Opinion ID: 1353958
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Lack of Avowals/Bond

Text: Sanders asserts that he was denied effective assistance because an avowal should have been made regarding 1) a videotape taken of him at the jail shortly after his arrest, and 2) his reasons for not seeking bond. Sanders' private attorney filed a motion to admit a videotape interview, but the trial judge reserved ruling and asked private counsel to get the tape for review prior to trial. The trial judge was not able to review the tape because the public advocate (Sanders' previous attorney) wanted a waiver of privilege signed by Sanders. The delay in the ruling was a result of this desire to have a written waiver of the attorney/client privilege. There is nothing in the record to indicate that the prerequisite of a waiver was ever produced by Sanders. Moreover, this tape was not presented to the trial court at the RCr 11.42 proceedings. In the absence of the tape, there is nothing to complain about related to ineffective assistance. In addition, Sanders has not met his burden of establishing that the tape would have been admissible. The apparent purpose was to show his state of mind. However, the only point in time in which his state of mind is germaine is on the date of the crime, not subsequent thereto. We find no authority permitting the admission of an unauthenticated tape of a defendant making a self-serving statement and exhibiting self-serving conduct. See McQueen v. Commonwealth, Ky., 948 S.W.2d 415 (1997); Sanborn v. Commonwealth, 892 S.W.2d 542 (1995). The trial judge correctly ruled that the claim by Sanders concerning the bond issue was subject to summary dismissal based on its failure to meet the standards of RCr 11.42(2). Foley v. Commonwealth, Ky., 17 S.W.3d 878 (2000).