Opinion ID: 566029
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Miscellaneous challenges

Text: 38 Mr. Whalen makes two final arguments: that the district court improperly admitted evidence of his prior bad acts and that the district court should have permitted inmate Craig Davis to state that he was afraid to testify because of a gang of inmates from Washington, D.C. (Otts' hometown). These arguments have no merit. Mr. Whalen testified on direct examination about the conditions he had encountered while in the segregation unit at FCI-Oxford. Mr. Whalen's apparent strategy was to demonstrate that segregation affected his mindset and caused him to write the two letters stating that he had cut a man's throat. On cross-examination, the court permitted the government to ask whether Mr. Whalen was familiar with the conditions associated with segregation. The government did not delve into the conduct responsible for landing Mr. Whalen in segregation, but rather highlighted that Mr. Whalen was indeed a veteran at dealing with the stress of segregation. As for the refusal to allow inmate Davis' testimony, we have reviewed the record and concluded that this decision was within the sound discretion of the trial court.