Opinion ID: 1908635
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: given's identifications of appellant green.

Text: In April of 1993, about one week before appellants' first trial, Givens was shown an array of ten photographs and asked to identify the man whom he drove with McWeay away from the Sherman Avenue gas station. Givens selected two photos from the array and stated that one of the two was the perpetrator. One of these pictures depicted appellant Green. In a voir dire before the first trial, Givens stated that he did not see in the courtroom either of the men who rode in his car with Moctar, even though both appellants were present. During direct testimony in the first trial, Givens was asked whether he saw either of the men and again said that he did not. Over objection, however, Givens testified about his selection of the two photos from the array. Still at the first trial, counsel for Green cross-examined Givens about his failure to identify the suspects during voir dire. When asked whether the appellants had been seated at the defense table during the voir dire, Givens craned his neck and responded that he didn't see anybody sitting back there. The prosecutor, on redirect examination, suggested that something was blocking Givens's view from the witness box. At a bench conference, the trial judge confirmed that he, too, had observed Givens crane his neck in an effort to see the people seated at counsel table when asked to look in that direction by Green's lawyer. The trial court excused the jury and conducted a voir dire of Givens to determine where he was able to see from his seat in the witness box. When the trial judge asked Givens why he had leaned forward and looked up and over the corner of the bench during cross-examination, he answered, To see who [defense counsel] was talking about. Givens explained that the only person he could comfortably see at the defense table was counsel for Landon. The trial court determined that the bench had blocked Givens's view of the appellants and allowed the prosecutor to try again to elicit an in-court identification on redirect examination. The jury returned to the courtroom. Givens then identified Green and explained his failure to do so on direct examination. In the second trial, Givens again testified about the identification from the photo array. The prosecutor also asked him to stand up and look around the courtroom and see if you see the person in this courtroom who told you to drive that car at gunpoint that night. Givens identified appellant Green. He was cross-examined extensively about his failure to identify Green in the earlier proceedings. The trial court also allowed the jurors to sit in the witness box to help them evaluate Givens's explanation that his view had been obstructed.