Opinion ID: 1833263
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: whether the trial court erred in failing to totally disallow the testimony of jerry friley who (a) was a co-indictee, and (b) admitted perjury regarding material elements of the state's case. and, if such testimony was properly allowed, did the court duly instruct the jury regarding the perjury?

Text: ¶ 19. Jerry Friley committed perjury. This is admitted by all parties involved. Buffington raises this as an issue and states that Friley's testimony should have been disallowed because of it. However, Buffington never raises this issue in her argument. She gives no facts, cases or other law to show why the judge abused his discretion by allowing the jury to consider Friley's testimony. The trial court judge is given great deference in evidentiary matters, and his findings will not be overturned by this Court unless abuse of discretion can be shown. Eskridge v. State, 765 So.2d 508, 510 (Miss. 2000). In light of Buffington's lack of argument on this issue and because the judge gave a limiting instruction, we affirm the trial court's holding. ¶ 20. As a secondary part of this issue, Buffington alleges that the circuit court failed to properly instruct the jury as to the seriousness of Friley's perjury. The trial court gave an instruction asserting that Friley had admitted his guilt, his testimony was to be weighed with great care and caution [ ] and that his testimony could be completely disregarded. ¶ 21. While it is true that Friley was a co-indictee and that he committed perjury concerning key facts, the parties had separate trials and the key facts were relevant to his guilty plea, not Buffington's trial. As far as the allegations of Friley testifying against Buffington in order to avoid a habitual offender sentence and his need for psychiatric care, these go to the credibility of the witness. The trial court admonished the jury about the credibility of witness testimony on more than one occasion. ¶ 22. The trial court properly allowed the testimony of Jerry Friley and properly instructed the jury as to his admitted perjury. Buffington's claim of error is without merit.