Opinion ID: 2611383
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Authentication of Rienhardt's Voice

Text: Rienhardt next argues that the trial court erred in allowing Micki Rowlan, James Breedlove's girlfriend, to testify about a telephone conversation she had on the night of the murder with a male caller whom she believed to be Rienhardt. According to Rowlan's testimony, the caller said, among other things, that (1) he hated all women; (2) that he wanted Breedlove to return with his money; (3) that if Breedlove did not return, he would take Ellis on a hike in the desert, blindfold him, hang him over the edge of a cliff, take the blindfold off, and drop him; and (4) that he would be coming over to Rowlan's home with a gun. Rienhardt argues that the statements do not qualify as an admission by a party opponent, because Rowlan could not properly identify the speaker as Rienhardt, and that the statements are therefore hearsay. It is undisputed that Rowlan had never heard Rienhardt's voice prior to the conversation at issue. The trial court initially ruled that the statements were inadmissable hearsay, then reversed itself after reviewing four cases submitted by the prosecution: Cavanagh v. Ohio Farmers Ins. Co., 20 Ariz.App. 38, 509 P.2d 1075 (1973); State v. Philips, 108 Wash.2d 627, 741 P.2d 24 (1987); State v. Danielson, 37 Wash.App. 469, 681 P.2d 260 (1984); State v. Elie, 4 Wash.App. 352, 481 P.2d 464 (1971). All of these cases stand for the general proposition that the identity of a speaker on a telephone may be established by circumstantial evidence. Rienhardt argues that all of these cases are distinguishable, however, because in these cases the caller, whose voice was unknown to the witness testifying in court, identified himself or herself by name at some point during the conversation. It is undisputed that the man with whom Rowlan spoke did not identify himself by name. We have held that circumstantial evidence may be used to prove the authenticity of a sound recording. State v. Lavers, 168 Ariz. 376, 388 n. 8, 814 P.2d 333, 345 n. 8 (1991). Rule 901(b)(6), Ariz. R. Evid., provides that telephone conversations may be authenticated by evidence that a call was made to a person to whom a number is assigned and that  circumstances, including self identification, show the person answering to be the one called. (emphasis added). Even where, as here, there is no evidence of the particular number of the person called, Rule 901(b)(4) allows a party to establish the identity of a speaker on a telephone by circumstantial evidence. Rule 901 provides: (a) General provision. The requirement of authentication or identification as a condition precedent to admissibility is satisfied by evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent claims. (b) Illustrations. By way of illustration only, and not by way of limitation, the following are examples of authentication or identification conforming with the requirements of this rule: . . . (4) Distinctive characteristics and the like. Appearance, contents, substance, internal patterns, or other distinctive characteristics, taken in conjunction with circumstances. The speaker need not identify himself by name. The following circumstantial evidence was presented at trial: (1) Theresa Martinez testified that while she was in the apartment with Rienhardt and Ellis, she heard Rienhardt say, over the telephone, that he hated all women; (2) James Breedlove testified that during his telephone conversation with Rienhardt, Rienhardt told him that he was going to take Ellis for a hike; (3) Andrea Nadeau, present in the apartment with Ellis and Rienhardt, testified that Rienhardt was agitated and yelling into the telephone on two occasions; (4) Breedlove was in possession of Rienhardt's $1,180; and (5) Rienhardt was in possession of two shotguns during the evening in question. This is adequate circumstantial evidence that the person with whom Micki Rowlan spoke was in fact Rienhardt. The caller threatened to take Ellis on a hike, just as Rienhardt had. The caller stated that he hated women, just as Rienhardt had. The caller stated that he had a gun, as only Rienhardt did. Finally, the caller stated that he wanted his money back, and the undisputed evidence was that only Rienhardt's money was at stake in the drug deal. The out of court statements Rowlan recounted are therefore not hearsay, but rather admissions by a party opponent under Rule 801(d)(2), Ariz. R. Evid.