Opinion ID: 1170873
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Spontaneous Utterances and the Confrontation Clause

Text: (5a) Even if Schmidt-Till's statements come within an exception to the hearsay rule, defendant argues that their admission violates his right to confront a witness against him. (U.S. Const., 6th Amend.; Cal. Const., art. I, § 15.) The confrontation clause is not just a codification of the rules of hearsay and their exceptions as they existed historically at common law. ( California v. Green (1970) 399 U.S. 149, 155-156 [26 L.Ed.2d 489, 495-496, 90 S.Ct. 1930].) (6a) Rather, the United States Supreme Court has identified two factors for determining whether a hearsay exception violates the confrontation clause. First, the state must produce, or demonstrate the unavailability of, the declarant. That requirement is easily met here. Second, if the declarant is not available, the statement must bear sufficient indicia of reliability. ( Ohio v. Roberts (1980) 448 U.S. 56, 65-66 [65 L.Ed.2d 597, 608, 100 S.Ct. 2531].) (5b) In our assessment of whether indicia of reliability underlie a specific hearsay exception, we essentially determine whether the historical reasons for believing that a particular type of statement is inherently reliable have withstood the test of time. The spontaneous utterance exception, in general, meets this test. Where the declarant is truly excited and makes a statement about a concurrently or recently perceived event before having the opportunity to think through the possible consequences of his utterance, it is likely to be a reliable statement. Several cases have held that admission of spontaneous utterances does not violate the confrontation clause. (See, e.g., People v. Jones (1984) 155 Cal. App.3d 653, 664 [202 Cal. Rptr. 289]; People v. Orduno (1978) 80 Cal. App.3d 738, 748 [145 Cal. Rptr. 806]; McLaughlin v. Vinzant (1st Cir.1975) 522 F.2d 448, 450-451; Shaffer v. Field (9th Cir.1973) 484 F.2d 1196, 1197.) Defendant does not dispute that spontaneous statements, as a general proposition, are reliable. Rather, he asserts that the statements made in this case lack the requisite indicia of reliability. We conclude otherwise. When Schmidt-Till responded to the dispatcher's and Officer Strigotte's questions, he was gravely wounded and in intense pain. It is improbable that he had either the capacity or the motivation to relate anything but the truth. As another court has stated: The remark followed hard upon an event  a shooting  likely to produce the utmost in excitement and shock and to ensure the utterance's spontaneity and, presumably, its truthfulness. ( McLaughlin v. Vinzant, supra, 522 F.2d at p. 450.)