Opinion ID: 2173131
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Exclusion of Evidence of Alleged Threat Against Bettencourts by One Kelley

Text: Defense counsel called one Gary Kelley and asked him if he recalled having a conversation with Jeffrey Pyska in early December of 1973 at the Holiday Inn in Augusta. Kelley said he did not remember speaking to Pyska and specifically denied ever telling Pyska or anybody else that he had some intentions regarding the Bettencourts. Defense counsel then called Pyska as a witness. The prosecution objected, on grounds of relevance, to the anticipated testimony of Pyska, and the objection was sustained. Defense counsel then made an offer of proof, stating that Pyska would testify that in early December of 1973 (about a week before the Bettencourt murders) at the Holiday Inn in Augusta Kelley, while displaying a revolver, told Pyska that he wanted to rob the Bettencourts, or have someone else rob them, and he would pay $2,000. The presiding justice thereupon informed counsel that he would exclude the proffered testimony as irrelevant but would give further consideration to his ruling if the defense could adduce additional evidence linking Kelley to the Bettencourt murders. Defense counsel, however excused Pyska without asking him any questions and at no time presented any further evidence or offer of proof even mentioning Kelley or showing any involvement by him in the murders for which Morton was being tried. The presiding justice committed no error in his handling of Pyska's proposed testimony. The determination of close questions of relevancy arising in the heat of trial is left to the discretion of the trial justice, and on appeal his ruling will be overturned only for an abuse of that discretion. State v. Gagnon, Me., 383 A.2d 25, 31 (1978); State v. Lewisohn, Me., 379 A.2d 1192, 1202 (1977). In view of the remoteness of Kelley's alleged remarks from the issue of Morton's participation in murdering the Bettencourts, we would be reluctant to find an abuse of discretion in the circumstances of this case. In any event, however, we interpret the presiding justice's action to be an application of Rule 403, M.R.Evid. [9] In balancing the minimal probative value of the proffered testimony against the danger of confusion of the issues and misleading the jury, as well as considerations of undue delay and waste of time, the presiding justice was justified, and indeed in our considered judgment required, to rule as he did. Even if the proffered testimony was technically relevant evidence within the definition of Rule 401, M.R.Evid., (evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence), it did little to prove or disprove anything involved in Morton's trial. Kelley's statement indicating, when taken at full face value, his interest in robbing the Bettencourts or having them robbed, is far removed from contradicting the evidence of Morton's participation in murdering the Bettencourts. At most, the thrust of the proffered testimony is that Kelley might also have been involved in some way in the Bettencourt robbery, in the course of which the victims were killed. The physical evidence points without contradiction to the fact that several persons participated in the murders. Remote evidence that another individualKelleymight also have been within that guilty group, directly or as a procurer, does nothing to disprove the involvement of defendant Morton. That evidence in no way disproves any of the numerous individual pieces of evidence tying Morton to the crime, such as Morton's admission to Judith Harvey, the presence of candle wax in his car, his participation in the prior aborted robbery attempt, and his attempt to prevent the search of his car. Pyska's testimony had little or no probative value in the trial of Morton for participating in the group responsible for the Bettencourt murders. On the other side of the Rule 403 balance, injection of the question whether Kelley was also involved would tend to turn the Morton trial into a trial of Kelley. It would confuse the single issue in the Morton trial: Was Morton one of the several murderers of the Bettencourts? The jury could be misled into thinking that any evidence of Kelley's possible involvement admitted in Morton's trial necessarily raised a doubt as to Morton's participation. If Pyska's testimony were admitted, the State could hardly be denied the opportunity of presenting in turn evidence that Kelley was not involved, and the Morton trial would then go far afield from the issue of Morton's guilt or innocence, causing undue delay and waste of time. Pyska's testimony was properly excluded in absence of any further details increasing its probative value so as to offset the negative consequences of its admission. Whether the presiding justice's exclusion of the Pyska story represented a determination of lack of relevance or a balancing of considerations under Rule 403, he committed no error of which this appellate court will take cognizance.