Opinion ID: 476844
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Hyland's Testimony at Trial

Text: 25 Jarrett and Kelly were tried together on the murder and robbery charges. At trial, Hyland identified Jarrett as the other driver he had seen at the Seaway station. 26 When confronted on cross-examination with his initial statement that he had not seen the driver's face and was not sure even that the driver was a female, Hyland's responses as to the gender of the driver grew far more certain than they had been prior to trial. Although perhaps occasionally displaying his earlier lack of certainty, he now stated that he was sure the driver was a female based on her motion and everything; that while her hair was covering up a lot of her face, he could see her nose, eyes, and forehead; and that he knew on the day of his August 13, 1973 statement that the driver was a female. He maintained that the typed version of his initial statement was wrong and that he did not know how it had come to include the statement that he was not sure. He said he did not read the statement but may have scanned it and have thought it was probably right. On redirect examination by the district attorney and recross examination by counsel for Kelly, Hyland's testimony on this issue included the following questions and answers: 27 Q. [By district attorney Wolff] ... Let me ask you this: When you were in the station, on August 11th, were you sure in your own mind that it was a girl that was in the car? 28 A. Yes. I would stake my life on that, that it was a girl. 29