Opinion ID: 289950
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Claimed Prejudice from Morris' Prior Inconsistent Statement

Text: 7 Fox claims error in the failure to instruct the jury that an inconsistent out-of-court statement by Morris could not be used to determine Fox's guilt. At trial Morris testified that he had taken Mrs. McDonald and Tina Wilson from their Seattle motel to a cafe on the afternoon of their arrest. On cross-examination, Morris admitted that he had told police that he had last seen the girls at the motel. Fox now claims that the damage done to Morris' credibility influenced the jury's determination of Fox's guilt. 8 An examination of the trial record indicates that the parties treated this inconsistency as having little significance. Morris justified the inconsistency by explaining that he had talked to the police before being warned of his rights. Nothing in the statement contradicted any statement of Fox. Nor did the prosecutor mention the inconsistency in closing argument. While Fox was entitled to a favorable instruction had he requested one, it was certainly not mandatory that the court give one without request. Had the court done so, it would have invited error by emphasizing a matter which Fox's counsel had chosen not to contest.