Opinion ID: 2059905
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admissibility of Preliminary Hearing Identification

Text: Doa presents three challenges to the admissibility of Phoung Huynh's identification of Doa made at the preliminary hearing. At trial, the Commonwealth called Assistant District Attorney Patrick Harvey to testify to Phoung's identification made at the preliminary hearing. In response, Doa has reiterated his general attack upon the admissibility of prior identifications as substantive evidence of the truth of the matter asserted. For the reasons set forth in our discussion of the first issue, we find that the trial court did not err in admitting the testimony. Next, Doa insists that Phoung's testimony at trial was not inconsistent with her testimony at the preliminary hearing; therefore, it was inadmissible. We disagree. At the preliminary hearing, Phoung was asked by the prosecutor to make an in-court identification and she did so. At trial, she was unable to identify Doa. Such testimony is patently at variance with her earlier testimony. Beyond this, Doa maintains that the Assistant District Attorney was not permitted to testify in the case on behalf of the Commonwealth because of his prior participation in the prosecution of the charges against Doa at the preliminary hearing stage. Harvey did not serve in the dual capacity of advocate and witness at the trial. He appeared only as a witness. In light of Commonwealth v. Willis, 380 Pa. 555, 552 A.2d 682 (1988) (en banc), we hold that the trial court did not err in allowing Harvey to testify.