Opinion ID: 1200347
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Admission of the taped conversations

Text: United States v. Tangeman, 30 F.3d 950, 952 (8th Cir.1994), held that an unavailable informant's tape-recorded statements were properly admitted at trial because they were offered to provide context for the defendant's admissions and not to prove the truth of the matters asserted. In our prior opinion, we adopted the approach taken in Tangeman and concluded that the district court did not err in admitting the recordings of conversations between Hodges and appellant. We held that Hodges' tape-recorded statements were not hearsay because the state did not introduce Hodges' statements on the tapes to prove the truth of the matter asserted, but only for the limited purpose of providing a context for [appellant's] statements. Wade, 114 Nev. at 918, 966 P.2d at 162-63. On rehearing, appellant complains that this court improperly relied on Tangeman because the jury in that case was specifically instructed that voices on the tape other than the defendant's were to be considered only to place the defendant's statements in context. See Tangeman, 30 F.3d at 952. Because no such special, limiting instruction was given at his trial, appellant now asserts that this court improperly applied the rationale of Tangeman to his case. In the proceedings below, the state emphasized, on the record, that it had no problem with giving the jury a limiting instruction similar to the instruction in Tangeman. Further, the district court specifically indicated, on the record, its willingness to give such an instruction. With the exception of objections to the wording of the instructions respecting appellant's procuring agent and entrapment defenses, however, defense counsel specifically stipulated, on the record, that he had no objection to the instructions provided in this case. Appellant never requested a special, limiting instruction similar to the one given in Tangeman. Under these circumstances, appellant cannot now be heard to complain that the court did not give the instruction. [1] See Etcheverry v. State, 107 Nev. 782, 784-85, 821 P.2d 350, 351 (1991) (defense counsel's failure to request an instruction precludes appellate consideration of the issue). Moreover, the cases other than Tangeman cited in our earlier opinion held that recorded statements of an unavailable informant are admissible when used only to provide context for the defendant's statements, even without a limiting instruction. See United States v. Inadi, 475 U.S. 387, 398 n. 11, 106 S.Ct. 1121, 89 L.Ed.2d 390 (1986); United States v. McKneely, 69 F.3d 1067 (10th Cir.1995). Thus, the district court's failure to give a limiting instruction in the instant case was not reversible error, and this court did not misapprehend any material matter in concluding that Hodges' recorded statements were properly admitted. [2]