Opinion ID: 1483621
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Moore's Statements to Police and a 911 Call were Properly Admitted

Text: Appellant argues that the trial court erroneously admitted both the tape of Moore's 911 call and Officer Riddlehoover's testimony regarding Moore's statements, alleging that both pieces of evidence were inadmissible hearsay and admitted in violation of the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment. With respect to the Confrontation Clause, it is not violated where, as here, the declarant Moore testified at trial and was available for cross-examination by defense counsel. [2] Moreover, the trial court properly admitted the tape of Moore's 911 call because there can be no question that his statements on the tape satisfy both the excited utterance and the present sense impression exceptions to the hearsay rule. [3] See generally Johnson v. United States, 980 A.2d 1174, 1185 (D.C.2009); Hallums v. United States, 841 A.2d 1270, 1276 (D.C.2004). Moore made the 911 call while Ms. Goodwine was hitting [him] and he was angry and upset. [4] Moore's statements to Officer Riddlehoover also qualify as excited utterances and were thus properly admitted. See Johnson, 980 A.2d at 1185. Appellant argued that these statements were not spontaneous, as required by the excited utterance exception, because they were made after the assault had ended and the appellant had left the scene. The fact that the assault had ended, however, does not end the inquiry. Id. at 1185-86. Officer Riddlehoover arrived on the scene two to three minutes after the 911 call was made and she spoke with Moore immediately upon arrival. Officer Riddlehoover's testimony about Moore's mental and physical state upon her arrival makes clear that he was still in a state of nervous excitement due to the assault. Id. at 1185. Thus, we cannot say that the trial court clearly erred in finding that two to three minutes was a reasonably short period of time after a personal attack such that Moore's statements were not a result of reflection or invention. Id. at 1185-86.