Opinion ID: 2324603
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Psychological-Counseling Records

Text: Julie, in late 1993, some six years after Cassandra's death, sought psychological counseling from the Providence Center. The Providence Center records reveal that Julie's treatments extended over nineteen counseling sessions, ending in May of 1994. Those records describe Julie as a mother who experienced severe depression after the death of Cassandra and who thereafter struggled with parenting her later-born children. The records also describe Julie as a mother who had displayed periodic episodes of violence directed at her later-born children. Wilding attempted to introduce those records during the cross-examination of Julie. The trial justice sustained the state's objection to their admission, concluding that such testimony is too remote in time to be relevant to what did or did not happen back in 1986 and also that this testimony would not qualify as impeaching testimony. On appeal Wilding argues that the trial justice's refusal to allow his counsel to inquire into Julie's psychological records constituted a violation of his constitutional right to present a defense as guaranteed by the Federal and the State Constitutions. Wilding argues that the introduction of these records on cross-examination would have bolstered his defense theory that it was Julie, not he, who was responsible for Cassandra's death. Our review of the trial record leads to the conclusion that the trial justice did not err in restricting defense counsel's inquiry regarding Julie's Providence Center counseling records. It is well settled that questions pertaining to the relevancy of evidence are left to the sound discretion of the trial justice. State v. Tempest, 651 A.2d 1198, 1215 (R.I.1995). This Court will defer to a trial justice's determination of relevancy, absent a showing that the trial justice has clearly abused his or her discretion. State v. Cote, 691 A.2d 537, 543 (R.I.1997) (citing Tempest, 651 A.2d at 1216). On the record before us, we observe that Julie's counseling sessions occurred some six to seven years after Cassandra's death. The fact that Julie became severely depressed and may have had abusive episodes directed toward her later-born children, years after the death of Cassandra, could not be significantly probative of the probability of her ever having abused Cassandra. All the trial evidence indicated the contrary. The question in issue during the trial was whether Wilding had inflicted the blows that had caused Cassandra's death and not whether Julie had inflicted those blows. State v. Filuminia, 668 A.2d 336, 339 (R.I.1995). The propensity of another person to commit similar acts in regard to other individuals would not in any way tend to exculpate the defendant in respect to his charges. Id. We also note, pursuant to Rule 608(b) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, that [s]pecific instances of the conduct of a witness, for the purpose of attacking or supporting the witness' credibility, other than conviction of crime as provided in Rule 609, or, in the discretion of the trial judge, evidence of prior similar false accusations, may not be proved by extrinsic evidence. They may, however, in the discretion of the court, if probative of truthfulness or untruthfulness, be inquired into on cross-examination of the witness (1) concerning the witness' character for truthfulness or untruthfulness, or (2) concerning the character for truthfulness or untruthfulness of another witness as to which character the witness being cross-examined has testified. We have consistently held that [a] witness may not be impeached on collateral matters by the introduction of extrinsic evidence. The cross-examiner is restricted to the answers of the witness. State v. Tutt, 622 A.2d 459, 462 (R.I.1993) (quoting State v. Brown, 574 A.2d 745, 749 (R.I.1990)). Therefore, for the reasons discussed above, we conclude that the trial justice did not err in excluding admission of Julie's counseling records.