Opinion ID: 1781175
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: suppression of buddy's criminal history

Text: Phillips claims that the trial court erred in sustaining the State's motion in limine to prevent her from impeaching Buddy's credibility with his extensive criminal history after he testified during the guilt phase. Phillips admits the issue was not properly preserved for review and, thus, requests plain error review. Phillips, herself, called Buddy as a witness, so any evidence offered by Phillips of his prior convictions would violate the rule that a party may not impeach its own witness in either a civil or criminal case unless two requirements are met: (1) a showing of surprise at the testimony the witness gives, and (2) a showing that the testimony in effect makes the witness a witness for the other side. See State v. Byrd, 676 S.W.2d 494, 502 (Mo. banc 1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1230, 105 S.Ct. 1233, 84 L.Ed.2d 370 (1985). This Court, as Phillips points out, has modified this rule in criminal proceedings to allow a party to impeach his own witness with a prior inconsistent statement without a showing of surprise and hostility. State v. Bowman, 741 S.W.2d 10, 13-14 (Mo. banc 1987), cert. denied, 488 U.S. 829, 109 S.Ct. 83, 102 L.Ed.2d 60 (1988); see also State v. Blankenship, 830 S.W.2d 1, 9 (Mo. banc 1992). The traditional rule, we determined, was inappropriate in view of § 491.074, RSMo 1986, which allows a prior inconsistent statement of any witness to be introduced as substantive evidence. Bowman, 741 S.W.2d at 13-14. We have not modified the rule, however, to allow impeachment of one's own witness in a criminal proceeding by proof of prior criminal convictions without a showing of surprise and hostility, and Phillips offers no persuasive argument to do so now. Accordingly, the trial court committed no error, plain or otherwise, in refusing to allow Phillips to impeach her own witness with evidence of his prior criminal convictions.