Opinion ID: 1206395
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: hearsay testimony of gaylord komoto

Text: Appellant next asserts that the trial court erred in admitting, over objection, certain hearsay testimony of Gaylord Komoto, assistant manager of the Waikiki Gateway Hotel. Komoto was allowed to testify as to the location where the hotel's maintenance supervisor discovered the room key which had been issued to the victim. The room key was found by the maintenance supervisor in the fourth floor hallway of the hotel and was returned to Komoto by the supervisor approximately an hour-and-a-half after Komoto had given the key to the victim at the front desk. Komoto's testimony purported to relate an account of what the maintenance supervisor told him and was offered to show the truth of the supervisor's statement. Therefore, it is apparent that Komoto's testimony in this regard was hearsay, see McCormick on Evidence, supra, § 247, and the trial court erred in permitting Komoto to testify as to where the key was found. However, we are of the opinion that this error was harmless. Appellant has not pointed out to us what prejudicial inferences might have been drawn by the jury from the fact that the room key was found in the fourth floor hallway. Since the victim's body was found in the fourth floor washroom, evidence of her presence in the fourth floor hallway did not add to the case against appellant. We are unable to attribute any other probative effect to this testimony. Thus, the record as a whole reveals no prejudice from the erroneous admission of the evidence, and reversal is not warranted. See Lyon v. Bush, 49 Haw. 116, 123, 412 P.3d 662, 667 (1966); State v. Hashimoto, supra, 46 Haw. at 189, 195-96, 377 P.2d at 733, 736.