Opinion ID: 475290
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: lineup identification.

Text: 36 Eggleton alleges that the identification made by Mrs. Smith at trial should have been excluded, first because it was a product of undue suggestion and second because it was not reliable. Mrs. Smith testified that she had a good view of a portion of the gunman's face for some ten to fifteen minutes while his ski mask was pulled back during the struggle with her husband. She testified that she saw the gunman's face, including his brow, eyes, nose, mouth, and cheekbones. After the robbery, she testified him to be five feet, nine inches, thin, and clean-shaven. Evidence presented at trial demonstrates that at the time of the robbery Eggleton was six feet tall, of medium build, and bearded with a mustache. Without regard to the discrepancy about whether Eggleton was bearded, on April 4, 1985 Mrs. Smith gave a positive identification of Eggleton from a five-man lineup as being the robber whose mask was pulled back. 37 Eggleton asserts that the lineup was unduly suggestive in that Mrs. Smith had been told by the FBI that he had been arrested, and knew from Enriquez' prior trial that Eggleton was the other gunman who had invaded her home. In determining whether an identification procedure was improper, the court must look at the totality of the circumstances in each case. Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 302, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 1972, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967). 38 The FBI did not inform Mrs. Smith that Eggleton would be in the lineup. Rather, she assumed he would be among the five men before her. Eggleton maintains that to eliminate the potential for undue suggestion Mrs. Smith could have been told that the suspect may or may not be in the lineup, or the FBI could have run two lineups, one of which did not contain the suspect. However, under the totality of the circumstances, we do not believe that Mrs. Smith's identification of Eggleton was the product of any undue suggestion. 39 From Enriquez' prior trial Mrs. Smith obviously knew that the evidence showed that Eggleton was one of the persons who had entered her home. Nor would it have been unreasonable for her to assume that the suspect would be in the lineup. She testified that I was told to see if I could identify anyone. We do not believe that there was any potential for undue suggestion in the manner in which the lineup was handled. 40 Even assuming that the pretrial confrontation was found to be unduly suggestive, it would not necessarily follow that identification testimony would have to be excluded at trial. Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 199, 93 S.Ct. 375, 382, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972). If there is evidence from which the court can conclude that identification was reliable in spite of any undue suggestion, then the identification testimony would nevertheless be admissible. Id. 41 In Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 99, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977), the Supreme Court stated that reliability is the lynch pin in determining the admissibility of identification testimony   . Id. 432 U.S. at 114, 97 S.Ct. at 2243. The Court adopted the five-part totality of the circumstances test set out in Neal v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 199-200, 93 S.Ct. 375, 382, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972). The factors to be weighed in assessing reliability include the witness' opportunity to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of the prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation, and the time between the crime and the confrontation. Manson, 432 U.S. at 114, 97 S.Ct. at 2243. 42 Applying the Manson analysis to the facts of this case, we first note that Mrs. Smith had an opportunity to view the face of the man she believed to be Eggleton from the time he began struggling with her husband until the lights were turned off in the house, a period of some ten to fifteen minutes. While appellant asserts that Mrs. Smith could not have viewed the gunman for that length of time, it is apparent on this record that even if it were a short time, it was long enough for her to make a positive identification. The degree of attention paid by Mrs. Smith is evident from her ability to describe in great detail the events that occurred in her home and particularly to describe in some detail the woman who had knocked at her door, Carol Martin, whom she had seen only briefly. She described the gunman she later identified as Eggleton as the taller of the two that entered the house. When his ski mask was pulled back around his face, she could see his eyes, the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones and mouth area. Eggleton makes much of the fact that Mrs. Smith described the gunman as being clean-shaven when in fact at the time of the robbery Eggleton had a full beard and mustache. Counsel for the defendant extensively cross-examined Mrs. Smith about this omission. Mrs. Smith remained confident in her identification, stating that there was no doubt in her mind that the man she identified in the lineup and in court was one of the two men who had invaded her home. Finally, there is no doubt that the length of time between the crime and the lineup was substantial--one year and five months. However, it is apparent that Mrs. Smith's recollection of these events was particularly vivid and there can be no doubt from her testimony that the incident had been burned into her memory indelibly. 43 We do not believe that under the totality of the circumstances in this case that there is a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification. Id. 432 U.S. at 116, 97 S.Ct. at 2243. As the Court stated in Manson : 44 We are content to rely upon the good sense and judgment of American juries, for evidence with some element of untrustworthiness is customary grist for the jury mill. Juries are not so susceptible that they cannot measure intelligently the weight of identification testimony that has some questionable feature. 45 Id. So too, in this case we are convinced that it was proper for the jury to determine the appropriate weight to place on her identification testimony. Nor are we convinced that any unreliability in the identification is of constitutional dimension so as to have required exclusion of the testimony. In the final analysis, any apparent defect in the identification would go to the weight and not to the admissibility of the evidence. 46