Opinion ID: 2548037
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Payne's Testimony

Text: At trial, Payne testified that on the day of the murder he was with Shelby and Clark in the 4300 block of Lee Avenue. Thompson approached them and asked to buy crack cocaine. Payne told Thompson that he should go into the backyard of a nearby vacant house. Payne also went to the backyard and sold Thompson three rocks of crack cocaine for $30. Payne testified that Clark then pulled a gun and demanded Thompson's money. Thompson tried to run, and Clark shot Thompson. Clark then approached the body and searched the pockets. According to Payne, Shelby appeared immediately after the killing and asked what had happened, and Payne told him that Clark had killed Thompson. Prior to Payne's testimony, Clark's attorney notified both the judge and the circuit attorney that he planned to elicit testimony that Payne hoped to receive favorable treatment during the sentencing phase of his own criminal proceeding in return for testifying at Clark's trial. Payne had been charged with second degree burglary and theft in a case that was unrelated to Thompson's murder. The judge sitting in Clark's murder trial also had sat in Payne's burglary trial, and Payne had pleaded guilty about four weeks earlier. Payne was eligible for a sentence of up to 16 years' imprisonment, but in lieu of sentencing, Payne's case had been transferred to the City of St. Louis drug courts. Participation in a drug court program is conditional on completing drug court requirements and following drug court rules. Failure to comply with these requirements would result in retransfer of Payne's case to the circuit court for traditional sentencing. After Payne's guilty plea but before Clark's trial, Clark's attorney deposed Payne. During the deposition, Payne indicated that he hoped his testimony against Clark might earn him leniency should he fail the drug court program. The circuit attorney agreed that Clark was permitted to cross-examine Payne concerning Payne's guilty plea. But she argued that Clark could not cross-examine Payne about Payne's hope for leniency. The circuit attorney argued that Clark could not attempt to portray Payne as dishonest simply based on his desires for leniency. The circuit attorney also argued that, because it was uncertain whether Payne would ever face traditional sentencing, whatever hope Payne might have entertained was too tenuous to form a basis for impeachment. Because Payne might never face sentencing, his hopes were irrelevant, and allowing questioning on the subject would be more prejudicial than probative. In response, Clark argued that prohibiting this avenue of cross-examination was a violation of his constitutional right to due process and a violation of the Sixth Amendment's Confrontation Clause. [2] The judge sustained the circuit attorney's objection, noting that Payne had not even been offered a plea deal in exchange for his testimony in Clark's case. The judge allowed Clark's attorney to submit an offer of proof, during which he asked Payne about his subjective hopes. The offer of proof demonstrated that Payne would have testified that he hoped for leniency in a possible future sentencing as a result of his testimony against Clark.