Opinion ID: 2569354
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 63

Heading: Whether the trial court should have conducted an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the marital privilege should bar Colleen Harlan's testimony.

Text: Harlan objected to the admission, during the sentencing phase, of Colleen Harlan's testimony that he had told her that he had tried to kill her in an automobile accident before they were married. The marriage between the defendant and Colleen Harlan had been dissolved before the trial. The question was whether they were still technically married when the defendant stated he had tried to kill Colleen Harlan. See § 13-90-107(1)(a)(I), 5 C.R.S. (1999). However, [t]he burden of proving the existence of a marriage for the purposes of this paragraph (a) shall be on the party asserting the claim. § 13-90-107(1)(a)(IV). Harlan failed to make an offer of proof that the comment occurred during the course of the marriage, and Colleen Harlan testified that she could not remember whether the communication occurred before or after the dissolution became final. Because Harlan failed to make a prima facie showing that the marital privilege existed, an evidentiary hearing was unnecessary, and Colleen Harlan's testimony was properly admitted.