Opinion ID: 2540147
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Admission of Appellant's Letter

Text: Finally, Appellant claims that the trial court erred in allowing admission of a letter written by him. Defense counsel objected to its admission on grounds of authentication. The trial court found that the letter contained sufficient statements that identified Appellant as the author. The burden on the Commonwealth to establish that the letter was written by Appellant is slight and requires only a prima facie showing. Sanders v. Commonwealth, 301 S.W.3d 497, 501 (Ky.2010). The contents of the letter, taken in conjunction with the circumstances, can be relied upon in determining authentication. KRE 901(b)(4). Here, the Commonwealth demonstrated that the letter was intercepted at the Christian County Jail while Appellant was located in that facility. It was addressed to Dawn from Larry, and its tone suggests a romantic relationship. The author references the charges in this case, a seized gun and clothing, and a potentially lengthy prison sentence. The author also implores the recipient not to talk. Finally, the author indicates intent to challenge a search warrant prior to trial. Based on the quantity of identifying facts contained in the letter, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in ruling that it was properly authenticated. See Johnson v. Commonwealth, 134 S.W.3d 563, 566-67 (Ky.2004).