Opinion ID: 166442
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Claim 2: Evidentiary Rulings

Text: 34 Mr. Patton challenges five evidentiary rulings of the trial court. He maintains that these rulings improperly restricted his right to present his intoxication defense, thereby violating his due process right to a fair trial. 35 In upholding the trial court's evidentiary rulings on direct appeal, the OCCA referred only to state law. See Patton, 973 P.2d at 287. In particular, the OCCA cited Jackson v. City of Oklahoma, 678 P.2d 725, 726 (1984) (per curiam), a case which holds, as a matter of state law, that the scope of cross-examination rests within the sound discretion of the trial court and that [o]nly in cases of clear abuse of this discretion, resulting in manifest prejudice, will [the OCCA] reverse the trial court's decision. Id. Nevertheless, Mr. Patton and the respondent both contend that this court should apply AEDPA's deferential standard of review to the OCCA's adjudication of this claim. See Aplt's Br. at 8; Aple's Br. at 16-17. That view is supported by the similarities in the state and federal formulations of standards for granting relief when the trial court excludes evidence. Compare United States v. Valenzuela-Bernal, 458 U.S. 858, 868, 102 S.Ct. 3440, 73 L.Ed.2d 1193 (1982) (concluding that, in order to establish a violation of his due process right to present evidence, a defendant must show that the excluded evidence was material) with Gee v. State, 538 P.2d 1102, 1107 (Okla.Crim.App.1975) (finding no error because the scope of the cross-examination was not limited on the material elements of the case). Accordingly, we must determine whether the OCCA's ruling constituted an unreasonable application of federal law. 1 36 The Supreme Court had held that the rights to confront and cross-examine witnesses and to call witnesses in one's own behalf [are] essential to due process. Chambers v. Mississippi, 410 U.S. 284, 294, 93 S.Ct. 1038, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973). Just as an accused has the right to confront the prosecution's witnesses for the purpose of challenging their testimony, he has the [due process] right to present his own witnesses to establish a defense. Washington v. Texas, 388 U.S. 14, 19, 87 S.Ct. 1920, 18 L.Ed.2d 1019 (1967). Thus, a state court may not apply a rule of evidence mechanistically to defeat the ends of justice. Chambers, 410 U.S. at 302, 93 S.Ct. 1038. However, [t]he right to present relevant testimony . . . may, in appropriate cases, bow to accommodate other legitimate interests in the criminal trial process.' Rock v. Arkansas, 483 U.S. 44, 55, 107 S.Ct. 2704, 97 L.Ed.2d 37 (1987) (quoting Chambers, 410 U.S. at 295, 93 S.Ct. 1038). In order to establish a violation of his due process right to present evidence, a defendant must show that the evidence excluded by the trial court's ruling might have affected the trial's outcome; in other words, he must show that the evidence, if admitted, would have created reasonable doubt that did not exist without the evidence. Valenzuela-Bernal, 458 U.S. at 868, 102 S.Ct. 3440. 37 Mr. Patton first challenges the trial court's exclusion of testimony regarding prayer meetings at Mrs. Kauer's home. Mrs. Kauer's husband testified about those meetings, but the trial court sustained the prosecution's objections to cross-examination questions about those meetings. According to Mr. Patton, this cross-examination was relevant to his cocaine intoxication defense. 38 Second, Mr. Patton challenges the trial court's restrictions on cross-examination of Chris Williams, the co-worker who loaned Mr. Patton his car on the day of the killing. During cross-examination, Mr. Patton's attorney attempted to ask Mr. Williams about Mr. Patton's past cocaine use. The prosecutor objected, and the trial judge ruled that Mr. Patton's attorney could only ask about cocaine use on the day of the killing and the day before. The court reasoned that evidence of Mr. Patton's prior cocaine use was not relevant to his intoxication defense. According to Mr. Patton, his trial counsel was attempting to set out a history of intoxication to support his intoxication defense and the trial judge's ruling prejudiced that defense. 39 Third, Mr. Patton challenges the exclusion of similar testimony from Oklahoma City Police Detective Bill Cook. Mr. Patton's attorney sought to question the detective about how much money Mr. Patton had spent on drugs while living in California, but the trial court did not allow him to do so. 40 Fourth, Mr. Patton challenges the trial court's restriction on the cross-examination of his girlfriend Sandra Moore, a prosecution witness who testified that his demeanor on the day of the crime seemed normal. Mr. Patton's lawyer sought to question her about having made a false statement to Mr. Patton that she was pregnant with twins, but the trial court did not allow this question. 41 Finally, Mr. Patton challenges the trial court's restricting the direct examination of Dr. Smith. During an in camera hearing, the trial judge ruled that Dr. Smith could not discuss statements made by Mr. Patton concerning Mr. Patton's prior cocaine use and addiction. Again, Mr. Patton contends that this testimony was directly related to Dr. Smith's psychiatric evaluation and to his conclusion that Mr. Patton was suffering from a cocaine delirium. 42 Upon review of the record, we conclude that Mr. Patton has failed to establish that any of this evidence, if [] admitted would create reasonable doubt that did not exist without the evidence. Richmond v. Embry, 122 F.3d 866, 872 (10th Cir.1997) (citing Valenzuela-Bernal, 458 U.S. at 868, 102 S.Ct. 3440). The evidence is therefore not material and its exclusion did not violate Mr. Patton's due process right to a fair trial. 43 In particular, as to the prayer meeting evidence, we agree with the OCCA and the district court that Mr. Patton has failed to offer a coherent explanation of its relevance to the key issue at trial—whether Mr. Patton was so intoxicated at the time of crime that he could not form the intent to murder Mrs. Kauer. 44 As to the trial court's refusal to allow questioning of Sandra Moore regarding her allegedly false statement about being pregnant, the OCCA reasonably concluded that the statement was collateral to the issues in the case. See Patton, 973 P.2d at 288; Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 679, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986) (stating that trial judges retain wide latitude . . . to impose reasonable limits on . . . cross-examination based on concerns about, among other things, harassment, prejudice, confusion of the issues, the witness' safety, or interrogation that is repetitive or only marginally relevant). Moreover, even assuming that Ms. Moore's statement, if false, could have been viewed by the jury as damaging her credibility when she testified that Mr. Patton appeared normal on the day of the killing, Mr. Patton is still not entitled to relief. Because there was other evidence supporting Ms. Moore's statements about Mr. Patton's normal demeanor, the possible impeachment value of Ms. Moore's allegedly false statement does not render the statement material under the due process standard. In particular, Mr. Williams also testified about Mr. Patton's normal demeanor on the day of the killing. More importantly, as the OCCA and the district court observed, Mr. Patton's own account of the crime and his attempts to conceal it by hiding his bloody clothes and changing into Mr. Williams' coveralls supported the prosecution's contention that he intended the killing. 45 As to the exclusion of testimony from Chris Williams, Detective Cook, and Dr. Smith regarding Mr. Patton's prior cocaine use, Mr. Patton has also failed to establish that this evidence was material under the due process standard. As the OCCA observed, the jury heard substantial evidence regarding Mr. Patton's drug use on the day of the crime. Through this evidence, Mr. Patton was allowed to present his intoxication defense. Moreover, despite the trial judge's rulings, the jury did hear some evidence of Mr. Patton's prior cocaine use. In particular, Chris Williams testified that he had observed Mr. Patton under the influence of cocaine prior to the killing. Tr. Trans. vol. VIII, at 176. In addition, Dr. Smith testified that Mr. Patton was addicted to cocaine. Tr. Trans. vol. IX, at 121. Dr. Smith also explained that the fact that Mr. Patton tested positive for cocaine a week after the killing indicated that Mr. Patton had used cocaine on a regular basis. Id. at 212, 106 S.Ct. 1431. 46 In light of all of this testimony, the additional evidence of prior drug use that Mr. Patton unsuccessfully sought to introduce would not have created reasonable doubt that did not exist without the evidence. Valenzuela-Bernal, 458 U.S. at 868, 102 S.Ct. 3440. Thus, the trial court did not violate Mr. Patton's due process rights by excluding it.