Opinion ID: 1820473
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: THE ADMISSIBILITY OF THREATS OF FURTHER PROSECUTION OF McFEE RELATED TO HIM BOTH DIRECTLY AND THROUGH HIS MOTHER

Text: The critical factual issue at trial was whether McFee acted alone in murdering Mrs. Gunter or was aided by Fuselier. Fuselier's entire defense was founded on the credibility of McFee. In Giglio v. United States, 405 U.S. 150, 92 S.Ct. 763, 31 L.Ed.2d 104 (1972), the United States Supreme Court held that when the reliability of a given witness may well be determinative of guilt or innocence evidence of any understanding or agreement as to a future prosecution of that witness is relevant to his credibility and the jury is entitled to know of it. This Court thought the Giglio decision so important that it was attached as an appendix to King v. State, 363 So.2d 269 (Miss. 1978). In King, Chief Justice Patterson wrote: The testimony of Romanus, whether true or untrue, was purchased by a grant of immunity, specifically, freedom from life imprisonment. We, of course, do not know what effect the grant of freedom had upon his testimony, but the potential of its affecting the witness's credibility is so great that it cannot be ignored. A jury always has great responsibility in resolving factual disputes and its responsibility in cases of this nature is awesome. It needs, and the courts must afford, every proper assistance to the jury in its search for the truth. Essential to this effort is knowledge of the inducements likely to affect the witness's credibility so it may be considered by the jury in its deliberations.       Moreover, the truthfulness of Romanus' testimony could not likely be ascertained, in our opinion, without consideration of the witness's credibility. The importance of his testimony is obvious and it is also incriminating, but its effect, however material and relevant, could be instantly swept away if the jury believed it to be untrue, the product of purchase rather than material evidence honestly expressed. A witness's credibility is of such importance in our system of justice that all courts recognize the great need for, and grant, broad scope upon cross-examination, but even then at times, regardless of the skillfulness of the cross-examination, essential facts, regretfully, do not come to the jury's attention. King at 274. More recently, in Barnes v. State, 460 So.2d 126 (Miss. 1984), we reaffirmed the rule that not only must a leniency agreement with a state witness be disclosed to the defense but also, the defense is entitled to present evidence of that agreement to the jury where such would tend to impeach or show bias in the testimony of the witness. Unquestionably, the right to impeach or show bias extends to a redirect examination designed to explain the cross-examination, the witness's expressions and his motives for using them. Cole v. Tullos, 228 Miss. 815, 90 So.2d 32 (1956). Additionally, Miss. Code Ann. § 13-1-13 (1972) provides that a witness may be examined touching his interest in the cause or his conviction of any crime, and his answers may be contradicted, and his interest or his conviction of a crime established by other evidence. Once McFee's credibility had been put into issue by the state, Fuselier sought to put on proof, both by examination and the introduction of documents, as to McFee's motivation in giving both the exonerating and inculpatory statements. Specifically, Fuselier wanted to show that McFee made the inculpatory statements as the result of the promise not to pursue the death penalty against him. Indeed, McFee had pled guilty to Mrs. Gunter's murder and received a life sentence on December 12, 1983, three months before Fuselier's trial. Fuselier also wanted to establish that McFee had been threatened with an additional sixty-five years incarceration and the possibility of a death sentence if he refused to testify for the state and instead testified for Fuselier. In furtherance of this goal, he attempted to show that after McFee gave the exonerating statement, dated January 20, 1984, the state charged him with three additional offenses arising out of the murder. The evidence which Fuselier attempted to put forth consisted of three affidavits charging McFee with armed robbery, armed rape, and auto theft. [1] Once the court ruled that those documents were inadmissible, Fuselier's attorney questioned McFee as to whether those documents reflected that on January 24, 1984 McFee was charged with other crimes arising out of the murder of Mrs. Gunter. The trial court sustained an objection to this question before McFee could answer. Fuselier had also proffered the testimony of McFee's mother following a ruling from the trial court that the testimony was inadmissible. That proffer stated that if Mrs. LeBlanc had been permitted to testify she would have stated that an investigator from the district attorney's office told her that it would be in the best interest of her son to testify for the state of Mississippi and that if he did not do so he would be subjecting himself to an additional sixty-five years in the penitentiary. The court ruled that Mrs. LeBlanc's proffered testimony was inadmissible on the grounds its hearsay. The above detailed efforts of Fuselier to present testimony relative to McFee's credibility were not objectionable on hearsay grounds. That argument was disposed of in Barnes, supra . See also, Lee v. State, 338 So.2d 395 (Miss. 1976), wherein we held: that to constitute hearsay, extra judicial words must by some means present a statement, declaration, or assertion introduced for the purpose of proving the truth of the matter asserted. Fuselier's interest was in establishing McFee's credibility. He wanted to be able to show both that McFee had made inculpatory statements in order to save himself and that McFee was now willing to make exonerating statements in spite of what may happen to him. This evidence goes directly to the issue of McFee's credibility and not whether McFee would really be subjected to an additional sixty-five years imprisonment and the death penalty. It was therefore not offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted and was not objectionable on hearsay grounds. If, as we have repeatedly held, the prospect of immunity from prosecution is relevant to the credibility of a witness's statement, so then must be the threat of further prosecution. The duty of assessing McFee's credibility belonged exclusively to the jury and as that issue was critical to the defense the trial court committed reversible error by refusing to allow the jury to be fully informed of the facts relating to it.