Opinion ID: 1580899
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: videotaped evidence.

Text: Appellant moved in limine to suppress the videotaped reenactment of Lindeman's investigation, or, in the alternative, to suppress the audio narrative portion thereof, especially Lindeman's repetition of Appellant's alleged confession. The motion was overruled and the videotape was played to the jury in its entirety, both video and audio, not only during Lindeman's direct testimony, but also during both the prosecutor's opening statement and his closing argument. A videotape of a crime scene, including the position of the victim's body and the location and nature of the victim's injuries, is just as admissible as a photograph, assuming a proper foundation is laid. Bedell v. Commonwealth, Ky., 870 S.W.2d 779 (1993); Milburn v. Commonwealth, Ky., 788 S.W.2d 253 (1989). If relevant and probative of an issue in the case, a videotape of a crime scene, like a crime scene photograph, is admissible even though gruesome. Mills v. Commonwealth, Ky., 996 S.W.2d 473, 489 (1999); see also Dillard v. Commonwealth, Ky., 995 S.W.2d 366, 370 (1999) and cases cited therein. While we have some reservations with respect to the propriety of focusing the camera on the victim's wounds for as long as forty seconds, we conclude that jurors would be no more inflamed by this lengthy depiction than by being exposed to a crime scene photograph for the same duration of time. Thus, we conclude that there was no error in admitting the video portion of the taped reenactment. The admission of the audio portion, however, significantly implicates the hearsay rule. The audio narration on the videotape was undoubtedly an out-of-court statement offered to prove the truth of the matter asserted, i.e., hearsay. KRE 801(c). The narration did not fall within any exception to the hearsay rule. It was not a present sense impression, KRE 803(1), because it did not describe events as they were happening, but events which had already occurred. It was not within the recorded recollection exception, KRE 803(5), because Lindeman did not claim to have insufficient recollection of the facts as to be unable to testify without reference to the videotape. In fact, he had already testified to the exact same facts which were repeated in the recorded narration. Appellant's brief characterizes the audio portion of the videotape as a verbal police report, which is inadmissible under the public records exception, KRE 803(8)(A). No effort was made to qualify the videotape as a business record. KRE 803(6); Prater v. Cabinet for Human Resources, Ky., 954 S.W.2d 954, 957-59 (1997). The maker of the record, i.e., the cameraman, was never identified, and there was no proof that it was the regular practice of the Grayson Police Department to videotape reenactments of criminal investigations. Rabovsky v. Commonwealth, Ky., 973 S.W.2d 6, 10 (1998). The audio narration on the videotape was, in fact, a prior consistent statement offered to bolster Lindeman's in-court testimony. KRE 801A(a)(2). A prior consistent statement generally is admissible only to rebut an express or implied charge of recent fabrication or improper influence or motive, id., neither of which is present in this case. In fact, the videotape was not offered as rebuttal, but was first played during the prosecutor's opening statement, which occurred not only prior to the introduction of any evidence, but prior to defense counsel's opening statement. Professor Lawson enumerates some other circumstances when a prior consistent statement could possess probative value beyond mere repetition, i.e., to cast doubt on whether or not an alleged prior inconsistent statement was uttered, to refute a claim of inaccurate recollection by the witness who made the prior statement, to amplify or clarify an alleged prior inconsistent statement, or to reflect upon the seriousness of alleged inconsistencies between testimony and a prior inconsistent statement. R. Lawson, The Kentucky Evidence Law Handbook § 8.10 II, at 379-80 (3d ed. Michie 1993). None of those circumstances exist in this case. In overruling the motion to suppress the audio portion of the videotape, the trial judge relied on language from our opinion in Milburn v. Commonwealth, supra : [Appellant] particularly objects to a portion of the tape which focused on a large pool of blood, and the simultaneous commentary of the investigating police officer. This videotape evidence does not fall outside of the broad category of photographs which we have found admissible under a liberal approach recognized in Gall v. Commonwealth, Ky., 607 S.W.2d 97, 106 (1980), and continued through Wager v. Commonwealth, Ky., 751 S.W.2d 28, 31 (1988). The narrative supplied in no way measures up to a grotesque Poe-like description as appellant has so characterized it. We uphold the competent ruling of the trial court to admit probative evidence. Id. at 257. The trial judge interpreted the first quoted sentence to mean that the simultaneous commentary of the investigating police officer was an audio recording accompanying the videotape. The Commonwealth concedes that, in fact, the videotape in Milburn was played with the audio portion muted and that the simultaneous commentary was provided by the investigating officer from the witness stand describing the contents of the videotape as it was being played. Milburn provides no authority for allowing a jury to hear an unsworn out-of-court narration of videotaped evidence. The Commonwealth does not assert that the pre-recorded narration of the videotape falls within an exception to the hearsay rule, but relies solely on the cases of Lee v. State, 526 N.E.2d 963 (Ind.1988), overruled on other grounds, Rita v. State, 674 N.E.2d 968 (Ind.1996) and State v. Van Tran, 864 S.W.2d 465 (Tenn.1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1046, 114 S.Ct. 1577, 128 L.Ed.2d 220 (1994) in both of which the admission of similar evidence was held not to be reversible error. That reliance is misplaced. In Lee v. State, supra , the Indiana Supreme Court noted that, Officer Trennerry's narration in no way connected appellant with the case nor did he draw any conclusions concerning appellant. His narration was purely factual as to what was being depicted on the tape at the time. 526 N.E.2d at 965. Here, the audio portion of the videotape included not only a description of what was being depicted on the tape, but also Lindeman's repetition of Appellant's alleged confession to the murder. In State v. Van Tran, supra , the Tennessee Supreme Court in fact found that it was error to permit the jury to hear the audio portion of a videotape which described a crime scene as it was being filmed. The better practice would have been for the trial court to have turned off the volume and had Officer Garner narrate the tape from the witness stand. 864 S.W.2d at 477. However, the error was deemed harmless, because the narrative pertained mainly to minor matters or facts established elsewhere in the record, and because of the clear evidence of the defendant's guilt. Here, the narrative included a repetition of Appellant's alleged confession, and the evidence of Appellant's guilt of murder was not overwhelming, given the results of the blood tests and Phyllis Berry's alleged admission that she was the person who killed Mrs. Horton. In Scott v. State, 559 So.2d 269 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1990), the execution of a search warrant by police was videotaped by a national television film crew. The videotape, including the audio portion, was played to the jury during the defendant's subsequent criminal trial for trafficking in a controlled substance. The audio portion included statements by police officers that a number of complaints had been filed against the residents of the searched premises, that cocaine trafficking had occurred on the premises, and that the property was not zoned for a supermarket for cocaine. Admission of the audio portion was held reversible error because the unsworn statements of the officers were inadmissible hearsay. In Scott , the inadmissible hearsay occurred in a recording of events as they were occurring. Here, the inadmissible hearsay occurred in a recording of a reenactment of events which had already occurred. Either way, the legal principle is the same. Compounding the error in this case is the fact that the videotape was played to the jury in its entirety not only during the Commonwealth's case-in-chief, but also during both the prosecutor's opening statement and his closing argument. RCr 9.42(a) states that, [t]he attorney for the Commonwealth shall state to the jury the nature of the charge and the evidence upon which the Commonwealth relies to support it. Thus: The only legitimate purpose of an opening statement is so to explain to the jury the issue they are to try that they may understand the bearing of the evidence to be introduced. Lickliter v. Commonwealth, 249 Ky. 95, 60 S.W.2d 355, 357 (1933); see also Brummitt v. Commonwealth, Ky., 357 S.W.2d 37 (1962); Turner v. Commonwealth, Ky., 240 S.W.2d 80 (1951); Mills v. Commonwealth, 310 Ky. 240, 220 S.W.2d 376 (1949). While we have allowed prosecutors to display admissible items of real evidence to the jury during opening statement, Sherley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 889 S.W.2d 794 (1994) (photograph of the victim), Shelton v. Commonwealth, 280 Ky. 733, 134 S.W.2d 653 (1939) (bloody coat worn by the defendant), we have never sanctioned the playing of a witness's prerecorded testimony during opening statement, much less a witness's prerecorded unsworn statement. As for closing argument, attorneys are generally allowed to replay excerpts from recorded testimony, which is analogous to reading excerpts from the record. Hodges v. State, 194 Ga.App. 837, 392 S.E.2d 262 (1990); People v. Gross, 265 Ill.App.3d 74, 202 Ill.Dec. 250, 637 N.E.2d 789 (1994). Here, however, the replay of the videotape was but a repetition of Lindeman's entire testimony, tantamount to recalling Lindeman to the witness stand in the middle of summation. Compare Egan v. Dotson, 36 S.D. 459, 155 N.W. 783 (1915), overruled on other grounds, Hackworth v. Larson, 83 S.D. 674, 165 N.W.2d 705 (1969), in which a pro se litigant attempted to give unsworn testimony regarding a disputed fact during his opening statement. The right of a person to try his own case does not contemplate the privilege of giving testimony three times in the same case, viz: As an unsworn witness in the opening statement; as a witness under oath; and again in his closing argument. Id. at 790. Officer Lindeman actually testified four times with respect to his investigation and Appellant's alleged confession in this case, viz: As an unsworn witness during opening statement, both sworn and unsworn during the Commonwealth's case-in-chief, then again as an unsworn witness during closing argument. We do not decide here whether the repetition of admissible evidence could so prejudice a defendant as to entitle him to a new trial. We do decide here that the repetition of inadmissible evidence regarding a disputed fact was so prejudicial in this case as to preclude any finding of harmless error.