Opinion ID: 1855450
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: testimony by coperpetrators

Text: Price argues that the trial court erred by allowing his coperpetrators to testify after they had invoked the Fifth Amendment at their depositions. He argues that the witnesses' refusal to testify at their depositions violated his right to confrontation under the Sixth Amendment. In State v. Brunzo, 248 Neb. 176, 532 N.W.2d 296 (1995), two codefendants invoked their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination at their scheduled depositions prior to Brunzo's trial. Brunzo argued that because the court did not compel the two witnesses to present themselves to be deposed, the court incorrectly permitted such witnesses to testify at trial. We held that under the circumstances, the fact that the witnesses had invoked the privilege against self-incrimination at their scheduled depositions did not mean that the State could not call them as witnesses at trial once they elected to testify. Here, Price does not effectively articulate how his Sixth Amendment rights were infringed upon under the circumstances. Price does not establish how his right to confront and cross-examine these witnesses was denied him at trial, and Price does not state how prior knowledge of the witnesses' trial testimony would have assisted in the preparation of his defense. Price's counsel knew in advance that the coperpetrators would testify and had received a copy of each individual's taped statement. Price also had a copy of the police officers' narrative reports of their interviews with each of the coperpetrators. Also, when Price learned that the witnesses would testify at trial, he did not move for a continuance in order to depose them. Price does not claim that he was prevented from cross-examining these witnesses at trial or that the witnesses refused to testify during cross-examination. We find this assignment of error to be without merit.