Opinion ID: 2081607
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Depositions of Victim

Text: State's witness Ralph DuBois testified that he came home to his apartment around the date of the kidnapping and found the defendant there with the door locked. The defendant asked DuBois to get him two Cokes. DuBois did so and then left. During defendant's case, the victim was called to the stand and asked if he had mentioned in a pre-trial deposition the defendant asking someone for two Cokes while he was describing the events of the kidnapping. The victim could not remember if he had mentioned this incident during his depositions. On objection by the state, the defense was not permitted to refresh the victim's recollection by having him read the deposition, nor was the defense permitted to read the entire deposition in open court in an offer to prove that the deposition contained no references to Cokes or Pepsis. On appeal defendant argues that he should have been permitted to impeach the victim because he was a hostile witness and that he should have been permitted to refresh the victim's recollection with the deposition. Collateral matter may not, however, be the basis for an impeachment by use of a prior statement. Bryant v. State (1973) 261 Ind. 172, 301 N.E.2d 179; McCormick on Evidence § 47 (2d ed. 1972). Generally, the trial court has discretion with respect to reception of evidence, and the court's ruling will not be disturbed on appeal in the absence of an abuse of that discretion. Gayer v. State (1965) 247 Ind. 113, 210 N.E.2d 852. The victim had previously been on the stand an entire day and was now being asked to read a lengthy deposition in order to answer one question as to a collateral matter. It was within the court's discretion not to permit the refreshing of the witness's recollection.