Opinion ID: 2178846
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admission of items seized.

Text: The State offered in evidence several items seized from the defendant's car: her purse, an empty gun box and an opened box of .38 caliber shells. Defendant objected on the ground that these had been seized without a warrant. The State first proposed to establish the issuance of the warrant; then, apparently concluding a valid warrant had not been issued, relied upon the fact the defendant had not raised the issue in a timely-filed motion to suppress under Iowa R.Crim.P. 10(2)(c), (4) (within thirty days of arraignment or prior to impaneling of trial jury, whichever occurs earlier, unless extended for good cause shown) and a local rule in Polk County which imposed even more stringent time restrictions. The subject is also addressed in Iowa R.Crim.P. 11(1): The motion [to suppress] shall be made before trial or hearing unless opportunity therefor did not exist or the defendant was unaware of the factual grounds for the motion; but the court in its discretion may entertain the motion at the trial or hearing, upon good cause supported by affidavit. (Emphasis added.) The defendant contends that admission by the court of these items on the basis of her failure to object in the manner provided by the rules was erroneous because her attorneys did not know until the items were presented in court that a warrant had not been obtained. This, she contends, is good cause to excuse her failure to comply with the rules. As a basis for the objection at trial, her attorney stated I want to say very frankly that this is the very first time that any of us knew that a search took place, and if the court would look at Officer Lumley's minutes of his testimony, you will find, Your Honor, that there is not one word in there about there was a search. Defendant relies upon State v. Davis, 261 Iowa 1351, 1356, 157 N.W.2d 907, 910 (1968), which stated the well established rule that, unless a defendant who is forewarned as to the substance of testimony to be offered makes a proper and timely motion to suppress such evidence before trial, any objection to its introduction will be deemed waived. Davis was decided prior to enactment of our criminal rules. It held that a defendant who had knowledge of the grounds for objection and failed to do so waived the objection. The forewarning language of Davis seems to be interpreted by the defendant as requiring the State to advise her of the specific basis upon which to make the objection. The trial court ruled that Cole had a duty to make some investigation, ask for a bill of particulars or use some other means in order to decide whether or not to file a motion to suppress. It ruled that her objections were untimely. The minutes of testimony attached to the county attorney's information included those of the officer who seized the evidence. They stated: This witness will testify that he seized numerous items of evidence and received other items of evidence from witnesses and officers at the scene of the shooting, including the revolver, the box of cartridges, a picture, etc. He will describe in further detail all of the other facts and circumstances observed by him in connection with these events. It is true, as defendant's counsel pointed out at trial, that there was no mention of a search in these minutes; however, it specifically refers to a seizure of a box of cartridges, a picture, etc. We agree with the trial court that there was enough information in the possession of defendant to inform her of the facts necessary to file a motion to suppress or at least to prompt her to make further investigation. Although she might not have been made aware by these minutes of the legal basis for objection, she was clearly alerted to the factual basis for it, as provided for in Rule 11(1). Further, any error on this issue was clearly harmless. Her own witness, Dr. Varner, testified she recounted to him the details of how the gun, purse and shells were placed by her in her car. Several prosecution witnesses testified she admitted shooting the victim. She even states on appeal that [t]he sole issue in this trial was Kathleen Cole's mental ability to form the specific intent for first degree murder. The evidence in question was probative of the defendant's identity as the person who shot Dr. Tyler, an issue not disputed by her. It was not probative of her capacity to premeditate, deliberate and form the specific intent to kill, which were the disputed issues at trial. Thus, introduction of the evidence could not have influenced the verdict. Federal constitutional error does not necessarily require reversal; the conviction may be affirmed if introduction of the evidence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Chapman v. California, 386 U.S. 18, 24, 87 S.Ct. 824, 828, 17 L.Ed.2d 705, 711 (1967). Accord, State v. Porter, 283 N.W.2d 351, 353 (Iowa 1979); State v. Trudo, 253 N.W.2d 101, 107 (Iowa 1977). The burden of proving harmlessness beyond a reasonable doubt is upon the State. Chapman, 386 U.S. at 24, 87 S.Ct. at 828, 17 L.Ed.2d at 710. Even assuming the introduction of these exhibits was error, we believe it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.