Opinion ID: 2543636
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Capacity To Observe

Text: ¶ 40 We next turn to the third Ramirez factor, the witnesses' capacity to observe. Id. Here, relevant circumstances include whether the witness's capacity to observe was impaired by stress or fright at the time of the observation, by personal motivations, biases, or prejudices, by uncorrected visual defects, or by fatigue, injury, drugs, or alcohol. Id. at 783. ¶ 41 In this regard, the trial court concluded that the witnesses' capacity to observe was unimpaired. Specifically, although the trial court acknowledged that the witnesses experienced fear during the robbery, the court found that this did not interfere with their capacity to observe. In addition, the court found no evidence that the witnesses harbored any bias or prejudice against Hollen, or that fatigue or mind-altering substances affected their capacity to observe. ¶ 42 The circumstances in Ramirez, on the other hand, presented relatively greater concerns that fear, stress, or injury affected the witness's capacity to observe. In contrast to the situation here, where only a generalized threat of physical injury existed, the witness in Ramirez was physically assaulted with a pipe during a struggle with one of the assailants. Ramirez, 817 P.2d at 783. Furthermore, after this struggle, the witness overheard one of the assailants tell the other to shoot and kill the witness if he caused any more problems. Id. at 776, 783. ¶ 43 Thus, the circumstances indicate that Contreras, Livolsi, Channing Jones, and Pittman had a greater capacity to observe than the Ramirez witness.