Opinion ID: 2122224
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Impermissibly Suggestive Photographic Array

Text: The photographic array contained six photographs. Five of the six individuals pictured had dark hair. Appellant had light hair. Because the witnesses described the robber as having sandy blond hair, he claims the identification procedure was impermissibly suggestive and therefore conducive to a mistake of identity. A photographic array is impermissibly suggestive when its use raises a substantial likelihood of misidentification given the totality of the circumstances. The fact that a defendant is the only one in an array with a particular characteristic related to his hair does not, by itself, make the array impermissibly suggestive. Little v. State (1985), Ind., 475 N.E.2d 677, 682 (defendant only person in a lineup with disheveled hair does not necessarily make it unconstitutionally suggestive); Lawrence v. State (1985), Ind., 476 N.E.2d 840, 842 (array is not automatically suggestive when defendant is the only person with braided hair). The witnesses described the robber as a white male with long blond hair and full beard wearing a flannel shirt and sunglasses. All of the six men pictured in the photographic array had long hair. Four had full beards and mustaches, and only one had no facial hair at all. Two had glasses, and four had on flannel shirts. Although only the appellant had blond hair, another one had light brown hair. None of the witnesses described the robber solely by the color of his hair; all of them mentioned various features. The photographic array by itself does not raise a substantial likelihood of misidentification. Beyond the array itself, this Court must consider the totality of the circumstances in which the photographs were used. Detective Barnes had each witness separately view the array. He told them to pick out the robber if they saw him among the six. If they could not identify the robber, they were told not to pick out anybody. He did not tell them one of the pictures was the man who owned the red truck. All the witnesses who viewed the array identified the appellant. Each witness had an opportunity to view the robber. Kipp and Rodgers saw him in a well-lighted gas station. Nemec got shoulder to shoulder with the man as he fled, and Hardison saw him as he ran in front of the car. The police's use of the array and the pretrial identification by the witnesses does not raise a substantial likelihood of misidentification. Therefore, we conclude the photographic identification was not impermissibly suggestive.