Opinion ID: 1980974
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: References to Criminal History

Text: Kingery suggests that witnesses, during trial, made statements which jurors may have interpreted to mean that Kingery had a criminal history and that Kingery was a suspect in other offenses at the time of his trial. The prosecutor elicited some of these references by asking witnesses questions about the procedure used to identify fingerprints as Kingery's. The responses of some of the witnesses included statements which referred to fingerprint cards on file for Kingery which pre-dated the Wildrick murder investigation. Kingery claims that these statements constitute fundamental error by improperly introducing evidence of past crimes. We disagree. Initially, the subject of fingerprint cards was raised in response to Kingery's counsel's questions of Kingery's witness. Kingery's witness first raised the inference that fingerprint cards for Kingery pre-dated the Wildrick murder investigation. By eliciting the evidence which he now challenges, Kingery invited the very error he now claims is fundamental. A party may not invite error, then later argue that the error supports reversal, because error invited by the complaining party is not reversible error. Berry v. State (1991), Ind.App., 574 N.E.2d 960, 963, reh. denied, trans. denied, citing Amburn v. State (1990), Ind.App., 550 N.E.2d 762, 764. Invited errors are not subject to appellate review. Heiser v. State (1992), Ind. App., 596 N.E.2d 965, 966, reh. denied. This type of invited error is not fundamental error. Kingery also objects to comments made by fingerprint experts Robert Worland and Michael Kestler elicited upon questioning by the State. Kingery did not object to this testimony at trial. Because the error was not preserved for appeal, we cannot now consider the claim of error unless the comments rise to the level of fundamental error. Because Kingery first invited comments about pre-existing fingerprint evidence, the subsequent fingerprint card evidence was cumulative of Kingery's evidence of prior fingerprints. Cumulative evidence, offered for a valid purpose, does not constitute fundamental error. Tarver v. State (1987), Ind., 513 N.E.2d 176. The evidence offered here, although cumulative, was offered to help the jury understand the procedure which fingerprint experts used to identify Kingery's fingerprint on Wildrick's sunglasses. Evidence of these pre-existing fingerprint cards did not constitute fundamental error sufficient to support Kingery's due process challenge on appeal.