Opinion ID: 1755027
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: ashes as evidence of identity

Text: Dessaure argues that the trial court erred (1) by refusing to allow evidence that two marijuana cigarettes were found in Riedweg's apartment; (2) by refusing to allow the defense to present evidence that Riedweg's boyfriend, Stuart Cole, smoked marijuana; and (3) by allowing the State to argue during closing arguments that Dessaure was the source of the cigarette ash found in Riedweg's sink.

A trial judge's ruling on the admissibility of evidence will not be disturbed absent an abuse of discretion. Blanco v. State, 452 So.2d 520 (Fla.1984); see also State v. Polak, 598 So.2d 150 (Fla. 1st DCA 1992) (standard of review of a lower tribunal's ruling on a motion in limine is abuse of discretion); Swanson v. State, 823 So.2d 281 (Fla. 5th DCA 2002).
Relevant evidence is evidence tending to prove or disprove a material fact. § 90.401, Fla. Stat. (2001). Relevant evidence is inadmissible if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of issues, misleading the jury, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence. § 90.403, Fla. Stat. (2001). Similar fact evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is admissible when relevant to prove a material fact in issue, including, but not limited to, proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident, but it is inadmissible when the evidence is relevant solely to prove bad character or propensity. § 90.404(2)(a), Fla. Stat. (2001).
As previously stated, Dessaure argues that the trial court erred (1) by refusing to allow evidence that two marijuana cigarettes were found in Riedweg's apartment; (2) by refusing to allow the defense to present evidence that Riedweg's boyfriend, Stuart Cole, smoked marijuana; and (3) by allowing the State to argue during closing arguments that Dessaure was the source of the cigarette ash found in Riedweg's sink.
Prior to trial, the State filed a motion in limine to prevent evidence of the marijuana cigarettes found in Riedweg's apartment from being introduced. The defense voiced no objection, and the trial court granted the motion. After the State introduced evidence at trial suggesting that Dessaure was the source of the cigarette ash found in Riedweg's kitchen sink, the defense moved the court to reconsider its ruling on the motion in limine, arguing that the ash may have come from the marijuana cigarettes. The court affirmed its previous ruling and stated: I'm not going to allow it to come in. It would appear, due to the absence of any trace of cannabis in the deceased's body after her death, there not being any showing that they were smoked in the house other than the ashes that were seen in the sink, the picture of the marijuana cigarette appears that just the very end of it was lit and it does not appear that what is in the sink in any way can be tied to the small amount of marijuana that appears to have been burned off the cigarette. During the defense's case-in-chief, the defense proffered the testimony of Daniel Copeland. Copeland was a business partner and friend of Stuart Cole's. Copeland testified during the proffer that Cole frequently used marijuana when they went golfing, and he further testified that Cole went golfing on the day of the murder. The defense attempted to introduce the evidence of Cole's marijuana use as relevant to explain the ashes found in Riedweg's sink. The court held that the evidence was inadmissible, stating: I believe there is insufficient evidence from this witness or anybody else we have heard thus far to tie Mr. Cole to the marijuana cigarettes in the apartment. The mere fact that this witness has personal knowledge that he did, in fact, smoke some dope and routinely did so while they were playing golf, in my mind, no way ties him to what was found in the apartment. Therefore, it's, in my mind, is a violation of some type of character flaw for Mr. Cole. I don't think it's allowed under the Evidence Code. I don't think it's been sufficient to tie it in without doing a lot of assuming and I'm not going to allow it. It's in the record for somebody to look at it if they feel I made a mistake. I think, too, we have got a problem with regard to the ashes in the sink and I think the State needs to look long and hard to see how they need to use that as to, you know, how to, you know, what to say that might mean. But at this point, you know, I'm not going to comment on that. The trial court did not abuse its discretion when it barred evidence concerning the marijuana cigarettes in Riedweg's apartment and Cole's marijuana use. The defendant failed to adequately connect either piece of evidence to a material fact in issue. There was no evidence presented that the ashes in the sink had come from the marijuana cigarettes, that the cigarettes belonged to Cole, or that Cole had smoked marijuana in Riedweg's apartment on the day of the murder. No marijuana was found in Riedweg's system at the time of the autopsy. Additionally, the proffered testimony of Daniel Copeland concerning his general knowledge of Cole's marijuana use was never sufficiently connected to the crime itself.
Prior to closing arguments, defense counsel moved in limine to preclude the State from arguing that the ashes found in Riedweg's sink were attributable to Dessaure. The defense argued that there was no direct evidence linking Dessaure to the ashes. The State responded that Dessaure's footprint was found near the sink; Riedweg's apartment was normally immaculate and she would have washed away the ashes; and Dessaure had been seen smoking a cigarette later that day. The court allowed the State's argument. During closing argument the State argued: He left his ashes behind. You saw the pictures of her apartment. Her apartment was absolutely immaculate. She had only been there 10 days. There was not a book out of place. Everything had its place. Everything had its order. There were only four things out of place in her apartment, four things that the killer left behind, four things that belonged to Kenneth Dessaure. No. 1, the footprint, that's out of place in her apartment. His footprint in her apartment, she had been there 10 days, never been in there before, that's out of place. No. 2, these ashes. Remember the water jug sitting on her counter? I think we have a picture of it. If not, you will have it in the room back there. The water jug on her counter, she had filled her cup up with water some time that day while laying out. She was a neat freak. If those ashes were there before she was murdered or before he entered the apartment, they would have been washed down that sink. She filled up her water cup and those ashes would have gone down the sink and they are not. They are right there. And we all know who was smoking that day. Who told the cops around noon, one o'clock, he had a cigarette, who was seen smoking by John Hayes, who the paramedics had seen smoking, who the detectives had seen smoking, Kenneth Dessaure. Footprint out of place, ashes out of place, that towel with semen in it out of place. If he had been in that apartment sometime prior for consensual random sex with her, you, for a second, believe she would have left that towel there? She would have thrown it in the washing machine or in the laundry basket. Cindy Riedweg would not have left that towel there and she certainly wouldn't have left a stain on her bedspread. That was not her style. That's not the way she did things. Her apartment was immaculate. Closing argument presents an opportunity for both the State and the defendant to argue all reasonable inferences that might be drawn from the evidence. Indeed, [t]he proper exercise of closing argument is to review the evidence and to explicate those inferences which may reasonably be drawn from the evidence. Bertolotti v. State, 476 So.2d 130, 134 (Fla.1985). This is exactly what the State did in this case. The evidence at trial showed that Dessaure's footprint was found by the kitchen sink, near a puddle of water and a scuff mark on the floor, and there was evidence that Dessaure was smoking cigarettes around the time of the murder. The State's argument simply explicated reasonable inferences that could be drawn from this evidence. Therefore, the argument was proper.