Opinion ID: 1751766
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Statement to Iesha McDonnell

Text: Iesha McDonnell is the daughter of the godmother of Holman's wife. On March 23, 2006, Holman called the McDonnell home in order to speak with his wife, who was then living with the McDonnells. When his attempts to speak with his wife and Iesha's mother, Latona, were unsuccessful, Holman stated, All you bitches and some hos, man. I got all you motherfuckers when I get up out of here. Fuck this shit. Before admission of this statement, the jury learned that Iesha's mother informed the police of Holman's participation in the robbery and subsequently wore a wire in order to help identify other people involved. The information she provided led to the issuance of a warrant to search Holman's house. On February 24, 2006, Detective Eric Knowles of the Little Rock Police Department told Holman that he had been speaking with Holman's wife and that he knew what happened. Knowles testified that he thought his interview with Holman's wife prompted Holman to give a statementa thought Holman confirmed in his statement to the police and in his testimony at trial. As he did before the circuit court, Holman argues that the recorded statement is inadmissible because it is improper character evidence and it does not demonstrate his consciousness of guilt. Both Holman and the State cite to Mendiola v. State, 92 Ark.App. 359, 214 S.W.3d 271 (2005), where the court of appeals held that evidence of a defendant's nonverbal threats to a police officer during a pretrial hearing was admissible under Rule 404(b) to show the defendant's consciousness of guilt. The State contends that Mendiola supports admission of the statement, while Holman claims that Mendiola is clearly distinguishable. In Mendiola , at a pretrial hearing, the appellant looked toward a police investigator, made a finger-gun motion, and put his thumb down in a shooting motion. During the same hearing, the appellant mouthed the words you're dead to the police investigator. The court of appeals noted: The State argues that the testimony regarding appellant's nonverbal threats was relevant and probative to prove his consciousness of guilt with respect to the charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping. They were not offered simply to show that he was a criminal, but rather to show his attempt to silence a key witness from testifying at trial. Efforts to conceal evidence demonstrate a consciousness of guilt and are therefore admissible. Coggin v. State, 356 Ark. 424, 156 S.W.3d 712 (2004); see also Eliott v. State, 342 Ark. 237, 27 S.W.3d 432 (2000) (holding that when evidence of a past crime reflects a consciousness of guilt, it is independently relevant and admissible under Rule 404(b)). The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has specifically held that evidence of death threats against witnesses or other parties cooperating with the government is generally admissible against a defendant to show consciousness of guilt with respect to the crimes charged. United States v. Griffith, 301 F.3d 880 (8th Cir. 2002). Mendiola, 92 Ark.App. at 362, 214 S.W.3d at 274. Holman claims that Mendiola is not on point because the evidence in the case at bar does not show an attempt to silence a witness from testifying at trial; thus, it does not constitute evidence of consciousness of guilt with respect to the crimes charged. For its part, the State claims that, when Holman spoke to Iesha on March 23, 2006, he may well have known that her mother gave information to the police about the robbery and he certainly knew that his wife had. While it is not clear from the record whether Holman knew that Latona had been cooperating with the police, it is certainly evident that Holman knew police had spoken to his wife. As previously mentioned, on February 24, 2006, Detective Knowles told Holman that he had been speaking with Holman's wife and that he knew what happened, and Holman admitted that the communication with his wife prompted him to give a statement to police. The State contends that Holman was aware that his wife was cooperating with the police in the investigation of his crimes, and that, against that backdrop, his claim that those staying in the McDonnell household were bitches and hos and that, when he g[o]t up out of here[,]' he was going to g[e]t all you motherfuckers[ ] could reasonably be understood as a threat against the women who had cooperated with the police. Holman claims that his conversation with Iesha did not demonstrate his consciousness of guilt, but that it merely showed his frustration at not being able to speak to his wife about arranging bail. As pointed out by the State, the jury was aware that Holman was frustrated about not being able to speak with his wife. Iesha testified that Holman called and wanted to speak to his wife, but that his wife did not want to speak to him. She also stated that she could tell Holman was frustrated by the tone of his voice. Thus, the State contends that the jury could decide for itself whether Holman's threat stemmed from his frustration about not being able to speak to his wife or from a combined frustration that the women of the McDonnell household were conspiring against him, a conspiracy that included refusing to speak with him as well as cooperating with the police. As previously noted, it is not clear from the record that Holman knew that Latona had been cooperating with the police, but it is quite clear from the record that he knew that his wife had been speaking to the police. What prompted Holman's statement to Iesha, be it his frustration over not being able to speak to his wife or his frustration over his wife's conversation with police, was a matter for the jury to decide. Accordingly, we hold that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting evidence of the recorded conversation. [2] Still, Holman argues that, even if this court determines that the statement was independently relevant, the circuit court should have excluded it pursuant to Arkansas Rule of Evidence 403 because the statement had no probative value and was highly prejudicial. The balancing of probative value against prejudice, under Rule 403, is a matter left to the sound discretion of the circuit court. Davis v. State, 368 Ark. 401, 246 S.W.3d 862 (2007). The lower court's decision on such a matter will not be reversed absent a manifest abuse of that discretion. Id. We cannot say that the circuit court abused its discretion in concluding that the statement was admissible pursuant to Rule 403. Finally, Holman argues that the admission of his conversation with Iesha was unduly prejudicial because it revealed that he was incarcerated at the time. The State claims that Holman did not raise this argument below. The State is incorrect. The record clearly reflects that Holman raised this argument at the trial level. Nevertheless, Holman's argument is without merit. We have stated that facts which indicate that a defendant is incarcerated are not prejudicial per se. Banks v. State, 315 Ark. 666, 869 S.W.2d 700 (1994). We have further stated that prejudice will not be presumed. Id. The fact that Holman was in jail at the time he spoke to Iesha is not prejudicial in and of itself. The jurors knew, per testimony at trial, that Holman had been arrested on February 24, 2006, for the crimes for which he was on trial; thus, the jury would likely not be surprised by the fact that Holman was still in jail on March 23, 2006, the day he made the statement to Iesha. See Banks, 315 Ark. at 672, 869 S.W.2d at 704 (stating that [i]t would come as no surprise to the jury to learn that a person charged with capital murder was a resident of the county jail before trial). For the foregoing reasons, we hold that the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the statement Holman made to Iesha.