Opinion ID: 2449917
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Police Reports

Text: Dr. Engum testified for Hall regarding his psychological profile. During redirect examination, Dr. Engum began referring to information that he had read in police reports about Rance Burton. The State objected and the court sustained the objection. Hall made an offer of proof in which Dr. Engum testified that he had read the following in the reports: that the blood found on the bridge railing was consistent with someone being shot; that Wood's car was found in flames while Hall was in prison; an African-American was seen running from the burning car; and that when Burton was questioned by the police after the car was found, he smelled of gas and smoke, and admitted to having fired a gun in the past week. The court had previously sustained the State's motion in limine to exclude evidence relating to whether or not Burton had been charged, tried, and convicted. The trial court did allow Dr. Engum to testify, however, that after examining Hall and reading the police reports, it was his opinion that it had been Burton who had shot Woods. When Hall's counsel attempted to elicit the details of the reports through Dr. Engum, the State objected. Hall responded that he was offering the information to prove the statutory mitigating circumstances that he acted under extreme duress or under the substantial domination of another person, and that his capacity to appreciate the criminality of his conduct or to conform his conduct to the requirements of law was substantially impaired. Section 565.032.3(5),(6). Dr. Engum was offered as a psychological expert. He testified that he believed the above mitigating circumstances to be true. The trial court did not abuse its discretion. The details of the police investigation of Burton were irrelevant to Hall's emotional state at the time of the murder, the area of Dr. Engum's expertise.