Opinion ID: 2087560
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Cross-examination of Grayton's parents

Text: Grayton claims that the prosecutor's cross-examination of his parents, even though he made no specific objection at the time, [9] was so prejudicial to the fairness of the trial that the judge should have disallowed it, and that his failure to do so sua sponte was plain error. We disagree. Grayton's parents testified on direct examination that he was at their house from about 1:00 a.m. until 4:45 a.m. or later on the night of the fire. The government had information, however, that on two occasions that night the parents had indicated that they were unaware of their son's whereabouts. On cross-examination the prosecutor asked them both whether they had received a phone call during the relevant time period and whether they had gone to Ms. Jenkins' apartment to look for their son. Each parent consistently answered these questions in the negative. The prosecutor then recalled Ms. Jenkins as a rebuttal witness to testify that, both in a phone call after she discovered the fire and again later when the Graytons came to her apartment, they told her that they did not know where their son was. Ms. Jenkins' account directly contradicted Mr. and Mrs. Grayton's testimony, and the prosecutor had a right to cross-examine them about this contradiction. Contrary to Grayton's argument, the fact that a witness is likely to give negative answers to a series of questions does not preclude an examiner from asking those questions. This method of cross-examination gives the jury an opportunity to determine the credibility of the witness' account by observing the demeanor, facial expressions, and body language of the witness as he or she testifies. The prosecutor's cross-examination of Grayton's parents was relevant, was well within the scope of the direct examination, and was entirely proper. See Elliott, supra, 633 A.2d at 32 (trial judge has discretion to determine scope and extent of cross-examination).