Opinion ID: 2180290
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Hearsay Objection

Text: The defendant finally asserts that the trial justice erred in admitting testimony from Det. A'Vant concerning a conversation that he had with Investigator Catlow. The trial transcript reveals that Det. A'Vant testified, over objection, that Investigator Catlow had contacted him and told him that an inmate (Flynn) had been solicited by another inmate (Crow) to kill a third party and that Flynn had provided reliable information in the past. Crow maintains that this testimony amounted to inadmissible hearsay. Hearsay is defined in Rule 801(c) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. It is important to remember that out-of-court statements by a person other than the testifying witness do not constitute hearsay unless they are offered for the truth of the matter asserted. State v. Gomes, 764 A.2d 125, 131 (R.I.2001). When a statement is offered for reasons other than proving the truth of the matter asserted, it is not necessary to attempt to invoke an applicable exception to the hearsay rule for that statement to be admissible. See In re Jean Marie W., 559 A.2d 625, 629 (R.I.1989) (Statements not offered to prove the truth of what they assert are not hearsay and as such do not require the assistance of an exception to the hearsay rule in order to be admissible.); see also State v. Grayhurst, 852 A.2d 491, 504-05 (R.I.2004); Wells v. Uvex Winter Optical, Inc., 635 A.2d 1188, 1193 (R.I.1994). In the instant case, it is evident that the purpose of Det. A'Vant's testimony about his conversation with Investigator Catlow was to demonstrate how he became involved in the continuing investigation rather than to seek to prove defendant's guilt. Detective A'Vant testified that, upon receiving the information provided to him by Investigator Catlow, he initiated an investigation into the allegation of solicitation that Flynn had made against Crow. His inquiry revealed that Flynn and Crow were sharing a jail cell at the time and that Crow had been incarcerated for violating a no-contact order. As a result, Det. A'Vant contacted Flynn in order to ascertain whether Crow was serious about soliciting a murder. Since this testimony was not offered to prove the truth of the matter ( i.e., that Crow in fact solicited Flynn to commit murder), it is our opinion that the trial justice did not err in overruling defendant's objection. [8]