Opinion ID: 1934913
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: reference to gun

Text: Appellant next argues that he should be granted a new trial because the Commonwealth on redirect elicited an irrelevant and prejudicial reference to a gun in appellant's possession at the time of arrest. The record provides no support for this assignment of error. The defense in its cross-examination of Trooper Kaunert of the Pennsylvania State Police sought to explore exactly what happened during appellant's August 13 arrest. Q. [Defense counsel]: You were one of the troopers who questioned the defendant, Robert Martinolich, on August 13, 1969, were you not? MR. VAN HOOVE [District attorney]: I will object, Your Honor, at this point. THE COURT: August 13th? More than two months prior to this? It's not encompassed within the direct examination. I don't know what you have in mind, whether it would relate to what he's testified to before or not. MR. CASSIDY [Defense counsel]: I'm looking to his credibility now, Your Honor. If you will allow a few questions, I think  THE COURT: But you're also aware of the rules of criminal procedure concerning any answers that may have been elicited  if there were any? MR. CASSIDY: I have no objection to that at all. THE COURT: All right. You may be opening the door; I must point that out to you. MR. CASSIDY: Oh, I understand that, Your Honor. If the district attorney will stipulate, I'll put it in. THE COURT: All right. Proceed. On redirect, the Commonwealth likewise sought to ascertain the facts surrounding appellant's arrest so that the defense's impeachment would not go unchallenged. The following then took place: Q. [District Attorney]: Calling your attention to the 13th of August, 1969, about which Mr. Cassidy asked you certain questions  first of all, do you know the defendant, Robert Martinolich? A. Do I know him? Q. Yes, sir. A. Yes, sir, I do. Q. Would you point him out in this courtroom? A. He is seated at counsel table, to the right of Mr. Cassidy and Mr. Nelabovige. Q. Did you see Mr. Martinolich on the 13th of August, 1969? A. Yes, sir, I did. Q. Were you in his company? A. Yes, sir, I was. Q. Along with whom, if anyone else? A. Trooper Golden of the state police. Q. Where was this? A. At the State Police Barracks in Reading. Q. Whereabouts in the state police barracks? A. It would be the basement portion, where our BCI is located. Q. What does BCI mean? A. Where they fingerprint and photograph persons that are brought in. Q. Would you relate what the circumstances were and what happened in the fingerprint section that you referred to? A. After he was processed, fingerprinted and photographed, he was told to wash his hands and come back. As he came back, Golden and I were instructed to take him into the next room and obtain the arrest report information  THE COURT: Gentlemen, I want to point out one thing. You're acquainted  You are not objecting? MR. CASSIDY [Defense counsel]: Not yet, Your Honor. THE COURT: You're acquainted with the recent decisions of the appellate court concerning other matters? MR. CASSIDY: Collateral matters. THE COURT: I don't want the issue to come up afterwards. MR. CASSIDY: I'm not objecting yet. THE COURT: All right. BY MR. VAN HOOVE [District attorney]: Q. You and Trooper Golden went with the defendant to another room? A. Yes, sir. Q. Which room would this be? A. The old criminal room, right across from the BCI room. Q. What happened thereafter? A. He was instructed by Trooper Golden to sit down in a chair that was left of the door as you enter the criminal room, which he did. Trooper Golden stood in front of him and started asking him questions. I stood to his left, leaning on a file cabinet. Q. Pardon me, I didn't hear that. A. I stood to the left of Trooper Golden, or to the right of Mr. Martinolich, leaning on a file cabinet and Trooper Golden proceeded to ask the defendant, Mr. Martinolich questions. Q. What questions? A. He asked him if his name was Juice. The defendant says, `What's it to you?' Golden then said, `Is your real name Robert Martinolich?' He says, `I just gave my real name across the hall.' Golden says, `I didn't ask you that. I asked you your real name and what about the gun you had on you' THE COURT: Mr. Cassidy, you're not objecting? MR. CASSIDY: Your Honor, with regard to the last comment from the witness, I will object and ask for a mistrial. THE COURT: I want to point out, Mr. Cassidy, that it becomes difficult to separate one feature from another. I would have sustained an objection to this whole line of questioning. MR. CASSIDY: Your Honor, I move for a mistrial because of the comment made about a gun. THE COURT: Motion refused. I gave you an opportunity to object. Do you object now? MR. CASSIDY: We'll object to this line of questioning. THE COURT: You don't object? MR. CASSIDY: We will object. THE COURT: Oh, you will object. The objection is sustained. The jury will disregard anything in reference to the last answer as not being pertinent to this case in any way. These colloquies present a positive record of the trial judge's effort to be scrupulously fair to appellant. The trial court was reluctant to allow any inquiry into the August 13 arrest for fear that appellant might be prejudiced. Nevertheless, the defense insisted. After cautioning defense counsel that he may be opening the door, the judge permitted the defense's cross-examination to continue. Again on redirect, the court tried to protect appellant from possible prejudice by several times inviting a defense objection to the prosecution's exploration of the August 13 arrest. The defense declined the invitations. Only after the defense's refusal to object was the last answer elicited. In this answer the witness referred to a gun in appellant's possession. At that time, and again after court invitation, the defense objected. Immediately, the trial judge instructed the jury to disregard anything in reference to the last answer as not being pertinent to this case in any way. The error complained of was invited; the general subject was introduced into the trial by the defense. Further, the defense as part of its trial strategy refused opportunities to halt entirely the Commonwealth's redirect of the trooper about the August 13 arrest. In any event, whatever prejudicial impact on the jury may have been caused by a reference to a gun in appellant's possession at the time of arrest was satisfactorily cured by the trial judge's immediate instruction to the jury.