Opinion ID: 1175636
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Identification of the Defendant

Text: The prosecutrix testified that she was attacked by a clean-shaven man. The defendant, in his case in chief, produced witnesses who testified that the defendant was wearing a beard sometime around the date of the criminal episode. Thereafter, the prosecutor produced rebuttal testimony to show that the defendant did not have a beard prior to the date of the offense. The defendant now claims that the trial court erred in refusing to permit him to introduce surrebuttal evidence to establish that he had a beard several months prior to the date of the offense. We stated in People v. Martinez, 181 Colo. 27, 506 P.2d 744 (1973), the general rule that: [D]efendants should always be permitted to introduce as surrebuttal, evidence which tends to meet new matter introduced by the prosecution on rebuttal. Otherwise, it is within the discretion of the trial court to allow or deny surrebuttal. The evidence which the defendant sought to introduce on surrebuttal was not in response to new evidence, and the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the defendant's request.