Opinion ID: 2766861
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Officer’s Testimony on Cross-Examination

Text: [¶8] When the defense cross-examined the officer about his participation in the perjury investigation, the officer stated that after the OUI trial he “started digging around to try and figure out . . . what happened,” and that he “made some notes that [he] felt detailed the nuances of the lies that were told in court” during the OUI trial. Defense counsel asked the officer whether he disagreed with Jeffrey’s acquittal in the OUI case, and the officer responded, “That’s fair to say, yes.” Defense counsel then asked “And, so, when you say you started looking around, you were looking at sort of what your options were after Mr. Wyman being acquitted in the OUI?” The officer responded, “No, I wasn’t looking what my options were. I was convinced, as I am today, that there were lies told, and I started to look for evidence to prove those lies.” Defense counsel objected to the 5 answer as nonresponsive, improper opinion testimony, and an effort by the officer to influence the jury. The court noted that defense counsel’s questions had elicited the response, but issued an immediate curative instruction, telling the jury that the officer’s opinion as to Jeffrey’s truthfulness was not relevant to the issue of the truth or falsity of Jeffrey’s statements during the OUI trial. [¶9] During closing arguments, both sides referred to the officer’s testimony. The State asked the jury to consider “in what context [Jeffrey’s] statements were made, what was said before, what was said after, and then you’ll see exactly why the testimony that we have in this case shows that [Jeffrey was] misleading and deceitful in that first case.” Defense counsel did not object to this statement. Both sides emphasized to the jury that it was responsible for determining which witnesses were credible. The court reiterated this instruction during the closing remarks of its charge to the jury.