Opinion ID: 1315925
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: .Triggering the Waiver

Text: Determining whether Murray triggered the waiver requires an analysis of the terms of the waiver. A proffer agreement is a contract and its terms must be read to give effect to the parties' intent. United States v. Barrow, 400 F.3d 109, 117 (2d Cir.2005) (quoting United States v. Liranzo, 944 F.2d 73, 77 (2d Cir.1991)); see also United States v. Williams, 510 F.3d 416, 421-22 (3d Cir.2007) (stating that plea agreements are analyzed according to contract law principles); United States v. Nolan-Cooper, 155 F.3d 221, 236 (3d Cir. 1998) (Plea agreements, although arising in the criminal context, are analyzed under contract law standards.). Because the interpretation of a contract generally is a question of law, we review the District Court's interpretation of the terms of the waiver de novo. Barrow, 400 F.3d at 117; see also United States v. Bernard, 373 F.3d 339, 341 (3d Cir.2004) (We exercise plenary review over the question of whether the terms of a plea agreement have been violated.). If the waiver applies to this case, we review the District Court's evidentiary rulings admitting Murray's proffer statements for abuse of discretion. Barrow, 400 F.3d at 117. The terms of the waiver here were expansive, allowing the Government to use Murray's proffer statements not only to cross-examine him, but also to rebut any evidence or arguments offered on [his] behalf. (emphasis added). Barrow, 400 F.3d at 118. Compare Krilich, 159 F.3d at 1024 (demonstrating more narrowly tailored waiver terms). Moreover, upon reviewing the trial transcripts, it is clear that Murray triggered the terms of the waiver by attempting to shift the blame for ordering the deaths of Rosa and Allen. Regarding Rosa's death, Murray's cross-examination [6] attempted to elicit testimony that another drug gang, led by Mark Lee, had motive to kill Rosa. Murray elicited testimony that one of Rosa's associates was attempting to sell drugs in Lee's territory, leading to a loss in profits. Murray also attempted to insinuate that the van in which Moore was arrested might have been the same van used in Rosa's killing. Murray pursued these lines of questioning even though he had confessed in his proffer statements that he ordered Rosa's killing. Likewise, Murray attempted to show that Ricky Perez gave the order and the gun to kill Allen. In cross-examining a cooperating witness, David Lopez, who had admitted to shooting Allen, Murray repeatedly asked whether Perez ordered Allen's death, even though Lopez had testified that he acted on Murray's orders. Murray also repeatedly questioned Perez whether he ordered Lopez to kill Allen, and whether he gave Lopez the gun used to shoot Allen. Murray also elicited testimony from Perez that Allen was disrupting Perez's drug sets and affecting his profits, in an attempt to pin the motive on Perez. The testimony elicited from these witnesses on cross-examination was aimed at inferring that Lee and Perez, rather than Murray, were responsible for the murders of Rosa and Allen, contrary to the statements Murray made under the proffer agreement. See United States v. Frazier, 469 F.3d 85, 89 (3d Cir.2006) (holding that, in certain circumstances, an attorney's cross-examination of a witness is tantamount to the assertion of an argument). Murray's explanations for these lines of questioning are unavailing. According to Murray, his questioning was intended only to impeach the credibility of the Government's cooperating witnesses and to challenge their recollections of certain events. Nevertheless, the District Court felt Murray was also attempting to challenge any recollections regarding Murray's role in the killings, thus opening the door for the Government to invoke the waiver to rebut these attempts. [7] Accordingly, we find that the District Court did not abuse its discretion in admitting Murray's proffer statements.