Opinion ID: 203367
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Evidence of Santito's Murder

Text: Cruz-Pereira argues that he was prejudiced by evidence that López-Soto confessed to the murder of Santito. He protests that evidence of this murder was unrelated to the conspiracy, not charged in the Indictment, and not related to Cruz-Pereira, and caused a spillover effect that was highly prejudicial. Cruz-Pereira asserts that admission of evidence of Santito's murder violated Rules 403 and 404(b) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. We review the district court's decision whether to admit evidence pursuant to Rule 404(b) for an abuse of discretion, and will reverse a district court's Rule 403 balancing `only in exceptional circumstances.' United States v. Manning, 79 F.3d 212, 217 (1st Cir.1996) (quoting United States v. Garcia, 983 F.2d 1160, 1173 (1st Cir.1993)). Further, the court will treat any error in admitting Rule 404(b) evidence as harmless if it determines that the disputed evidence did not contribute to the verdict. United States v. Levy-Cordero, 156 F.3d 244 (1st Cir.1998). The court did not abuse its discretion in allowing evidence of Santito's murder. First, Rule 404(b) is not implicated in this case. As the Government notes, the Indictment charged that the defendants engaged in violence to carry out the drug conspiracy. The Government presented evidence of the drug wars between Las Avispas and Las Jibaritos and other rival gangs, as well as evidence that a number of individuals acted as enforcers for the drug organizations. In particular, the Government charged in the Indictment that López-Soto acted as an enforcer and presented evidence at trial to establish his role as a hit man for Las Avispas. Thus, evidence that López-Soto murdered the leader of a rival drug gang is direct proof of the means used to carry out the conspiracy, and is not other act evidence that is subject to Rule 404(b). See, e.g., United States v. McGuire, 389 F.3d 225, 229 (1st Cir.2004) (noting that evidence that defendant pistol-whipped drug customer whom defendant thought had set him up was direct proof of defendant's participation in conspiracy and thus was not other act evidence that required analysis under 404(b)). Under the Rule 403 analysis, the probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. As discussed, the evidence was probative of López-Soto's participation in the conspiracy and of the means used by the members of Las Avispas to further the drug ring's goals. Further, the trial court instructed the jury that, although it could consider evidence of Santito's murder as part of the manner or means used by members of the conspiracy to carry out the objects of the conspiracy, the jury could not consider the murder as evidence that any of the Appellants, apart from López-Soto, participated in the conspiracy. The trial court's limiting instruction helped to safeguard the jury's consideration of the evidence against the claimed spillover effect. See United States v. Sabatino, 943 F.2d 94, 96-97 (1st Cir.1991) (trial court's limiting instructions may safeguard against prejudicial spillover effect). In sum, the probative value of the evidence was not substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect. Admission of evidence relating to Santito's murder was proper.