Opinion ID: 2179851
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Challenged Identification Evidence

Text: Finally, M.A.C. argues that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the identification of him made by Kevette Holmes, an eyewitness to the murder. M.A.C. challenges the identification as unreliable on the grounds of undue suggestivity and coercive police tactics. He argues that the police refused to accept her unambiguous statement that M.A.C. was not the person who shot Zimmerman. He contends that Ms. Holmes' subsequent identification of M.A.C. as the shooter some six hours later was coerced because the police made it clear that she could not leave the police station unless she identified M.A.C. as the shooter and that she did so only after learning that Zimmerman had died. The government argues that the out-of-court identification was not suggestive, was reliable and did not taint the in-court identification. It also contends that the identification did not result from improper coercion. M.A.C. was apprehended by the police shortly after the shooting. While Ms. Holmes was seated in the police cruiser with police Sergeant Joseph Thomas, M.A.C. was brought toward the vehicle. Sergeant Thomas asked her if she recognized anyone who had committed the offense, and she looked at M.A.C. and said it looks like him. When he asked her if she was sure, she responded negatively, but she continued to say it looks like him as she nodded her head yes. She told Sergeant Thomas that she was scared. Detective Adler testified that he spoke with Ms. Holmes who told him that the person she had been shown looked like the shooter, but she thought he had been darker complected and slightly taller. The trial court denied the motion to suppress the show-up identification, concluding that it was not unduly suggestive. Crediting the testimony of Sergeant Thomas, the trial court found that there was only one show-up identification of M.A.C. to Ms. Holmes. [5] The court determined that beyond the suggestivity inherent in any show-up identification, there was no action by the police that rendered this one unduly suggestive. The court found that Sergeant Thomas had merely told the witness that they were going to show her someone to see if she could recognize him. When the witness could not see M.A.C. well from some distance away, he had to be brought closer. The court found no preparation of the witness for the show-up which would indicate that there was undue suggestivity. In addition, the court found that Ms. Holmes said initially that M.A.C. looked like the shooter, but out of fear said no, while appearing by action to be saying more yes than no. At trial Ms. Holmes testified that she saw M.A.C. shoot her friend and then run down an alley in front of her building. She said that M.A.C. looked right at her, passing within thirteen to fourteen feet. She testified that it was broad daylight, that nothing was obstructing her view of M.A.C., and that she got a good look at him. According to Ms. Holmes, while in the police car, M.A.C. was shown to her, and the officer asked if he was the one. She responded, yes, that looks like him. She said that the officer did not tell her anything before she made the identification. She said that they brought M.A.C. within thirty to forty feet of the vehicle. She explained that she only responded that M.A.C. was not the person at one point because she was afraid that he might see her. She said that she knew what he looked like and everything he was wearing. Ms. Holmes also testified that she went to the police station where she remained from 7:00 p.m. until 1:00 a.m. and that she did not want to be there. Initially, Ms. Holmes told a Detective Wilbur while at the station that M.A.C. was not the assailant. She testified at trial that she did so because she was afraid. Although the police did not take her home until after she made her statement identifying M.A.C., she said that she did not get the impression that the police were trying to convey the message that she could go only if she identified M.A.C. Ms. Holmes admitted telling an investigator for the defense that she decided to tell the police that M.A.C. was the killer after she learned that her boyfriend had died because she was tired and wanted to get out of the police station. She explained that she made that statement to the investigator because she was upset that they had her father's address and knew where she lived. In court, she identified M.A.C. as the shooter and said that she was a 100% certain of the identification. She described the shooter as around fourteen or fifteen, five-five or five-four in height, medium complexion, bushy hair, around 120 pounds and wearing a white T-shirt and dark colored jeans. In its factual findings at the conclusion of the presentation of the evidence, the trial court found that Ms. Holmes' testimony was credible concerning that she observed the person who shot her friend from approximately ten feet away. The court found that she identified M.A.C., who had passed right in front of her. The court accepted as logical Ms. Holmes' explanation that she stated otherwise out of fear. The trial court also found credible Ms. Holmes' testimony about how the murder occurred. Unduly suggestive identifications which are unreliable violate principles of due process, and therefore are inadmissible. Sheffield v. United States, 397 A.2d 963, 966 (D.C.), cert. denied, 441 U.S. 965, 99 S.Ct. 2414, 60 L.Ed.2d 1071 (1979). It is only where the circumstances of an identification were so unduly suggestive that there is a substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification that suppression of an identification is warranted. United States v. Hunter, 692 A.2d 1370, 1375 (D.C.1997) (citing Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968) and Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 302, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967)). While some suggestivity is inevitable in a show-up identification following the commission of a crime, it is recognized that a prompt show-up may enhance reliability of an identification and might exonerate an innocent person who has been apprehended mistakenly. Hunter, 692 A.2d at 1375 (citing Russell v. United States, 133 U.S.App.D.C. 77, 81, 408 F.2d 1280, 1284, cert. denied, 395 U.S. 928, 89 S.Ct. 1786, 23 L.Ed.2d 245 (1969)). Thus, show-up identifications, while inherently suggestive, do not presumptively violate due process. In re B.E.W., 537 A.2d 206, 207 (D.C.1988). In this case there was a prompt show-up following the shooting close to the scene of the crime. The validity of such a procedure has been upheld repeatedly. Hunter, supra, 692 A.2d at 1375 (citing Turner v. United States, 622 A.2d 667, 672-73 (D.C.1993); Singletary v. United States, 383 A.2d 1064, 1068 (D.C. 1978); Russell, supra, 133 U.S.App.D.C. at 81, 408 F.2d at (1284)). As explained in Singletary, supra, a defendant is not denied due process of law unless, in the totality of the circumstances, the on-the-scene confrontation was unnecessarily suggestive and conducive to the substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.... In considering the totality of the circumstances, an immediate on-the-scene confrontation has uniquely powerful indicia of reliability which more than counterbalance any suggestivity, absent special elements of unfairness.... Furthermore, something more egregious than mere custodial status is required in order to establish such special circumstances. Singletary, 383 A.2d at 1068 (citations omitted). Here, the court specifically found there was no improper police conduct in the show-up procedure when Ms. Holmes, while seated in the police car, initially identified M.A.C. as the shooter, saying, it looks like him. [6] There is an evidentiary basis for the trial court's determination on this issue based on the testimony of Sergeant Thomas at the suppression hearing, which the trial court credited in making its ruling. This court gives deference to the trial court's determination of credibility. B.E.W., supra, 537 A.2d at 207 (citing Franey v. United States, 382 A.2d 1019, 1022 (D.C.1978)). Although M.A.C. was in custody at the time, the trial court found, and the evidence supported, that the police conduct was neutral. Where the identification procedures are not unduly suggestive, the court need not evaluate reliability. Hunter, 692 A.2d at 1375 (citing Greenwood v. United States, 659 A.2d 825, 828 (D.C.) cert. denied, 516 U.S. 925, 116 S.Ct. 326, 133 L.Ed.2d 227, (1995)). [7] The absence of any showing of undue suggestivity defeats M.A.C.'s due process challenge to the show-up identification. Hunter, 692 A.2d at 1375. M.A.C. argues that under the totality of the circumstances, the identification by Ms. Holmes was unreliable and should have been excluded. Although a defendant may not be able to demonstrate that a show-up identification is constitutionally infirm, he may still challenge at trial its admissibility on the ground that it is so unreliable as to lack probative value. Sheffield, supra, 397 A.2d at 967. While M.A.C. did not object to the admissibility of the testimony at trial or move to strike, in support of his motion for judgment of acquittal, he argued that Miss Holmes' recantation of her initial statement is a result of coercion ... on the part of police and not freely given, therefore it's unreliable. He makes the same argument on appeal. He contends that her identification of M.A.C. was coerced by the police, who kept her at the police station until after she had signed the statement implicating M.A.C. He argues that her explanation of fear as the reason for her reluctance to identify M.A.C. is not plausible. According to Ms. Holmes' testimony at trial, she knew that M.A.C. was the person who shot Zimmerman, but she was afraid initially to identify him. She testified that she got a good look at him at the time of the shooting and that she identified him because he was the assailant, and not because of any action of the police. Ms. Holmes denied that she signed the statement identifying M.A.C. as the killer only because she was tired and wanted to go home, although she acknowledged making that statement to a defense investigator. On re-direct examination, Ms. Holmes explained that the reason for her statement to the investigator was because she was upset that defense representatives had her father's address and M.A.C. knew where she lived. The trial court found her explanation to be logical and credited it. We find no basis to disturb the trial court's ruling in this regard. The trial court found it plausible that Ms. Holmes, who had witnessed the murder and knew that the killer had looked her in the face while making his escape, was motivated by fear in her hesitation to identify M.A.C. rather than coercive police tactics. We can not say on this record, as a matter of law, that the identification was the product of coercion. Inconsistencies in witness' statements present questions of credibility, and issues of credibility are committed to the sole and sound discretion of the fact finder. Payne v. United States, 516 A.2d 484, 493 (D.C.1986). In Payne, appellants argued that a witness' testimony on direct-examination implicating them in the robbery should be disregarded because it was recanted on cross-examination. We held that recantation on cross-examination did not make the testimony inherently incredible as a matter of law, but like other internal inconsistencies within the witness' testimony, created factual issues for the trier of fact to resolve. Id. at 493 (citations omitted). A witness' identification testimony on direct-examination can provide the necessary predicate for admission of his pretrial identification statements even though the witness recants the identification during cross-examination. Scales v. United States, 687 A.2d 927, 931 (D.C.1996). While evidence of a witness' prior identification is inadmissible where the witness is uncertain or repudiates the prior identification at trial, a prior identification is admissible where the witness affirms it under oath at trial. Id. This principle guides our determination here. Prior inconsistent statements of an identification witness are appropriate for consideration in assessing the witness' credibility. See id. There may be numerous reasons for the inconsistencies, which may `have nothing to do with furthering truth or justice.' See Payne, 516 A.2d at 493 (quoting Godfrey v. United States, 454 A.2d 293, 300 n. 26 (D.C. 1982)). Here, the trial court could reasonably find credible Ms. Holmes' testimony that her inconsistent statements concerning the identification resulted from fear. That was within its province as the trier of fact. For these reasons, we reject M.A.C.'s argument that the trial court erred in declining to hold the identification inherently incredible. [8] For the foregoing reasons, the judgment appealed from hereby is Affirmed.