Opinion ID: 1970693
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: analysis under the confrontation clause

Text: Smith contends that the Superior Court erred in admitting Mrs. Weedon's testimony regarding Weedon's October 10 statement because such admission ran afoul of Bruton and the Confrontation Clause. The State retorts that Bruton is unavailing because its rule is predicated on inadmissibility of the subject statement against Smith. The State continues that the precondition is not met here because the October 10 statement was admissible under D.R.E. 804(b)(3) or D.R.E. 801(d)(2)(E). This begs the question and is incorrect as a matter of law. In a joint trial, admission of a codefendant's confession that also incriminates the defendant violates the Confrontation Clause, Bruton v. United States, 391 U.S. 123, 126, 88 S.Ct. 1620, 1622, 20 L.Ed.2d 476 (1968), unless the confession is sufficiently redacted to exclude the possibility that a jury will use it against the defendant, Richardson v. Marsh, 481 U.S. 200, 211, 107 S.Ct. 1702, 1709, 95 L.Ed.2d 176 (1987); Blodgett v. State, Del.Supr., 310 A.2d 628, 629 (1973) (analysis under federal Confrontation Clause). [16] The instant case implicates Bruton because it involves a joint trial of codefendants where the inculpatory statement of one defendant (Weedon) was used against both Weedon and the codefendant (Smith). We have held that those statements of Weedon within the October 10 conversation with Mrs. Weedon that were not truly self-inculpatory did not fall within the ambit of D.R.E. 804(b)(3). See Part II, supra. [17] The majority in Williamson predicated its decision solely on its interpretation of F.R.E. 804(b)(3) and did not base its decision under the Confrontation Clause. [18] That clause states in relevant part: [i]n all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right ... to be confronted with the witnesses against him. U.S. Const., amend. VI. Hearsay statements, however, may be admissible notwithstanding the Confrontation Clause if (1) the declarant is unavailable to testify and (2) the statement bears adequate indicia of reliability. Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56, 66, 100 S.Ct. 2531, 2539, 65 L.Ed.2d 597 (1980) (quoting Mancusi v. Stubbs, 408 U.S. 204, 213, 92 S.Ct. 2308, 2313, 33 L.Ed.2d 293 (1972)). A declarant who invokes the Fifth Amendment testimonial privilege against self-incrimination is unavailable for Confrontation Clause purposes. See D.R.E. 804(a)(1) & (2); see also United States v. Bakhtiar, 2d Cir., 994 F.2d 970, 977, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 114 S.Ct. 554, 126 L.Ed.2d 455 (1993); State v. Payne, Conn. Supr., 219 Conn. 93, 591 A.2d 1246, 1258 (1991); State v. Smith, Me.Supr., 415 A.2d 553, 559 (1980); State v. Grossi, R.I.Supr., 588 A.2d 607, 608 (1991). A statement may be sufficiently reliable if it falls either within a firmly rooted hearsay exception or if it otherwise has particularized guarantees of trustworthiness. Lee, 476 U.S. at 543, 106 S.Ct. at 2063; Roberts, 448 U.S. at 66, 100 S.Ct. at 2539 (footnote omitted). The United States Supreme Court has left open the question of whether the declaration-against-interest exception is firmly rooted. See Williamson, ___ U.S. at ___, 114 S.Ct. at 2437. The lower federal circuits have split on the issue. Compare United States v. York, 7th Cir., 933 F.2d 1343, 1363-64, cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 112 S.Ct. 321, 116 L.Ed.2d 262 (1991) (firmly rooted); United States v. Seeley, 1st Cir., 892 F.2d 1, 2 (1989) (same) with United States v. Flores, 5th Cir., 985 F.2d 770, 783 (1993) (not firmly rooted); Olson v. Green, 8th Cir., 668 F.2d 421, 428, cert. denied, 456 U.S. 1009, 102 S.Ct. 2303, 73 L.Ed.2d 1305 (1982) (same). This Court need not reach the issue, however, because as earlier discussed, see Part II, supra, we hold that portions of the larger October 10 narrative that were not truly self-inculpatory lacked sufficient indicia of reliability and trustworthiness irrespective of whether D.R.E. 804(b)(3) is a firmly rooted exception. Given that Weedon's October 10 narrative does not fall within the declaration-against-interest hearsay exception, co-conspirator exclusion, or any other hearsay exception or exclusion, the Superior Court's admission of that statement against Smith constituted plain error under the Delaware Rules of Evidence. To permit the introduction of the evidence as to Smith squarely implicates the Confrontation Clause. See Fuson v. Jago, 6th Cir., 773 F.2d 55, 60-61 (1985), cert. denied, 478 U.S. 1020, 106 S.Ct. 3334, 92 L.Ed.2d 739 (1986) (interpreting Ohio Rule of Evidence 804(B)(3)). Accordingly, the interpretation of D.R.E. 804(b)(3) which we adopt today saves the constitutionality of the Rule since to construe D.R.E. 804(b)(3) to permit the introduction of the Weedon statement as to Smith would have violated his constitutional rights under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and Article I, § 7, of the Delaware Constitution. [19] Furthermore, the Superior Court's error was not harmless. Upon a finding that a defendant's constitutional rights were violated, a reviewing court must weigh the significance of the error against the strength of the untainted evidence of guilt to determine whether the error may have affected the judgment. Van Arsdall v. State, Del.Supr., 524 A.2d 3, 11 (1987) (reversal based on Confrontation Clause violation). Constitutional errors are of such magnitude that reversal is required whenever the reviewing court `cannot say that the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.' Id. (quoting Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828, 17 L.Ed.2d 705 (1967)). In the instant case, there was no untainted direct evidence linking Smith to commission of the subject offenses. The only circumstantial evidence allowing for an inference of culpability was Clampitt's testimony that he stopped a car driven by Smith for speeding in the early morning hours of October 10 and saw two baseball bats in the car's compartment. [20] Given the paucity of untainted evidence against Smith, the gravity of Mrs. Weedon's testimony relating to portions of the October 10 conversation that inculpated Smith is palpable. Thus, the Court cannot say that the improper, wholesale admission of that conversation constituted error that was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. [21] We therefore REVERSE Smith's convictions and REMAND the case to the Superior Court for a new trial consistent with this opinion.