Opinion ID: 2168808
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: testimony of hamilton

Text: Canbaz next asserts that the trial court erred in admitting the testimony of Hamilton, the Family Service worker who received Peralta's call. At trial, Canbaz' attorney objected to Hamilton's testifying that during the call, Peralta said, [H]elp, help. He's coming in. He's coming in. Call the police. Canbaz asserted that this testimony was hearsay and lacked foundation because Hamilton did not personally know the identity of the woman she spoke to on the telephone. The State argues that Hamilton's testimony as to what Peralta said on the telephone was admissible under the excited utterance hearsay exception. For a statement to qualify as an excited utterance, the following criteria must be met: (1) There must have been a startling event, (2) the statement must relate to the event, and (3) the statement must have been made by the declarant while under the stress of the event. State v. Anderson, 245 Neb. 237, 512 N.W.2d 367 (1994). See, also, Neb.Rev.Stat. § 27-803(1) (Reissue 1995). Hamilton testified that after 2 minutes of calm conversation, [t]he pitch of [Peralta's] voice rose. She became excited, agitated.... She said help, help. He's coming in. He's coming in. Call the police.... She was like yelling, screaming at that point. Peralta's statement meets the criteria for the excited utterance exception. There was a startling event, in the form of Canbaz' forcing his way into Peralta's home. Peralta's statement related to this event. Peralta was under the stress of the event when she made her statement, as evidenced by the fact that she was yelling and frantic. The court did not err in determining that Hamilton's testimony as to Peralta's statement was admissible under the excited utterance exception. Canbaz also argues that Hamilton lacked the foundation to testify because she did not know the actual identity of the woman who called her. Hamilton testified that at the beginning of the call, the caller gave Hamilton the telephone number from where she was calling. Officer Marlin McClarty, who responded to the 911 emergency call made by Hamilton, testified that the telephone number given to the 911 dispatch operator matched Peralta's address, 414 North 39th Street. Further, Canbaz admitted in his statement that Peralta was on the telephone when he entered her apartment. He picked up the telephone and said hello, but there was no answer. This corresponds with Hamilton's testimony that after Peralta said, [H]elp, help. He's coming in. He's coming in. Call the police, a man came on the line and said hello, to which Hamilton did not respond. This evidence sufficiently established that Peralta was the person Hamilton spoke to on the telephone. The trial court did not err in determining that Hamilton had sufficient foundation to testify regarding the telephone conversation. Canbaz' assignment of error regarding Hamilton's testimony is without merit. See Parker v. State, 129 Md.App. 360, 742 A.2d 28 (1999).