Opinion ID: 1433877
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Refusal to Issue a Subpoena Compelling a Witness to Testify on the Defendant's Behalf

Text: Next, Defendant Guthrie argues that the district court erred by refusing to issue a writ to produce a witness at trial. The Defendant sought to compel Dominique Ellis, Williams' boyfriend, to testify on Guthrie's behalf. With the testimony, Guthrie sought Ellis's admission that Ellis sold drugs out of Williams' apartment. The Defendant argues that Ellis' testimony would have negated the intent element of the charged offense by demonstrating that Guthrie and Kemp arrived at the apartment to settle a debt, not to cause Williams' death or serious bodily injury. At the time of the trial, Ellis was incarcerated on other charges. Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 17(b) governs the issuance of writs of habeas corpus ad testificandum and states that a district court must order that a subpoena be issued for a named witness if the defendant shows ... the necessity of the witness's presence for an adequate defense. FED. R. CRIM. PRO. 17(b). This Court reviews the district court's decision regarding the issuance of a writ of habeas corpus ad testificandum for abuse of discretion. United States v. Rigdon, 459 F.2d 379, 380 (6th Cir.1972). The district court's discretion is wide, and a reviewing court should not reverse unless the exceptional circumstances of the case indicate that [the] defendant's right to a complete, fair and adequate trial is jeopardized. Rigdon, 459 F.2d at 380 (citations and quotations omitted). The district court denied the Defendant's request, concluding that Ellis' testimony would only serve the purpose of impeachment on a collateral matter and would be cumulative. Kemp had also testified about the intent with which the Defendant and Kemp went to the victim's home that night. Further, the court noted that Kemp had already offered testimony about the drugs at Williams' residence, thereby impeaching Williams' testimony denying the drugs. This Court finds that even if Ellis would have testified as the Defendant expected, his testimony regarding the presence of drugs in the apartment or a drug debt between himself and Kemp or Guthrie would have been irrelevant to the charged offenses. The reason why Kemp and Guthrie went to the victim's apartment in the first place is immaterial. The intent element of the carjacking offense involves the intent when the vehicle is taken. Holloway v. United States, 526 U.S. 1, 8, 119 S.Ct. 966, 143 L.Ed.2d 1 (1999). Ellis could provide no evidence as to the intent of Kemp and Guthrie when they abducted Williams at gunpoint and forced her to drive. As to the value of Ellis as an impeachment witness, it was within the district court's discretion to determine that Kemp had already offered sufficient testimony impeaching Williams and any further such testimony would be needlessly cumulative. Guthrie has not shown this decision to be an abuse of discretion.