Opinion ID: 1185941
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Admission of Evidence of Prior Bad Acts and Comments on This Evidence in Closing Argument.

Text: Although our conclusion as to the preceding point eliminates the necessity of addressing Dorman's other arguments, these same problems may be presented at a new trial, and we therefore discuss them. The victim's girlfriend, Mary Masidonski, testified at trial in general about Sutherland's cocaine business. She stated that she had delivered a gram of cocaine to Dorman on one occasion, and that on another occasion Dorman had come to the house and talked with Sutherland while she looked out the window, her usual duty when Sutherland was conducting a cocaine transaction. Dorman subsequently acknowledged that he used cocaine and had bought it from Sutherland for his personal use on several occasions. The prosecutor then cross-examined Dorman about the extent of his cocaine use, and then, in order to discredit Dorman's claim that he never processed cocaine, introduced into evidence a photo of Dorman crushing and straining tablets of cocaine to granulate it into powder. In his closing argument, the prosecutor contended that the evidence suggested that Dorman was not merely a casual purchaser. Later, in his rebuttal, the prosecutor referred to the drug background of the murder and the likelihood that the murder was a drug killing in reminding the jury that the body was left along a rather well-traveled road, with the victim's driver's license left in the clothing. Dorman contends that the above evidence was not relevant to any purpose that would justify its admission, and that the prosecutor's comments in any case went beyond what could be reasonably inferred from the evidence. We find no error either in admitting the evidence or in permitting the prosecutor's comments.
At trial, Dorman made a general objection to the admission of any evidence regarding Sutherland's involvement in the drug business on the grounds of relevancy, but made no specific objections to Masidonski's testimony regarding cocaine sales to Dorman or the admission of the photograph. Since we conclude that no error was committed in admitting the evidence, we need not consider whether an adequate objection was made. Alaska Rule of Evidence 404(b) prohibits admission of evidence of other bad acts for the purpose of discrediting the character of a person, but permits its use as evidence to prove motive and for other purposes. [18] Alaska Rule of Evidence 401 defines relevant evidence as that: having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Under this broad definition, testimony about illegal purchases of drugs from the victim in a characteristically violent business is relevant to show a possible motive for the murder. The introduction of the photograph of Dorman straining cocaine was likewise relevant to the proper purpose of discrediting his denial of processing cocaine and his claim that he used only small amounts of the drug. Alaska Rule of Evidence 403 provides that relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury. Admission of evidence of drug use or other bad acts always carries with it the danger that the jury will resolve the issue of guilt or innocence on the basis of the low character or general propensity to commit crime it imputes to the accused, rather than on the basis of proof of the essential elements of the crime charged. Gould v. State, 579 P.2d 535, 538 (Alaska 1978). Where the evidence only illustrates a general propensity to commit crime to be inferred from the mere fact of drug use, its probative value is too slight to outweigh this prejudicial effect, and it should be excluded. [19] The evidence here, however, supplies much more than an inference of general propensity towards crime. The testimony about drug transactions between Dorman and the victim establishes the crucial element of direct contact between the two in an illegal and violence-prone business; the photo indicates that Dorman possessed sufficient amounts of cocaine for him to have invested more than pocket cash in his purchase from the victim. We believe this supplies the affirmative link between the evidence and the crime charged which we have in the past required for evidence of drug use by the accused to be admissible. Id. This case compares with Gafford v. State, 440 P.2d 405, 408 (Alaska 1968), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 1120, 89 S.Ct. 996, 22 L.Ed.2d 125 (1969), where we held that evidence which showed that ill will had resulted from drug dealings between the accused and the victim had sufficient probative value to outweigh its prejudicial effect. Our review of a trial court's decision to admit relevant evidence despite its prejudicial effect is a narrow one; the decision will not be reversed unless shown to be an abuse of discretion. Ladd v. State, 568 P.2d 960, 968 (Alaska 1977). We hold that the superior court did not abuse its discretion in admitting this evidence.
Dorman admits that defense counsel failed to object at trial to the statements made by the prosecutor during closing argument, so any impropriety in the closing arguments would have to rise to the level of plain error for us to reverse the superior court on this issue. We conclude that no such error occurred. The remarks need only be within the range of reasonable inference which could be drawn from the evidence to be permissible. [20] This court has in the past affirmed the decision of the trial court to permit a prosecutor's comments on the basis of a finding that the comments where neither highly inflammatory nor calculated ... to produce an improper conviction. [21] There is little if any basis to support a reversal here. The prosecutor's references to the drug background of the killing were wholly warranted by the evidence regarding Sutherland's and Dorman's drug involvement. The characterization of Dorman as a more than casual purchaser of drugs was a reasonable inference to be drawn from the photograph showing him straining a quantity of cocaine as well as from his purchase of cocaine at Sutherland's house with Masidonski on lookout duty.