Opinion ID: 1852856
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Testimony of Roth's Son.

Text: At trial, John, Roth's son, was one of the State's key witnesses. His testimony tied Roth to the murder weapon near the time of Tina's death. John's testimony also demonstrated Roth's attempt to hide the murder weapon the day following the murder. In cross-examining John, Roth attempted to show John was afraid of his mother and, because of the fear, would lie for her. Under questioning, John admitted he did not tell the police about Roth's activities until encouraged to do so by Sharon. John also testified he was aware Sharon had once attempted suicide and that this scared him. John also acknowledged his mother was sometimes violent and previously had been committed to a mental institution. Finally, John related an incident occurring several years earlier in which Sharon repeatedly rammed her car into a truck in which he and Roth were riding. This incident also frightened John. The only area the limine ruling precluded Roth from discussing with John was Sharon's 1965 conviction. That conviction, however, was entered seven years before John was born, and Roth made no assertion, record, or offer that John was aware of the 1965 conviction. [3] Given the remote nature of the 1965 conviction, its speculative impact on John's cross-examination, its potential for misuse by the jury, coupled with the presence of more recent evidence that was of greater probative value on the issue of fear and was unlikely to be misused, we find trial court committed no abuse of discretion in excluding this evidence with respect to John's cross-examination.