Opinion ID: 1881490
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Statements of Richard Strode.

Text: At trial, the Commonwealth introduced statements of Richard Strode through his father, Wilbur Strode. Specifically, Wilbur Strode testified that his son told him that he did not shoot anybody and that he was armed with a can of pepper spray, not a gun. The defense objection on hearsay grounds was overruled. In support of the admissibility of this statement, the Commonwealth argued that the statement was a statement against penal interest by a codefendant. KRE 804(b)(3). The trial court agreed and further held that Richard Strode was unavailable as a witness because he could have asserted his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination if called to the stand. In order for the hearsay exception for statements against penal interest to apply, the proponent of the statement must show that the declarant is unavailable. KRE 804(b); Justice v. Commonwealth, Ky., 987 S.W.2d 306, 313 (1998). A declarant is unavailable if he is exempted from testifying by a ruling of the court on grounds of a privilege. KRE 804(a)(1); Taylor v. Commonwealth, Ky., 821 S.W.2d 72 (1990), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 1100, 112 S.Ct. 1185, 117 L.Ed.2d 428 (1992). In Taylor , the declarant was called to the stand at trial and asserted his own Fifth Amendment privilege before being declared unavailable. Id. Here, the Commonwealth made no attempt to call Richard Strode to the stand but only asserted that Strode could claim the privilege if called. Based on that assertion, the trial court declared Strode unavailable and allowed Wilbur Strode to testify to his out-of-court statements. In order to satisfy the requirements of the Confrontation Clause, the prosecution must at least make a good faith effort to obtain the declarant's presence at trial. Barber v. Page, 390 U.S. 719, 724-25, 88 S.Ct. 1318, 1321-22, 20 L.Ed.2d 255 (1968); Justice v. Commonwealth, supra, at 313. The Commonwealth made no such effort here. Richard Strode was never subpoenaed by either party and never asserted any claim of privilege. The trial court merely assumed that Strode would assert his Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination if called to the stand. A trial court cannot merely rely on the Commonwealth's assurances of unavailability in deciding to admit hearsay evidence that is conditioned upon unavailability. Justice, supra, at 313. Before a declarant may be excused as unavailable based on a claim of privilege, the declarant must appear at trial, assert the privilege, and have that assertion approved by the trial judge. United States v. Udey, 748 F.2d 1231 (8th Cir.1984), cert. denied, 472 U.S. 1017, 105 S.Ct. 3477, 87 L.Ed.2d 613 (1985); Crawley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 568 S.W.2d 927 (1978), cert. denied, 439 U.S. 1119, 99 S.Ct. 1028, 59 L.Ed.2d 79 (1979); Robert G. Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook, § 8.45, at 430-431 (3rd ed. Michie 1993). Thus, it was error to admit Richard Strode's statements through the testimony of his father. However, because the trial court found that Mark Downey carried the only weapon and that Mark Downey, not Richard Strode or Appellant, killed Mrs. Fink, Strode's statements that he did not shoot anyone and did not carry a gun were not prejudicial to Appellant. If there is no reasonable possibility that, absent the error, the verdict would have been different, the error, as here, is harmless. Hodge v.Commonwealth, Ky., 17 S.W.3d 824, 828 (2000), cert. denied, 531 U.S. 1018, 121 S.Ct. 581, 148 L.Ed.2d 498 (2000).