Opinion ID: 2612858
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: delayed disclosure of exculpatory evidence

Text: The defendant also contends that the State failed to timely reveal exculpatory evidence and that a mistrial due to delayed disclosure should have been granted. The delayed disclosure concerned State's witnesses Michael Furthmyer and Robbie Clem and involved in part action that law enforcement officials had taken on these witnesses' behalf in order to obtain more lenient treatment for the witnesses in pending criminal cases. Mike Furthmyer was a confidential informant. Various reports had been provided to the defense during discovery, but the defendant maintained that none mentioned information provided by a confidential informant and none named the confidential informant. The State, conversely, maintained that all reports had been provided to the defendant and that these reports included affidavits which mentioned the existence of a confidential informant but the defendant never requested disclosure of the informant's identity. Witnesses from the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department as well as Furthmyer were made available to the defendant during trial for interview concerning Furthmyer's status as a confidential informant once that status was disclosed. The trial court did find that at least one report had not been provided to the defendant until the witness was testifying. The court also found that most of the confidential information provided by Furthmyer involved Peckham absconding during trial on his drug offenses and did not concern the case at bar. However, the court did note that Furthmyer did provide evidence to the sheriffs about the alleged grave, but that was immediately made known to the defense, as well as the source of that information. The court also found that Furthmyer's status as a confidential informant was not exculpatory evidence with which the State had a duty to come forward and that if there was such a duty, the defendant was not prejudiced by the delayed disclosure. A continuance was granted at the defendant's request to review newly disclosed reports. During Furthmyer's testimony, the defense sought to question him about a theft conviction and whether the sheriff's office helped him get favorable treatment on that case. A proffer was made, during which Furthmyer testified out of the presence of the jury that he was not sure whether the sheriff's office intervened on his behalf in that case. The court refused to permit the defense to question Furthmyer along this line. Furthmyer did testify that Detective Heinrichs gave him $100 for a water pump, belts, wrenches, and gas and turnpike fees. Detective Heinrichs was recalled by the State, and he admitted to giving Furthmyer $100 and buying him several meals. After Heinrichs was dismissed, the defense recalled him to continue recross-examination, whereupon it was revealed that Heinrichs had intervened on Furthmyer's behalf concerning a theft charge. The defendant also points to other evidence he claims is exculpatory. For example, not only did Heinrichs seek leniency for Furthmyer on his theft charges, but another detective did so as well. Further, another detective had questioned Furthmyer about the murder of Roy Hernandez, and Furthmyer had denied having any knowledge of it; the report of this interview was not provided by the sheriff's office. Furthmyer was recalled to testify, and he was questioned about statements he had made to the authorities as well as about whether the sheriff's office had intervened on his behalf in his theft case. Robbie Clem testified that she did not receive any favorable treatment on her check forgery case. However, Clem's parole officer testified that Heinrichs had contacted her several times concerning whether parole revocation should be sought and that Heinrichs had sought to intervene in Clem's parole hearing. Heinrichs also told Clem's parole officer that the district attorney would recommend that nothing be done in Clem's check forgery case. The defendant then moved for a mistrial because Heinrichs had withheld exculpatory evidence. The trial court agreed that the evidence was exculpatory, but refused to declare a mistrial because there was no prejudice to the defendant as all of the information was disclosed in front of the jury. Peckham contends that the concealment of exculpatory evidence by the Sedgwick County Sheriff's Department is attributable to the State, although he admits that the State had no knowledge about most of the evidence the sheriff's office was withholding. See State v. Humphrey, 217 Kan. 352, 537 P.2d 155 (1975). He also admits that the evidence was ultimately disclosed to him during trial. He maintains, however, that the delayed disclosure still constitutes a withholding of evidence because it was done in bad faith. The crux of his argument here is that he is required to make a lesser showing of prejudice because the delayed disclosure was in bad faith. In State v. Carmichael, 240 Kan. 149, Syl. ¶ 1, 727 P.2d 918 (1986), this court addressed the standard for granting a remedy when disclosure of exculpatory evidence is delayed: Prosecutors are under a positive duty, independent of court order, to disclose exculpatory evidence to a defendant. To justify a reversal of a conviction for failure to disclose evidence, the evidence withheld by the prosecution must be clearly exculpatory and the withholding of the evidence must be clearly prejudicial to the defendant. Evidence is exculpatory if it tends to disprove a fact in issue which is material to guilt or punishment. 240 Kan. at 153. Further, in State v. Barncord, 240 Kan. 35, Syl. ¶ 4, 726 P.2d 1322 (1986), this court stated that [e]vidence not disclosed to the defendant before trial is not suppressed or withheld by the State if the defendant has personal knowledge thereof, or if the facts become available to him during trial and he is not prejudiced in defending against them. In Carmichael, the exculpatory evidence was destroyed and therefore was not admitted at trial. In Barncord, the evidence was not purposefully withheld and the defendant was not prejudiced because he had ample opportunity to cross-examine the witnesses. Here, the evidence Peckham claims is exculpatory was ultimately admitted at trial. The trial court determined that some of the evidence which was disclosed only during trial was exculpatory and some of it was not. Peckham does not suggest what further evidence would have been revealed had he received timely disclosure of this evidence and been able to adequately investigate further. He does not suggest that his trial strategy would have differed had the evidence been disclosed before trial. Peckham's ability to examine each of the witnesses testifying was not prejudiced by the delayed disclosure during trial of this evidence. He received continuances or recesses where appropriate, and he was able to fully examine each witness. In fact, the delayed disclosure most likely worked to Peckham's advantage because the credibility of the witnesses testifying against him was severely impaired when they were recalled to the stand and additional information was elicited from them. We affirm the trial court and find that no prejudicial error occurred.