Opinion ID: 2000103
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Danger of False Testimony from Briscoe

Text: Ferebee's final contention is that the government denied him a fair trial by introducing Briscoe as a witness when the government was aware that Briscoe had previously lied about the circumstances of the shooting. Moreover, Ferebee contends, because Briscoe knew that Ferebee had mentioned his name to police when giving his statement about the crime, Briscoe had cause, and the government was aware of this, to reciprocate against Ferebee by incriminating him, perhaps falsely, at trial. The government's use of Briscoe as a witness when he had a clear motive for incriminating Ferebee was, Ferebee argues, a violation of due process. We conclude that the government did not disregard due process in using Briscoe as a witness in its case-in-chief. At Briscoe's plea proceeding, if not earlier, the government became aware that Briscoe had changed his version of the events surrounding the shooting. During the proceeding, Briscoe's description of the circumstances of the crime differed from the account he had originally given police, including with respect to his role in the shooting. Although the contradictions in Briscoe's statements were an indication that he had failed to tell the truth at one time or another, that is no support for the conclusion that the government fostered, encouraged or induced the giving of false testimony incriminating Ferebee. Furthermore, the fact that there seemed to be an apparent motive for Briscoe to incriminate Ferebee does not derogate from the propriety of the government using Briscoe's testimony. Again, the fact that a witness has previously changed his story or the fact that he has a motive either to testify falsely or to incriminate an accomplice is information for the jury to assimilate. Accordingly, appellant Ferebee's convictions are affirmed as against the foregoing challenges. [7]