92 Nev. 669, 670, 557 P.2d 275, 276 (1976) (per curiam); Drummond v. State, 86 Nev. 4, 8-9, 462 P.2d 1012, 1015 (1970).