Opinion ID: 2461900
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Testimony of Mark Hollenbach

Text: [¶ 16] Mark Hollenbach was employed by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation from 1993 to 1999. One of his first assignments was to review the accumulated files in the Elizabeth Ehlers murder case. Soon after receiving the case files, Hollenbach traveled to Jackson for a group meeting of the various agencies involved in the investigation. At that meeting, Ferrin told Hollenbach about the anonymous telephone call discussed above, and told Hollenbach that he believed T.B. had made the call. Hollenbach testified at trial that, because of his full case load, and because this was merely an introductory meeting, he prepared no report about the meeting. [¶ 17] The appellant makes the same appellate argument in regard to the testimony of Hollenbach that he made in regard to the testimony of Ferrin. That is, the appellant contends that, because Hollenbach provided no report of his having learned from Ferrin that Ferrin suspected T.B. of placing the anonymous telephone call, the appellant was unfairly surprised by such revelation at trial. Labeling this a significant breach of the prosecutor's duty to provide a summary of each witness's expected testimony, the appellant contends that the proper remedy is a new trial. [¶ 18] T.B. told Hollenbach that he had placed the Crime Stoppers call. T.B. also testified at trial that he had done so. Part of the defense trial strategy was the suggestion that, through overbearing interrogation techniques, including the feeding of details, Hollenbach had induced T.B. to tell a story that fit law enforcement's theory, rather than to tell the truth. This strategy, the appellant now argues, was undermined by the State's late revelation that T.B. was asked about the telephone call by Ferrin, and that Hollenbach knew, at the time he interviewed T.B., that Ferrin suspected T.B. of making the call. In other words, the appellant's allegation that Hollenbach had badgered T.B. into admitting that he made the call was somehow undermined by Ferrin having earlier asked T.B. about the call. [¶ 19] Viewing all of this in the context of Hollenbach's testimony does not change our conclusion that it did not affect the outcome of the trial. If anything, it probably aided the defense because it allowed counsel not only to emphasize the differences in the various stories told by T.B. to investigators over the years, but it presented an opportunity for the defense to cast aspersions upon the techniques used by the law enforcement officers investigating the case. Beyond that, T.B. testified at the trial and admitted that he had made the call. The jury was able to judge his credibility against that of the officers. The district court did not abuse its discretion by failing to grant a new trial on the basis of this discovery issue. Even if the State breached a discovery order by failing to include in its witness summaries the fact that Ferrin asked T.B. if he had placed the call, such was not of a magnitude as to have thwarted the ends of justice.