Opinion ID: 2335311
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Pretrial Photographic Identification

Text: Appellant Fields argues that the trial court erred in allowing into evidence the pretrial photographic lineup. The trial court ruled, after a pretrial hearing, that the photo lineup used by the police was not overly suggestive and the identifications could be admitted at trial. Fields contends that the photo lineup should have been excluded because the photo lineup had dissimilar looking persons. In particular, Fields was the only person with short hair in the lineup. A pretrial identification violates the Due Process Clause when there are suggestive elements in the identification procedure that make it all but inevitable that the victim will identify one person as the culprit. King v. State, 323 Ark. 558, 916 S.W.2d 725 (1996); Monk v. State, 320 Ark. 189, 895 S.W.2d 904 (1995); Bishop v. State, 310 Ark. 479, 839 S.W.2d 6 (1992). But even when the process is suggestive, the circuit court may determine that under the totality of the circumstances the identification was sufficiently reliable for the matter to be decided by the jury. Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 93 S.Ct. 375, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972); Monk v. State, supra ; Bishop v. State, supra . In determining reliability, the following factors are considered: (1) the prior opportunity of the witness to observe the alleged act; (2) the accuracy of the prior description of the accused; (3) any identification of another person prior to the pretrial identification procedure; (4) the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation; (5) the failure of the witness to identify the defendant on a prior occasion; and (6) the lapse of time between the alleged act and the pretrial identification procedure. Hayes v. State, 311 Ark. 645, 846 S.W.2d 182 (1993); Van Pelt v. State, 306 Ark. 624, 816 S.W.2d 607 (1991); Bowden v. State, 297 Ark. 160, 761 S.W.2d 148 (1988); see also Neil v. Biggers, supra . It is appellant's burden to show that a pretrial identification was suspect. Dixon v. State, 310 Ark. 460, 839 S.W.2d 173 (1992). When, as here, the photographic identification is followed by an eyewitness identification at trial, this court will not set aside the conviction unless the photographic lineup was so suggestive as to create a substantial possibility of misidentification. Goins v. State, 318 Ark. 689, 890 S.W.2d 602 (1995). In Goins, the court held that an identification issue was not preserved for review where, despite challenging a pretrial photographic identification, the appellants failed to object to the victim's in-court identification of them. Goins, supra . A contemporaneous objection is required to preserve an issue for appeal. Williams v. State, 347 Ark. 728, 67 S.W.3d 548 (2002). Here, the issue was not preserved for appeal, and, is therefore barred. Three eyewitnesses identified Fields from the stand as the person who committed the robbery and shooting. Fields did not object to these in-court identifications. Therefore, the photo lineup identification point on appeal is barred.