Opinion ID: 1434194
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: sufficiency of jury instructions

Text: Defendant attempted to have the court give to the jury specific instructions concerning the reliability of eyewitness testimony. The proffered instructions were modeled after the Telfaire instructions required in United States v. Telfaire, 469 F.2d 552 (D.C. Cir.1972). The trial court gave only part of defendant's instructions and gave other instructions which substantially covered the Telfaire instructions. This Court has held that the trial court has discretion in giving Telfaire instructions. See State v. Reedy, Utah, 681 P.2d 1251 (1984); State v. Newton, Utah, 681 P.2d 833 (1984), and cases cited therein. As in Reedy, defendant Watson claims that the proffered instructions represented his defense theory and asserts that the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to give them. However, we hold that Instruction Nos. 8, 9 and 19 adequately instructed the jury on the subject of the identification testimony. Testimony offered at trial demonstrates that the trial judge used proper discretion in selecting the jury instructions. State v. Schaffer, Utah, 638 P.2d 1185, 1187 (1981). Both eyewitnesses, Bailey and Duncan, identified the robber as bearded, with long dirty hair. Both stated that he wore a cowboy hat and carried a bandana in his pocket. Bailey, the store clerk, identified the vest as that worn by defendant during the robbery. The vest was seized from defendant's car. Defendant's brother-in-law identified the vest as belonging to defendant. Duncan, the arcade manager, positively identified the car and also took down the license number. Both had opportunity to see the defendant in fairly good light. Both witnesses identified him in court. Defendant brought to light certain weaknesses in Bailey's testimony. Instruction No. 9 particularly addressed those weaknesses, most importantly in asking the jury if the witness's identification was a product of his own recollection. In essence the jury instructions given substantially paralleled the Telfaire instructions. The trial court committed no error in refusing to give the instructions exactly as requested by defendant.