Opinion ID: 1631088
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Exclusion of Rose Crutcher's Audiotaped Statements.

Text: Notwithstanding Appellant's offer of proof for preservation of the issue for review, we find that Appellant has nonetheless waived his right to complain of any error allegedly committed by the trial court in excluding the audiotaped statements of Rose Crutcher. During Crutcher's testimony at trial, Appellant's defense counsel attempted to introduce audiotaped statements that defense counsel and an investigator recorded in an interview they had with Crutcher in which she stated that she thought someone other than Appellant may have held the murder weapon in her apartment immediately after Andrea Tiller was shot and killed. From the record, it appears Appellant was attempting to impeach Crutcher's testimony with these prior inconsistent statements when the Commonwealth objected on the grounds that this evidence was never disclosed to the prosecution pursuant to the reciprocal discovery agreement between the parties. Upon sustaining the Commonwealth's objection, the trial judge reminded defense counsel that he could ask the witness if she remembered making certain statements to him which may have implicated someone other than Appellant as the person holding the murder weapon. If the witness could not remember, the trial judge instructed defense counsel that he would then be prohibited from further questioning the witness and could not introduce the audiotaped statements because he had failed to comply with the reciprocal discovery agreement and because the proper foundation had not been laid. However, defense counsel asked no further questions on this matter, thus waiving his right to complain on appeal that the trial court committed reversible error in excluding the audiotaped statements. The reciprocal discovery agreement between the parties stated, in pertinent part, that the Appellant agreed to provide reciprocal discovery pursuant to RCr 7.24(3)(A)(i). This rule, however, only requires the defendant to permit the Commonwealth to inspect, copy, or photograph any results or reports of scientific tests or experiments made in connection with the particular case.  RCr 7.24(3)(A)(i) (emphasis added). As such, the rule would not apply in this instance to the audiotaped statements. Of course, failure to provide the necessary discovery mandated by RCr 7.24 may result in a number of consequences, one of which is that the trial court may prohibit the party from introducing in evidence the material not disclosed. RCr 7.24(9). Here, the trial court prohibited the introduction of the audiotaped statements because it found that Appellant failed to disclose Rose Crutcher's taped statements as provided for by the reciprocal discovery agreement. [1] However, because the agreement only required Appellant to provide the Commonwealth with scientific results under RCr 7.24(3)(A)(i), the exclusion of Crutcher's audiotaped statements was an abuse of discretion and erroneous. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. v. Thompson, 11 S.W.3d 575, 577 (Ky.2000). Despite finding the trial court erred in excluding this evidence, we find the error to be harmless. Defense counsel's failure to ask Crutcher whether she remembered making prior statements to him effectively waived any argument on appeal that the trial court's exclusion of the evidence constitutes reversible error. Furthermore, by foregoing the opportunity to ask Crutcher about her prior statements and thus laying the proper foundation for introduction of her prior statements, Appellant cannot now complain that the trial court erred. In this vein, the trial court's exclusion was proper, as Appellant failed to provide the proper basis for Crutcher's prior statements to be admissible. KRE 801A; KRE 613. However, as we have already expounded, the trial court could not properly exclude these statements on the basis of a violation of the reciprocal discovery agreement as the agreement did not require Appellant to disclose the audiotaped statements, although any error in doing so was harmless. This situation presents circumstances akin to those where an appellant has invited error. See, e.g., Wright v. Jackson, 329 S.W.2d 560 (Ky.1959) (We have often held that a party is estopped to take advantage of an error produced by his own act.); Miles v. Southeastern Motor Truck Lines, 173 S.W.2d 990, 998, 295 Ky. 156, 173 (1943) (It is the rule that one cannot complain of an invited error.). Although most criminal cases addressing the issue of invited error do so in the context of a criminal defendant's waiver of his right to a jury trial, see United States v. Page, 661 F.2d 1080, 1082-83 (5th Cir. 1981); Jackson v. Commonwealth, 113 S.W.3d 128, 134-36 (Ky.2003), the rationale behind the notion that one cannot commit to an act (such as waiving a jury trial) and later complain on appeal that the trial court erred to his detriment is equally applicable when a criminal defendant fails to act (such as foregoing the opportunity to question a witness) as Appellant's defense counsel did here. A defendant cannot complain on appeal of alleged errors invited or induced by himself, particularly where . . . it is not clear that the defendant was prejudiced thereby. United States v. Lewis, 524 F.2d 991, 992 (5th Cir.1975), cert. denied, 425 U.S. 938, 96 S.Ct. 1673, 48 L.Ed.2d 180 (1976). In this case, Appellant was given the opportunity to question Crutcher about whether or not she had made previous statements concerning the alleged shooter on the day Tiller was killed. Essentially, the trial court gave him the chance to get into evidence by way of Crutcher's admission that which otherwise would have been excluded based on the trial court's erroneous finding of a reciprocal discovery agreement violation. If she had denied making such a statement, Appellant would have been left only with her answer. Had this set of circumstances actually been realized, Appellant's argument that the audiotaped statements were improperly excluded becomes less tenuous. The actual circumstances in this case, however, differ greatly, and as such, any error in the exclusion of the audiotaped statements was waived, but nevertheless harmless for the reasons aforementioned.