Opinion ID: 1238053
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Patricia Underwood

Text: Several of the defendant's enumerations of error complain of rulings regarding the participation of Patricia Underwood in the trial. In order to address these, it is necessary to set out the facts as they developed as the trial progressed. Prior to trial, the state moved to exclude any hearsay evidence of a confession by Underwood. According to the state's motion, Underwood had confessed to the defendant's attorney that she had committed the murder. Although the trial court stated, I don't believe that would be admissible unless you planned or unless you were to assure the court, that you planned to call her, a ruling on the motion was postponed until such time as the evidence in question might be offered. Also prior to trial defense counsel stated for the record that it was his understanding that no agreement or deal had been made with Underwood, and asked if that was correct. The prosecutor responded that he did not feel he would have to disclose any agreement or deal unless he called her as a witness and he did not plan to, but that he was not aware of any promises having been made to her. Later, during presentation of the state's case, a detective from Philadelphia testified that the defendant had been arrested in New Jersey on January 11, 1984, and that he had gone to question him on January 12. At that time, the defendant made one of the two confessions which was admitted at trial. The detective testified that he had met Underwood at that time. At the close of cross-examination, the DA said: Could we ask Detective Sergeant Rosenstein to see if, to identify Patty Underwood? She's outside and we'd just like to have her brought in and identified. I don't believe there is any objection, is there? There was no objection, and she was brought into the courtroom and identified by Sergeant Rosenstein. The defendant then asked that she be held in the courthouse so that he could cross-examine her. The court noted that she had not testified, but ordered her held downstairs. After the state closed, the defendant's attorney made his opening argument in which he stated that he expected the evidence to show that Patty Underwood had murdered the victim while the defendant was out of the room. When he finished, the trial judge said, All right. Call your first witness. The DA interjected, Your Honor, excuse me. We've got a matter outside the presence of the jury. Defense counsel then said: Your Honor, we wanted to call Patty Underwood. The DA interjected, Your Honor, and defense counsel interrupted to say, He wants us to call her out of the presence of the jury. At that point, the trial judge sent the jury out. Underwood's attorney explained that she would not answer any questions that would incriminate her and asked if he could stand beside her to facilitate conferring with her. She took the stand and refused on the basis of the Fifth Amendment to answer a series of questions, beginning with whether she knew the defendant. Finally the court asked if she would answer any question concerning any relationship with the defendant in Columbus, or with the victim. She answered, No. The court then ruled that the defendant could not call her as a witness because she would not answer any questions but would claim her Fifth Amendment rights. The court then asked the state if they wanted him to instruct the jury to disregard defense counsel's earlier statement that he was going to call Underwood. The state declined, but asked that defense counsel be told not to mention it again. Defendant now contends that it was error to refuse to disclose the agreement between the state and the co-defendant, and that his right to due process was denied when the state brought Underwood into the courtroom, knowing that she would invoke the Fifth Amendment. He also contends that his right to confront witnesses against him was denied when he was not allowed to cross-examine her in the jury's presence, and that his rights under the 6th, 8th and 14th amendments were denied by the ruling excluding evidence of Underwood's confession. 6. Although defendant complains of the failure to disclose the agreement between the state and the co-defendant, the transcript belies the existence of any such agreement. If there were such an agreement, it would have become material only when Underwood took the stand because the value of such an agreement to the defendant lies in its tendency to impeach the state's witness. Giglio v. United States, 405 U. S. 150 (92 SC 763, 31 LE2d 104) (1972); Owens v. State, 251 Ga. 313, 316-17 (305 SE2d 102) (1983). 7. The defendant contends that it was error to allow the state to bring Underwood into the courtroom to be identified. The defendant, however, did not object to her being brought in even though he was asked if he had an objection. Therefore, any error was expressly waived. We note, however, that in our opinion there was no error. We reach this conclusion notwithstanding the fact that the prosecutor conceded in oral argument that he wanted the jury to see Underwood because he felt she was too small to have murdered the victim herself. Underwood's size was part of the state's case. The trial court did not err in letting the jury see her. The defendant goes on to contend that once Underwood was identified, he had a right to cross-examine her. We decline to decide whether her identification by the detective rendered her a witness against him within the meaning of the Sixth Amendment which triggered his right to cross-examine her because, in this case, any such right was defeated by her determination to assert the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer any relevant questions. Numerous federal courts have concluded that: If it appears that a witness intends to claim the privilege as to essentially all questions, the court may, in its discretion, refuse to allow him to take the stand. Neither side has the right to benefit from any inferences the jury may draw simply from the witness' assertion of the privilege either alone or in conjunction with questions that have been put to him. United States v. Lacouture, 495 F2d 1237, 1240 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U. S. 1053 (1974), quoting United States v. Johnson, 488 F2d 1206, 1211 (1st Cir. 1973). As the Lacouture court explained, one reason for this rule is that reliable inferences do not ordinarily follow from a witness' invocation of the Fifth Amendment. That is especially true here. Underwood would be culpable under either version of the facts  i.e., under the defendant's repudiated confession, she is at least a party to murder and armed robbery. OCGA § 16-2-20. Under his testimony, she is the perpetrator of the murder. Her refusal to testify does not tend to establish which is true. Furthermore, it is extremely unlikely that the defendant was harmed by not being allowed to force her to invoke the Fifth Amendment in the jury's presence, since the jury would not reasonably expect Underwood to confess to the actual murder, so it would not question the defendant's failure to call her. We find no reversible error here. 8. Finally, the defendant contends that the trial court erred in excluding evidence of Underwood's alleged confession. While the defendant did try to put Underwood herself on the stand, the alleged confession was mentioned only once, when during direct examination the defendant said: Patty stepped forward and confessed to this crime about three months ago which they won't allow the confession. The district attorney's hearsay objection was sustained. No offer of proof was made. The trial court's ruling was correct because such a confession would fall squarely within Georgia's hearsay rule, OCGA §§ 24-3-1; 24-3-52, and because Underwood herself did not testify, it is not admissible pursuant to any exception heretofore recognized in Georgia. Little v. Stynchcombe, 227 Ga. 311 (2) (180 SE2d 541) (1971). OCGA § 24-3-52, supra, provides that The confession of one joint offender or conspirator made after the enterprise is ended shall be admissible only against himself. Nor in this case is the alleged confession admissible under the rationale of Green v. Georgia, 442 U. S. 95 (99 SC 2150, 60 LE2d 738) (1979). Green sought to introduce the testimony of one Thomas Pasby, a close friend of his co-defendant, Moore, to the effect that Moore admitted to Pasby that he alone shot the victim at a time when Green was not even present. This court affirmed the exclusion of the testimony as inadmissible hearsay. Green v. State, 242 Ga. 261 (249 SE2d 1) (1978). The U. S. Supreme Court reversed, holding that on the facts of that case the exclusion violated Green's due process rights for three reasons: first, it was highly relevant to a critical issue in the punishment phase of the trial, Green v. Georgia, supra, 442 U. S. at 97; second, the excluded testimony bore substantial indicia of reliability because it was a spontaneous statement to a friend of Moore's, and there was no reason to attribute an ulterior motive to Moore in making it; and third, and perhaps most compelling, it was admitted against Moore at his trial and used by the state to procure a death sentence for Moore. Id. In this case, the excluded testimony was offered, if at all, during the guilt-innocence phase of trial. It does not bear the same indicia of reliability in that apparently the only witnesses who might be able to confirm the alleged confession are the defendant or his attorney, neither of whom are neutral third parties as was Pasby. Additionally, it was not admitted against Underwood in an attempt to procure a death penalty. Rather, she was allowed to plead guilty and received a life sentence for the murder. [3] Finally, we note that the strength of the testimony is unclear because the defendant made no offer of proof. The trial court did not err in excluding Underwood's alleged confession. [4]