Opinion ID: 1464908
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Undisclosed Deal

Text: Mr. Middleton asserts that the prosecution had an undisclosed and unwritten deal that one of the prosecution witnesses, John Thomas, would receive lenient treatment on certain charges pending in Harrison County, Missouri, in return for testimony implicating Mr. Middleton. He further asserts that the prosecution failed to disclose this deal to the defense as required under Missouri and federal law. The state says the defense was aware that Mr. Thomas had pending charges at the time he testified and denies the existence of an undisclosed deal. Prosecutors must disclose, even without a request, exculpatory evidence, including evidence that may be used to impeach a government witness. State v. Robinson, 835 S.W.2d 303, 306 (Mo. banc 1992). See also Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963); Rule 25.03. Promises of leniency or other deals with witnesses are among the types of evidence that must be disclosed under these rules. Hutchison v. State, 59 S.W.3d 494, 496 (Mo. banc 2001). The record does not support Mr. Middleton's assertion that the motion court clearly erred in failing to find the existence of an undisclosed deal with John Thomas in return for his testimony. The record shows that, on June 8, 1995, Mr. Thomas was charged with selling methamphetamine, a class B felony, in Harrison County. A February 27, 1998, docket entry in that case recites: Ä appears with counsel, Mr. Gary Allen, and waives preliminary hearing in open court. State appears by Ms. Chris Stallings, and state advises delay in prosecution due to Ä's participation as witness in companion proceedings. Ä band [sic] over to Div. I and to appear at 9 a.m., March 17, 1998, and file to be certified to said division. On March 4, 1997, Mr. Thomas testified as a witness for the state in Mr. Middleton's murder trial. At trial, defense counsel was aware of and cross-examined Mr. Thomas about these charges and about the existence of any deal. Mr. Thomas denied that such a deal existed. Mr. Middleton was convicted. In support of his motion for post-conviction relief, Mr. Middleton offered additional evidence that on March 17, 1998, two weeks after his trial testimony, Mr. Thomas waived arraignment and pled not guilty to the pending charges against him, including the Class B felony charge of selling methamphetamine. Two weeks later, on March 31, 1998, Mr. Thomas testified in Mr. Middleton's separate Callaway County trial for the murders of Randy Hamilton and Stacey Hodge. The next month, Mr. Thomas pled guilty to a lesser charge of attempting to sell drugs, a class C felony. On September 10, 1998, the court suspended imposition of sentence, placing Mr. Thomas on five years of supervised probation. Mr. Middleton also offered evidence that the Harrison County prosecutor's office did not give defense counsel an answer when counsel asked why Mr. Thomas's case was still pending after two years. Mr. Middleton says this evidence was sufficient to show the existence of an undisclosed deal by which the charges against Mr. Thomas and his punishment would be reduced in return for his testimony against Mr. Middleton. But, assuming that Mr. Middleton is correct that the motion court could have drawn such an inference from this evidence, Mr. Middleton has failed to show that the motion court erred in drawing a contrary inference that the evidence, while showing that Mr. Thomas received a light sentence and that the Harrison County prosecutor might have been more forthcoming, did not reach the level of showing an undisclosed deal existed. [2]