Opinion ID: 2149364
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence of Telephone Conversation

Text: After the defendant left the car lot with the vehicle, Walter received two telephone calls from an individual purported to be Ashley. Over the objection of defendant, Walter testified about the substance of these conversations. The admission of this evidence is claimed to be error because the person making the call was not sufficiently identified as Ashley. This Court has long required that a caller's identity be established as a foundation for the admission of the content of the telephone call. Davis v. State (1928), 200 Ind. 88, 161 N.E. 375 (overruled on other grounds). Sufficient identification has been based on witness testimony that he was familiar with the caller's voice and recognized it in conversation. Allison v. State (1960), 240 Ind. 556, 166 N.E.2d 171. In this case, Walter had talked with Ashley for approximately fifteen minutes before Ashley left the lot. In describing the voice of the caller, Walter testified that it sounded the same. Further, the identification of Ashley can be inferred from the circumstances of the calls. The caller identified himself as the guy that's driving the Cadillac. He attributed the delay in returning the vehicle to battery trouble and referred to the insurance check Ashley had discussed earlier with Walter. These were circumstances known only to the person who left with the vehicle. The inclusion of these details in the conversation reasonably leads to the inference that the caller was Ashley. The identity of the caller need not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Any doubt regarding the credibility of the voice identification goes to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility. Id., Ind., at 564, 166 N.E.2d, at 174. Moreover, it is not clear that this evidence was in any way central to the material issues in the trial. Whether Ashley did or did not have battery trouble is of little significance.