Opinion ID: 2358621
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: real evidence: the victim's diary.

Text: During direct examination, T.J. admitted that she had kept a diary during part of the period when the sexual abuse was supposed to have occurred, and that the diary did not include the detailed acts of sexual abuse described in her testimony. She explained that the diary was mostly fictional and was written primarily for entertainment purposes. On cross-examination, apparently to prove bias and a motive to falsify, defense counsel had T.J. read from certain entries in the diary in which she had written that she hated Appellant, that he was tight, that he drank alcohol and smoked, and that I hate the way he treats me. On redirect examination, the prosecutor authenticated and offered into evidence one redacted page of the diary that contained a statement that my dad got mad because he wanted ... to f___ me again. Defense counsel did not move to introduce the entire diary, but objected to the prosecutor's motion to introduce one page because I think it all has to come in if you introduce it. Defense counsel admitted that he had read the diary in its entirety and had found nothing in there that particularly helps or hurts Appellant, specifically, nothing exculpatory. The trial judge admitted the page offered by the prosecutor. T.J. was not questioned further about the diary either in open court or by avowal. The diary, itself, was not introduced by avowal and is not included in the record on appeal. KRE 106 provides: When a writing or recorded statement or part thereof is introduced by a party, an adverse party may require the introduction at that time of any other part or any other writing or recorded statement which ought in fairness to be considered contemporaneously with it. The Rule does not require introduction of the complete document merely because a portion of the document is offered into evidence. As explained in Gabow v. Commonwealth, Ky., 34 S.W.3d 63 (2000), the fairness aspect of the Rule is intended to prevent a misleading impression as a result of an incomplete reproduction of a statement. Id. at 68 n. 2 (quoting Commonwealth v. Collins, Ky., 933 S.W.2d 811, 814 (1996) and R. Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook § 1.20, at 48 (3d ed. Michie 1993)). Having candidly admitted that there was nothing helpful or exculpatory in the remainder of the diary, defense counsel essentially admitted that the exclusion of the remaining portions of the diary did not hinder or jeopardize Appellant's trial strategy or theory of the case. Commonwealth v. Collins, supra, at 814. Appellant now claims that it was unfair not to require introduction of the entire diary because such prevented the jury from considering the truth of T.J.'s claim that the diary was mostly fictional. This theory was not presented to the trial judge, thus was not preserved for review. Kennedy v. Commonwealth, Ky., 544 S.W.2d 219, 222 (1976). Nor was the issue preserved by avowal. Commonwealth v. Ferrell, Ky., 17 S.W.3d 520 (2000). While KRE 103(a)(2) and RCr 9.52 are both couched in terms of preserving oral testimony as opposed to real evidence, a fair reading of those rules requires avowal testimony to authenticate the document or object, then a tender of the document or object to the court as an avowal exhibit. Real evidence is usually offered by tendering exhibits, having them marked for identification, and asking that they be admitted into evidence. R. Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook, supra, § 1.10 II, at 21.