Opinion ID: 1902219
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Character Opinion Exclusion

Text: Mazyck, the former girlfriend of Reid, was one of the persons who returned to loot the Bronstein home after the murders. Mazyck had testified in person for the prosecution at Booth's second trial. Because Mazyck was unavailable for the sentencing proceeding at issue here, prosecutors read her prior testimony into evidence. Booth called Pamela Smith (Smith), a probation agent, to testify about Mazyck's probation history and character. When Booth's counsel asked Smith for her personal opinion of Mazyck's veracity, the judge sustained the prosecutor's objections. Booth now argues that Smith's opinion should have been admitted under Md.Code (1974, 1989 Repl.Vol.),  9-115 of the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article and under our prior decisions. Section 9-115 in relevant part provides: Where character evidence is otherwise relevant to the proceeding, no person offered as a character witness who has an adequate basis for forming an opinion as to another person's character shall hereafter be excluded from giving evidence based on personal opinion to prove character.... The claim of error has not been preserved. Booth did not proffer what opinion, if any, the witness was prepared to state. Even if the claim of error were preserved, our cases have made clear that the trial judge decides whether the witness has an adequate basis before the opinion is stated. An appellate court will not disturb the trial court's decision except for a clear abuse of discretion. Hunt v. State, 321 Md. at 423, 583 A.2d at 235; Durkin v. State, 284 Md. 445, 453, 397 A.2d 600, 605 (1979). There was no abuse of discretion here. Mazyck was convicted of accessory after the fact to the Bronstein murders and sentenced to fifteen years suspended and five years probation. Smith, assigned as Mazyck's probation agent, first met with Mazyck on or after November 26, 1984. Smith testified that she had not seen Mazyck since October 7, 1985. There is no indication of how frequently Smith and Mazyck met during that period or how long their meetings lasted. There is no particular indication of what they discussed. As Professor McLain has pointed out: The preferable means for demonstrating before the jury that the witness has sufficient knowledge of the individual to form a worthwhile opinion would be merely to elicit proof of how long and how well the witness has known the individual. L. McLain, supra,  405.3. The fact that Smith once was Mazyck's probation agent and currently had access to her file did not require the trial court to find that Smith had an adequate basis for expressing an opinion on Mazyck's veracity. Smith did testify extensively about various documents and events recorded in Mazyck's file: a violation of probation hearing, a failure to complete her required community service, a subsequent burglary arrest, and continuing problems with drug and alcohol abuse. Smith's personal knowledge of these events was never established; indeed, many of them did not occur during the time Smith was assigned to Mazyck. Testimony and documentation on Mazyck's transgressions were admitted into evidence without objection, however, and the jurors were entitled to consider it in deciding whether to credit Mazyck's testimony. Absent any proffer that Smith's opinion would be based on anything other than Mazyck's poor probation record, the error, if any, is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.