Opinion ID: 1325644
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 15

Heading: guilt phasemotion for mistrial

Text: Mueller contends that he was entitled to a mistrial based on the prosecutor's failure to inform him that witness Kevin Speeks had not made a positive identification of him when shown a photo array consisting of seven pictures. The record is silent, however, regarding whether Mueller's photograph was among the seven photographs shown to Speeks. Nevertheless, Mueller argues that Speeks's failure to identify him was exculpatory evidence within the meaning of Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). We disagree. Exculpatory evidence is evidence favorable to a defendant which must be disclosed by the prosecution where it is material to the defendant's guilt or punishment. Id. at 87, 83 S.Ct. at 1197. The record before us shows that the prosecutor informed the trial court that he had investigated the matter of the photo array upon learning about it for the first time at trial. He was unable to determine which police officer showed Speeks the photographs. Thus, there is no evidence before us that Speeks was shown a photograph of Mueller or of any specifically identified individual. Moreover, since Speeks did not identify any photograph as representing a person he had seen at the fast food restaurant, but merely stated that one photograph resembled a man who was there, the trial court correctly determined that this information did not constitute exculpatory evidence. Townes v. Commonwealth, 234 Va. 307, 324, 362 S.E.2d 650, 659 (1987), cert. denied, 485 U.S. 971, 108 S.Ct. 1249, 99 L.Ed.2d 447 (1988).