Opinion ID: 2466689
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Starr's Testimony

Text: At the time of Bailey's trial, Starr was serving a 12-year sentence following her guilty plea to second-degree murder (reckless), two counts of aggravated robbery, and one count of aggravated burglary for her part in these events. The State issued a subpoena to compel her presence and testimony in the State's case in chief. Starr was transported from the Topeka Correctional Facility to the Sedgwick County Detention Facility, where the prosecutor met with her to discuss the case. Starr said that she would not testify. The court conducted a hearing with counsel for the State, Bailey, Bailey's counsel, Starr, and Steve Osburn, the attorney who had represented Starr during her criminal case. The court told Starr that the State had a right to call her as a witness and that Starr had no Fifth Amendment privilege because she had entered a guilty plea and had been sentenced on the case. Neither Starr nor her attorney objected to the court's conclusion. Starr testified without objection. Because Starr had entered a guilty plea to second-degree murder, two counts of aggravated robbery, and one count of aggravated burglary; had been sentenced on those charges; and had not filed a motion to withdraw her guilty plea, Starr had no Fifth Amendment privilege with regard to testimony related to those charges. See Longobardi, 243 Kan. 404, Syl. ¶ 1, 756 P.2d 1098. Bailey points out that some of Starr's testimony could expose her to criminal liability for crimes not included in her guilty plea. Starr admitted to possessing and using marijuana. Starr also admitted that she had not been truthful with the police at the time of her arrest. Bailey simply argued that all of Starr's testimony was prejudicial to his case, without explaining how this potentially protected testimony specifically was prejudicial. In fact, the arguably protected testimony tends to discredit Starr by exposing her as a drug user who was using drugs the night of the incident and was untruthful with police. It is the testimony that is clearly outside Starr's Fifth Amendment privilege which related most directly to Bailey's case and was the most prejudicial. Even if it was error to compel Starr to testify about certain matters that were outside of her guilty plea, that issue was not raised before the trial court and not properly preserved for appeal.