Opinion ID: 883138
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 24

Heading: Whether the District Court erred when it prohibited Moore from impeaching the verdict with juror testimony?

Text: Among the reasons included in Moore's motion for a new trial was his allegation that during deliberations, certain jurors expressed opinions based on personal knowledge respecting the characteristics of a .357 magnum handgun. According to Moore, one of the jurors told the other jurors that he knew a .357 magnum handgun could not be fired in rapid succession. Moore argues that as a result of the juror relating his opinion, the other jurors concluded that Moore's story concerning Brisbin shooting himself was inherently incredible. The District Court refused to allow Moore to question the jurors about the discussion concerning the handgun, ruling that it was part of the jury dynamics and therefore any inquiry into the matter was precluded by Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid. On appeal Moore alleges that the District Court should have allowed juror testimony concerning this issue. According to Moore, the juror's comment concerning his knowledge of the .357 handgun is similar to the situation where a juror conducts an experiment outside of the courtroom and then relates the experiment's outcome to the other jurors. Therefore, Moore argues he should have been allowed to question the jurors regarding this matter pursuant to the exceptions to Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid. We disagree, and conclude that Moore is asking this Court to allow inquiry into the internal mechanisms of the jury's decision-making process. Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid., precludes inquiry regarding the internal mechanisms and processes the jury used to deliberate and reach a verdict. However, [w]here external influence is exerted on the jury or where extraneous prejudicial information is brought to the jury's attention, juror [testimony] can be the basis for overturning the judgment if either party was thereby deprived of a fair trial. Hage, 853 P.2d at 1257. Moore's characterization of the discussion about the gun as an external influence is erroneous. As we stated in Hage: [K]nowledge and information shared from one juror to another or others is not an extraneous influence. `Jurors are expected to bring to the courtroom their own knowledge and experience to aid in the resolution of a case.... For the juror to have considered the credibility of defendant's expert witness within the parameters of his own experience and background is insufficient to qualify as an exception to Rule 606(b).' Hage, 853 P.2d at 1257-58, quoting State v. DeMers (1988), 234 Mont. 273, 277-78, 762 P.2d 860, 863. In DeMers, this Court rejected the defendant's argument that one of the jurors influenced the other jurors with his expertise regarding the study of bones. We held that a juror's possession of knowledge of the human body did not fall under any of the exceptions to Rule 606(b), and we affirmed the district court's refusal to allow juror testimony concerning the matter. DeMers, 762 P.2d at 863. Similarly, a juror's consideration and sharing of his personal knowledge of a handgun cannot be characterized as an external influence or extraneous prejudicial information. There is no evidence that any juror conducted any out-of-court experiments in this case. We therefore hold that the District Court was correct in concluding that inquiry into this matter was precluded pursuant to Rule 606(b), M.R.Evid.