Opinion ID: 2516369
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Prejudicial Impact of Erroneous Evidentiary Rulings

Text: ś 53 Defendant contends the trial court erroneously denied various motions for mistrial following evidentiary rulings. We review a trial court's denial of a motion for new trial on an abuse of discretion standard. See Gulbrandson, 184 Ariz. at 63, 906 P.2d at 596. We address each of defendant's claims individually.
ś 54 Defendant requests a new trial because a key state's witness, Mark Nelson, testified that he knew defendant from having been arrested together as juveniles making a beer run. ś 55 This testimony was given in violation of a court order prohibiting its admission pursuant to Rule 404(b), Arizona Rules of Evidence. Defendant argues that the admission of the prior arrest statement was prejudicial because it invited the jury to conclude (1) that defendant was a proven criminal and therefore probably guilty of the crimes charged in the present case and (2) that defendant and Nelson were confidants and that defendant likely confided in Nelson his intent to commit a car-jacking and murder. ś 56 The state notes that witness Nelson's prior arrest statement was both unsolicited and in violation of an admonition by the prosecutor. Nelson made the statement when the prosecutor asked him when he had last seen the defendant. He responded, the last time I saw him is when we both were arrested for a beer run thing.... Upon defense counsel's objection, the trial court recessed the proceedings to determine whether the misdemeanor theft charges arising from the prior arrest had perhaps been dismissed to permit the court to inform the jurors of the dismissal, thus curing any potential prejudice resulting from the statement. The court learned, however, that defendant had pleaded guilty to the charge, precluding the option of informing the jury that the matter had been dismissed. Upon consideration, the trial court denied the mistrial and asked whether defense counsel preferred a jury admonition or simply to proceed without comment. Defense counsel requested that the court proceed without comment. ś 57 The decision to grant or deny a motion for mistrial rests with the discretion of the court. We find reversible error only if refusal was a clear abuse of discretion. See State v. Koch, 138 Ariz. 99, 101, 673 P.2d 297, 299 (1983); Gulbrandson, 184 Ariz. at 63, 906 P.2d at 596. We will not reverse a conviction based on the erroneous admission of evidence without a reasonable probability that the verdict would have been different had the evidence not been admitted. See State v. Atwood, 171 Ariz. 576, 639, 832 P.2d 593, 656 (1992). ś 58 The record contains strong circumstantial evidence of defendant's guilt. Defendant, by his own account, was in the vicinity of the victim's disappearance at the time she was last seen. He was seen with DeShaw climbing out of the overturned vehicle that the victim had been driving the previous night. DeShaw was in possession of the victim's key chain at the time of arrest. DeShaw's fingerprints were on various contents of the victim's wallet found miles from the scene of arrest but relatively close to the crime scene. Defendant was carrying the murder weapon on his person when arrested. He told Nelson earlier that he planned to car-jack a vehicle and kill the victim. Another witness, Masterson, heard defendant discuss, on various occasions, his desire to carjack someone and to go to Pinetop. Though Nelson's prior arrest response violated the court order, there exists no reasonable probability that the verdict was affected by his prior arrest statement. See Atwood, 171 Ariz. at 639, 832 P.2d at 656. There was no abuse of discretion in the court's decision to deny a mistrial.
ś 59 Defendant argues the trial court abused its discretion by refusing cross-examination of witness Nelson concerning a conversation between Nelson and defendant's sister that would allegedly have revealed Nelson's anger toward defendant and establish bias. [4] ś 60 Specifically, defendant asserts that while incarcerated prior to trial, he informed his sister, Jenise, that an unknown figure, Paul, gave him the gun used in the murder and that he had been framed for the crime. Defendant also asserts that Jenise repeated this story to Nelson. Defendant argues that he should have been allowed to cross-examine Nelson concerning Jenise's alleged statement to Nelson about Paul. Defendant argues that this hearsay should have been admitted under the state of mind exception to the hearsay doctrine because it would have shown that Nelson was aware of defendant's claims regarding Paul and, given Nelson's anger toward defendant, this was evidence that he might lie. ś 61 The state points out that any statement by Jenise to Nelson was hearsay and that Nelson's prior statements were consistent, did not demonstrate a motivation to lie, were not suggestive of Nelson's state of mind, and that defendant's statements to Jenise were simply his unsuccessful attempt to conjure up a third party defense. ś 62 The state argues that Nelson's testimony, based solely on a conversation with Jenise, would have no tendency to connect the unidentified Paul to the crime. Cf. State v. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. 237, 252, 778 P.2d 602, 617 (1988). Defendant introduced no evidence to suggest that even if Jenise had related the conversation to Nelson, it would have caused a deviation in Nelson's testimony. ś 63 We conclude that Jenise's alleged conversation with Nelson was unreliable hearsay unrelated to Nelson's state of mind. See Ariz. R. Evid. 803(3). Moreover, the trial court concluded that the defendant actually sought to introduce the hearsay conversation to prove the truth of the matter asserted, that is, to present to the jury, without testifying himself, the theory that some mysterious person named Paul committed the crime. ś 64 While evidence of third party culpability which raises reasonable doubt as to a defendant's guilt is ordinarily admissible, we do not allow it unless it would rationally demonstrate an inherent tendency to connect the other person with the actual commission of the crime. See State v. Oliver, 169 Ariz. 589, 591, 821 P.2d 250, 252 (App.1991); Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 252, 778 P.2d at 617. Where, as here, the evidence is hearsay and raises nothing more than selfserving suspicion of third party involvement, the trial court was within its sound discretion to exclude it. Fulminante, 161 Ariz. at 252, 778 P.2d at 617.
ś 65 Detective Gissel testified concerning statements made to him by Nelson that the defendant intended to commit a car-jacking and to kill his victim. The defendant claims error, arguing that Gissel's testimony, as to things stated by Nelson, was hearsay, not prior consistent statements under Evidence Rule 801(d)(1)(B). The trial court, however, ruled these statements were consistent with the declarant's testimony and were admissible under Rule 801(d)(1)(B) because defendant had previously charged that Nelson was biased and had motivation to fabricate a predicate for admissibility under the Rule. The statements were also probative because they tended to establish defendant's plan, identification, and motive to commit a carjacking. ś 66 This court has held that prior consistent statements, to be admissible, must be made before motivation to falsify arises. See Maricopa County Juvenile Action No. JV-133607, 186 Ariz. 198, 200, 920 P.2d 320, 322 (App.1996). On this point, Gissel's testimony, standing alone, was questionable because Nelson knew at the time he talked to police that defendant was implicated in a murder. But even if this testimony was improperly admitted, the error was harmless because all aspects of Nelson's prior statements were included in Nelson's own testimony, and Nelson was subjected to thorough cross-examination. See State v. La Madrid, 123 N.M. 463, 943 P.2d 110, 117 (N.M.Ct. App.1997) (prejudice to defendant is less likely to arise where statements bolstered with prior consistency were subject to cross-examination). ś 67 Defense counsel cross-examined Nelson about his anger toward defendant and any inconsistencies between his prior statements and his testimony. Importantly, Nelson and Gissel both testified consistently. Gissel's testimony was thus cumulative and its admission was not an abuse of discretion. See State v. Luzanilla, 179 Ariz. 391, 398-400, 880 P.2d 611, 618-20 (1994).
ś 68 At trial, defendant sought to question the police decision not to administer a polygraph examination to Nelson, given Nelson's willingness to take the test. Defendant argues that this evidence indicates that the police did not consider Nelson to be a reliable witness. However, the state moved to exclude these questions, and the trial court granted its motion in limine. ś 69 On appeal, defendant claims the trial court erred, but this argument fails because Arizona courts, along with the vast majority of jurisdictions, consider polygraph examinations unreliable. We hold, therefore, that the trial court did not err as to this issue because all references to polygraph tests, absent stipulation, are inadmissible for any purpose in Arizona. State v. Ikirt, 160 Ariz. 113, 115, 770 P.2d 1159, 1161 (1987); State v. Bowen, 104 Ariz. 138, 141, 449 P.2d 603, 606 (1969). We decline the invitation to revisit this settled area of the law.
ś 70 Defendant claims prejudice stemming from the trial court's preclusion of cross-examination of state's witness Blades concerning statements about Nelson's reputation as a braggart and a boaster. The state argues that such testimony was not relevant to Nelson's reputation for truthfulness and that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by precluding the cross-examination pursuant to Rules 404(a) and 608(a), Arizona Rules of Evidence. ś 71 Blades' proffered statements concerning Nelson were unrelated to the accuracy of Nelson's testimony or his veracity as a witness. The attributes mentioned by Blades do not relate to character but were at best vague, speculative, and immaterial. Exclusion was not an abuse of discretion.