Opinion ID: 1386258
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Errors Contended

Text: In present appeal, the guilt phase issues presented include: 1. In open court, Engberg's wife was presented by the State as its witness after Engberg's waiver of interspousal privilege and, in the presence of the jury, she was given the election not to testify; 2. Engberg was consequently denied the right to call his wife as his witness; 3. After invocation by his wife of a privilege not to testify, Engberg was also denied introduction of her statements to a third party as inadmissible hearsay; 4. Denial of the right by Engberg to present a witness to provide expert testimony on the validity of eyewitness identification at the crime scene; and 5. Attempted hypnotism of the principal identifying witness had not been revealed to Engberg until after conviction when first discovered during post-conviction-relief investigation. Cursory consideration will then be given for bad acts evidence of being badly beaten by police officers at the time of arrest, which is contended to be evidence of fleeing and constituting evidence of guilt, and bad acts evidence of the use of an alias. Further included will be the introduction of evidence of events at the Nevada hospital where Engberg was taken following his injury during arrest. This testimony discussed his refusal to put on a stocking cap for a photograph in the absence of and without advice of the right to an attorney and was introduced for primary proof substantively demonstrating the attempt to avoid detection as evidence of guilt. This will be followed by subsequent denial of the trial right of Engberg to introduce the doctor's statement concerning delusional state when photographed in the hospital bed without the cap. Finally, Engberg was denied cross-examination of the police officer about his injured and delusional condition during the photography session.