Opinion ID: 1706994
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Whether the trial court erred in granting the State's motion to limit the cross-examination of the witness, Michael Moran, prohibiting inquiry as to these previous convictions and interest, bias or motive as such matters might affect his credibility?

Text: ¶ 3. Zoerner first contends that the trial judge erred by granting the State's motion in limine to exclude evidence of Moran's three prior burglary convictions. The record reflects that, on January 13, 1995, Moran pled guilty to three counts of burglary. The State recommended that Moran be sentenced to ten years in prison on the first count, to run consecutively with seven years in prison on the second count, to run concurrently with seven years in prison on the third count, and that the sentence be suspended and Moran placed in the house arrest program, with three years probation to follow. The trial judge deferred sentencing, so that Moran could be evaluated for the house arrest program. ¶ 4. Approximately five months after Zoerner's accident, on February 7, 1995, the authorities took Moran from his cell and asked him to give a statement regarding Zoerner. Moran, who was awaiting sentencing on the burglary charges gave a recorded statement, which implicated Zoerner in Richardson's death. On March 29, 1995, the trial court determined that Moran was not eligible for house arrest, and Moran was placed on probation. On April 20, 1995, Moran violated the terms of his probation. His probation was revoked, and he was sent to the penitentiary. ¶ 5. The trial judge granted the State's motion to exclude the prior convictions and found as follows: The Court finds that it is most significant that this potential witness pled guilty in January of '95 and received a recommendation from the State, and it was only subsequent to that that a statement was obtained, and simply because he did not qualify for house arrest, he was then placed on probation and ended up revoking that, and I understand has been sentenced to the penitentiary ... Based on those specific facts, I don't think it is proper impeachment. Further, even if it may be proper it is the Court's opinion under [M.R.E.] 609 that the prejudicial effect would far outweigh its probative value. We are not going to get into it. You have made your objection and your request for the record. ¶ 6. On appeal, Zoerner contends that he should have been allowed to introduce the convictions, in order to impeach Moran's credibility and his motive for testifying. In support of this contention, he cites M.R.E. 616, which provides: For the purpose of attacking the credibility of a witness, evidence or bias, prejudice, or interest of the witness for or against any party to the case is admissible. The State argues that Moran had already been sentenced for the other crimes, and had no motive to testify against Zoerner. ¶ 7. M.R.E. 609 details the circumstances under which prior convictions may be used for impeachment purposes. Wilcher v. State, 697 So.2d 1087, 1094 (Miss.1997). For crimes such as burglary, that rule provides: For the purpose of attacking the credibility of a witness, evidence that he has been convicted of a crime shall be admitted if elicited from him or established by public record during cross-examination but only if the crime (1) was punishable by death or imprisonment in excess of one year under the law under which he was convicted, and the court determines that the probative value of admitting this evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect on a party ... M.R.E. 609(a)(1). The relevancy and admissibility of evidence are largely within the discretion of the trial court and reversal may be had only where that discretion has been abused. Johnston v. State, 567 So.2d 237, 238 (Miss.1990). The discretion of the trial judge, however, must be exercised within the boundaries of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence. Johnston, 567 So.2d at 238. See M.R.E. 103(a), 104(a). M.R.E. 611(b) allows wide-open cross-examination so long as the matter probed is relevant. M.R.E. 611(b), Comment; State Highway Com'n of Miss. v. Havard, 508 So.2d 1099, 1102 (Miss.1987). A judge may limit cross-examination to serve one of the purposes stated in M.R.E. 611(a), to wit: to make the examination effective for ascertaining the truth, to avoid waste of time, and to protect witnesses from harassment or undue embarrassment. M.R.E. 611(b), Comment; M.R.E. 611(a). See also Sayles v. State, 552 So.2d 1383, 1386 (Miss. 1989). Johnston v. State, 618 So.2d 90, 93-94 (Miss. 1993). ¶ 8. In this case, Moran faced three counts of burglary. He cooperated with the police in Zoerner's case, and he was only sentenced to probation. Moreover, Moran was the State's key fact witness. His testimony is the only evidence that Zoerner drove negligently the night Richardson was killed, and his story is uncorroborated on many other points. ¶ 9. This is not a case where the State sought to introduce the defendant's prior conviction to impeach the defendant, and the unrelated conviction could be highly prejudicial. Rather, this is a case where the defendant is seeking to impeach the credibility of the State's primary fact witness. The witness's prior convictions were highly probative of his bias or motive to testify in favor of the State. The probative value of the evidence clearly outweighs the prejudicial effect, if any, on the parties. ¶ 10. That is, [i]n this case the defendant's purpose for developing facts as to this conviction was not simply to discredit [the witness] because he had been convicted of such a crime (which may very well have been inadmissible under some provision of Rule 609), but to ferret out any motive or reason [the witness] might have to be such a favorable state witness. Bevill v. State, 556 So.2d 699, 713-14 (Miss.1990). ¶ 11. In addition, [e]vidence that a material witness has received favored treatment at the hands of law enforcement authorities, particularly where that witness is himself subject to prosecution, is probative of the witness' interest or bias and may be developed through cross-examination or otherwise presented to the jury. Suan v. State, 511 So.2d 144, 147-48 (Miss.1987) (citing Malone v. State, 486 So.2d 367, 368-69 (Miss.1986); Hall v. State, 476 So.2d 26, 28 (Miss.1985); Barnes v. State, 460 So.2d 126, 131 (Miss.1984); King v. State, 363 So.2d 269, 274 (Miss.1978); Sanders v. State, 352 So.2d 822, 824 (Miss.1977)). ¶ 12. Therefore, the trial judge abused his discretion by excluding Moran's previous convictions.