Opinion ID: 2326611
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: Admission of a Letter Written by Defendant to Mary's Younger Sister

Text: The defendant argues that state's exhibit No. 7, a handwritten letter from defendant to his youngest daughter, was unduly prejudicial because the letter mentions an unrelated second-degree child abuse charge. The defendant asserts that this error could not be cured with a jury instruction. The defendant argues that the reference violated Rule 404(b) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, which precludes evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts to prove a defendant's character in order to show that said crimes, wrongs or actions conformed to that character. [T]he admission of evidence rests in the sound discretion of the trial justice and will not be disturbed absent a showing of an abuse of that discretion. State v. Hazard, 785 A.2d 1111, 1120 (R.I.2001) (quoting Graff v. Motta, 748 A.2d 249, 252 (R.I.2000)). As a general rule, evidence that shows or tends to indicate that the accused has participated in a crime for which he or she is not on trial, even if it is the same type of crime, is irrelevant and inadmissible. State v. Gallagher, 654 A.2d 1206, 1210 (R.I.1995) (citing State v. Cardoza, 465 A.2d 200, 202 (R.I.1983)). The rationale behind this policy is to alleviate confusion of the issues, unfair surprise, and prejudice to defendant. Id. (citing State v. Colvin, 425 A.2d 508, 511 (R.I.1981)). Evidence of other crimes may be admitted, however, if it tends to establish defendant's guilty knowledge, intent, motive, design, plan, scheme, system, or the like relative to the offense charged. Id. (quoting State v. Lemon, 497 A.2d 713, 720 (R.I.1985)). The decision on whether evidence of other crimes is relevant to a permissible purpose is left to the sound discretion of the trial justice. State v. Breen, 767 A.2d 50, 58 (R.I.2001). If the trial justice finds that the probative value outweighs the potential for unfair prejudice, and chooses to admit the evidence, a specific cautionary instruction also must be administered to explain the limited purpose for which the jury may consider it. State v. Brown, 626 A.2d 228, 233 (R.I.1993). State's exhibit No. 7 was a handwritten letter mailed from defendant to his youngest daughter advising her: When you are summonsed to show up in court for 2nd DEG. Child Abuse charge, you could probably just, ignore it, not show up, and they drop charges. I'll check. You'll definitively have to show up to talk to [Mary], Though I anticipate that they will drop charges then, also, with refusal to testify. Dad At trial, defense counsel objected to the introduction of this exhibit, asserting that the reference to the 2nd DEG. Child Abuse, was admitted as evidence of defendant's bad character. The trial justice found that the jury could not distinguish between sexual assault and child abuse, and thus overruled defendant's objection. On appeal, defendant argues that child abuse charges are legally distinguishable from sexual assault and thus the child abuse charges should have been redacted because it may have confused the jury. The state asserts that the exhibit was introduced because it was probative evidence of consciousness of guilt of the crimes charged. The defendant does not contest the admissibility of the letter for this purpose; rather, he argues, that the 2nd degree child abuse charge should have been redacted. In this instance, there was no prejudice shown from the introduction of the letter referring to the charges of abuse. We note that the jury acquitted defendant of the second-degree sexual assault and simple assault charges involving his youngest daughter. Moreover, we conclude that the note was not introduced to prove bad character or as evidence of a prior bad act, but rather to prove defendant's consciousness of his guilt of the crimes charged. See, e.g., State v. Ricci, 639 A.2d 64, 67 (R.I.1994). The probative value of the statement outweighed any danger of undue prejudice to defendant. We additionally note that the trial justice gave defense counsel the option of a cautionary instruction; defense counsel refused it. The court nonetheless instructed the jury at the end of the case: In the course of this trial, you heard testimony that the defendant here engaged in some conduct which is not the basis for the charges for which he is now on trial. That testimony was offered to you for a limited purpose of showing some motive or intent or preparation or knowledge or absence of mistake or accident in connection with the conduct of the defendant which the State contends is the basis for the charges against him. As with all such testimony, it has only such weight as you see fit to give it for that purpose. You must not, however, give that testimony any weight as evidence tending to prove that the defendant had some propensity or disposition to commit the crimes with which he is charged here. In other words, you must not conclude that just because the defendant engaged in the conduct testified to, he must have committed the crimes for which he is here on trial. An attempt to intimidate or dissuade a witness from testifying is directly admissible and relevant to show consciousness of guilt on defendant's part. State v. Burke, 529 A.2d 621, 626 (R.I.1987) (citing State v. Payano, 528 A.2d 721 (R.I.1987)). We are satisfied that this letter could reasonably be interpreted as an attempt by the father to persuade his youngest daughter to drop the charges against him. We therefore conclude that admission of this evidence was within the discretion of the trial justice.