Opinion ID: 1404841
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The trial court properly admitted Lucero's prior consistent statement to Satomba.

Text: {31} At trial, Satomba testified about Lucero's statement to her regarding the murder. The State argues that her testimony was admissible under the prior consistent statement rule. Rule 11-801(D)(1)(b) NMRA 1998. An out-of-court statement made by a witness who testifies at trial is not hearsay if it is consistent with the declarant's testimony and is offered to rebut an express or implied charge against the declarant of recent fabrication or improper influence or motive. Rule 11-801(D)(1)(b). The statement must be made before a motive to fabricate arises. [O]nly those statements made before the motive originated are nonhearsay and therefore admissible. Casaus, 1996-NMCA-031, ¶ 18, 121 N.M. 481, 913 P.2d 669; accord Salazar, 1997-NMSC-044, ¶ 66, 123 N.M. 778, 945 P.2d 996. {32} Defendants contend that Lucero's motive to falsify arose before he told Satomba what happened and, therefore, under Tome v. United States, 513 U.S. 150, 115 S.Ct. 696, 130 L.Ed.2d 574 (1995), and State v. Casaus, 1996-NMCA-031, 121 N.M. 481, 913 P.2d 669, the testimony should not have been admitted. We review the admission of evidence under an abuse of discretion standard and will reverse only if its admission is against logic and is `clearly untenable or not justified by reason.' See State v. Apodaca, 118 N.M. 762, 770, 887 P.2d 756, 764 (1994) (quoting State v. Litteral, 110 N.M. 138, 141, 793 P.2d 268, 271 (1990)). The question of when a motive to lie arises is a question the trial court answers, reviewable by an appellate court under the abuse of discretion standard. State v. Salazar, 1997-NMSC-044, ¶ 65, 123 N.M. 778, 945 P.2d 996. {33} At trial, when Defendants cross-examined Lucero, they pursued two different lines of questioning to establish that Lucero had the motive to lie prior to the statement he made to Satomba. First, Defendants questioned whether Lucero lied to protect himself from prosecution and gain an immunity deal. Defendants asked Lucero in cross-examination, And, in order to avoid that time [in jail], you made this deal with. . . the District Attorney's Office, right?. . . [T]his is what's called the immunity, right? Defendants then asked Lucero about the details of the murder and implied that he was directly involved in the murder: Q: You've never veered from your position that you're an innocent bystander to the death of Jerol Younger, right? A: No. Q: Why is it that you need immunity? A: Because I drove the BMW, and I also drove the car for them to dispose of the body. Q: Well, you were innocent, though, right? You didn't do anything wrong? {34} The State introduced Satomba's testimony that Lucero had told her the same story he told at trial in order to rebut Defendants' implication that Lucero lied to protect himself. Defendants objected to the introduction of this evidence, arguing that Lucero had a motive to fabricate. Defendants argued at trial that, despite their cross-examination challenging Lucero's credibility, his statements to Satomba should not have been admitted since he had a motive to lie in 1992, before he told Satomba his story. In a bench conference, Defendants argued that the motive to fabricate arises at the time of the witness['], Lucero['s] participation in the murder. However, the court responded, I'm finding, based on the cross-examination done by both [of] you . . . that you attempted to show that the basis for him beingor the motive for him giving testimony here could be to take advantage of the offer of the State. Therefore, the court found Lucero's motive arose in 1994, when he was in protective custody in California, facing murder charges.
{35} Defendants argue that Lucero's actions in 1992 indicate his motive to lie. According to defense witnesses Denise Purcell-Abeyta and Matilda Gonzales, he began hiding from the police in 1992, and acted strangely from then forward. The State responds that his actions are explainable; they argue his actions arose from fear of those who committed the murder, or fear of being held responsible for a murder he did not commit. {36} The State argues that to follow Defendants' argument would be to eliminate the admission of any prior consistent statements. It may be argued that a declarant whom a defendant accuses of being involved in the crime and who witnesses that crime may possess a motive to fabricate as soon as the crime takes place because he or she fears prosecution. We cannot so conclude without eviscerating the rule. While we recognize that a declarant may have a motive to lie immediately following the crime, due to the declarant's involvement in the crime, failure to report the crime, and fear of prosecution, such a conclusion must necessarily be a fact-based inquiry. The mere witnessing of a crime does not give rise to a presumption or conclusion that a motive to fabricate existed at the time of the crime. A defendant must elicit more concrete testimony from the declarant to establish a motive to lie. {37} Here, Defendants have elicited testimony from a witness regarding Lucero's actions immediately following the murder, in 1992. Purcell-Abeyta testified that, in 1992, Lucero came to her and asked to stay with her because he was in trouble. After she questioned him regarding the trouble, he said he killed Younger, to whom he owed money. She also testified that Lucero became fearful of the police at this time. In addition, in October of 1992, the police searched his home in Albuquerque, where they found a hammerhead, plastic garbage bags, duct tape, and cords, all of which could have been used in the murder of Younger. Defendants argue that this evidence, adduced at trial, showed that Lucero had a powerful motive to lie because of his involvement in the murder and the police suspicion that had begun to focus on him. We agree. {38} Lucero allegedly admitted he committed the crime in 1992, he became fearful of the police and sought to hide from them, and police began to suspect his involvement and searched the remains of his home. This evidence demonstrated that he had a motive to lieto protect himselfin October of 1992. This pre-dated his arrival in California, where he stayed with Satomba, by nearly one year. He told Satomba the story he told at trial several days after his arrival. Satomba's testimony would not have been admissible under Casaus as substantive evidence because she heard the statements after Lucero's motive to lie arose. However, we conclude that Satomba's testimony was properly admitted as rehabilitative evidence.
{39} To hold that the trial court abused its discretion in admitting Satomba's testimony regarding Lucero's story, this Court must find that the trial court acted in an `obviously erroneous, arbitrary or unwarranted manner.' State v. Stills, 1998-NMSC-009, ¶ 33, 125 N.M. 66, 957 P.2d 51 (quoting State v. Alberico, 116 N.M. 156, 170, 861 P.2d 192, 206 (1993)). We hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it admitted Satomba's testimony because of other testimony offered at trial. {40} In Tome, the United States Supreme Court focused on the admission of prior consistent statements pursuant to Rule 801(d) of the Federal Rules of Evidence. Tome, 513 U.S. at 156, 115 S.Ct. 696. The Court intimate[d] no view . . . concerning the admissibility of any of [the declarant's] out-of-court statements under [Rule 803(24)], or any other evidentiary principle. Id. at 166, 115 S.Ct. 696. Additionally, the Court stated that its holding is confined to the requirements for admission under Rule 801(d)(1)(B). Id. at 167, 115 S.Ct. 696. {41} The Fourth Circuit has relied on this language from Tome to distinguish the introduction of prior consistent statements for purposes of rehabilitation, as opposed to use as substantive evidence. United States v. Ellis, 121 F.3d 908, 920 n. 16 (4th Cir. 1997), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 118 S.Ct. 738, 139 L.Ed.2d 674 (1998). Because Rule 801(d) identifies certain out-of-court statements that are admissible to prove the truth of the matter asserted, in other words, for substantive purposes, the Fourth Circuit reasoned that Rule 801(d) and the United States Supreme Court opinion in Tome do not control the introduction of prior consistent statements for the sole purpose of rehabilitating a witness. Id. at 919-21. {42} The Fourth Circuit's interpretation is fairly consistent with the overall reasoning of Tome, though there is dicta in Tome indicating that the majority had a different understanding of Rule 801(d)(1)(B) than the Fourth Circuit. The United States Supreme Court relied heavily on two sources of authority in its interpretation of Rule 801(d)(1)(B): (1) the common law; and (2) the advisory notes for the Federal Rules of Evidence. Tome, 513 U.S. at 159-60, 115 S.Ct. 696. The Court determined that the premotive requirement existed at common law and that the rules committee intended to adopt the common law understanding of prior consistent statements. Id. at 160, 115 S.Ct. 696. The Notes disclose a purpose to adhere to the common law in the application of evidentiary principles, absent express provisions to the contrary. Id. The Court noted that the advisory notes did not reveal a purpose to scuttle the common law premotive requirement. Id. at 161-62, 115 S.Ct. 696. {43} At common law, prior consistent statements were admissible for rehabilitation on several theories: (1) to place a supposed inconsistent statement in context to refute the alleged inconsistency; (2) to support the denial of making an inconsistent statement; (3) to refute the suggestion that the witness's memory is flawed due to the passage of time; and (4) to refute an allegation of recent fabrication, improper influence, or motive. See United States v. Rubin, 609 F.2d 51, 67-69 (2d Cir.1979) (Friendly, J., concurring), aff'd, 449 U.S. 424, 101 S.Ct. 698, 66 L.Ed.2d 633 (1981); see also Kellam v. Thomas, 287 So.2d 733, 734-35 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1974). As Justice Breyer noted in his dissent, Rule 801(d) deals only with the fourth theory on which prior consistent statements may be offered. Tome, 513 U.S. at 170, 115 S.Ct. 696 (Breyer, J., dissenting). {44} There is language in Tome that suggests that Rule 801(d)(1)(B) is the only source for the admission of prior consistent statements in the Federal Rules of Evidence. For example, the Court stated that the question is whether [declarant's] out-of-court statements rebutted the alleged link between her desire to be with her mother and her testimony, not whether they suggested that [declarant's] in-court testimony was true. The Rule speaks of a party rebutting an alleged motive, not bolstering the veracity of the story told. Tome, 513 U.S. at 157-58, 115 S.Ct. 696. In addition, the Court opined that [i]f Rule 801 were read so that the charge opened the floodgates to any prior consistent statement that satisfied Rule 403, as the Tenth Circuit concluded, the distinction between rejected Uniform Rule 63(1) [allowing any out-of-court statement if the declarant testifies and is subject to cross-examination] and Rule 801(d)(1)(B) would all but disappear. Tome, 513 U.S. at 162, 115 S.Ct. 696. These statements could be interpreted to mean that the United States Supreme Court interpreted Rule 801 of the Federal Rules of Evidence as the sole means of admitting prior consistent statements and that even rehabilitative uses must comply with Rule 801 and the premotive requirement. However, we do not believe that Tome should be interpreted so broadly or that our Rules of Evidence should be interpreted so narrowly. {45} First, we construe these statements in Tome as dicta because, as the majority in Tome noted, the actual use of the evidence in Tome was substantive rather than rehabilitative. 513 U.S. at 165, 115 S.Ct. 696 (At closing argument before the jury, the Government placed great reliance on the prior statements for substantive purposes but did not once seek to use them to rebut the impact of the alleged motive.). Additionally, the advisory notes indicate that the Federal Rules altered the common law by allowing the use of prior consistent statements offered under the fourth theory, to refute a charge of recent fabrication, as substantive evidence. Thus, the advisory committee appears not to have rejected the common law approach to prior consistent statements but, rather, to have broadened the use of prior consistent statements admissible at common law. As the majority in Tome reasoned, `[w]ith this state of unanimity confronting the drafters of the Federal Rules of Evidence, we think it unlikely that they intended to scuttle entirely [the common-law requirement].' Tome, 513 U.S. at 161, 115 S.Ct. 696 (quoting United States v. Abel, 469 U.S. 45, 50, 105 S.Ct. 465, 83 L.Ed.2d 450 (1984)). Therefore, we think it is highly unlikely that the drafters intended to scuttle three of the four theories under which prior consistent statements were admissible at common law without expressly so indicating. Rather, we believe that prior consistent statements continue to be admissible on these theories for purposes of rehabilitation, consistent with the common law, and subject to principles of relevancy and undue prejudice pursuant to Rules 401, 402, and 403. Further, this interpretation is consistent with the traditional understanding of hearsay; the rehabilitative use of the statements does not purport to offer the words for the truth of the matter asserted but, instead, to refute a specific attack against the witness's credibility. See Frank W. Bullock, Jr. & Steven Gardner, Prior Consistent Statements and the Premotive Rule, 24 Fla. St. U.L.Rev. 509, 539 (1997). It appears that this interpretation is consistent with all of the Federal Circuit Courts of Appeals which have addressed the issue, see id., except for the Ninth Circuit, which has precedent holding the opposite, United States v. Miller, 874 F.2d 1255, 1273 (9th Cir.1989), but which currently appears undecided on the matter in the wake of Tome, United States v. Collicott, 92 F.3d 973, 982 n. 11 (9th Cir.1996). Our interpretation of Tome is also consistent with a recent opinion of the Maryland Court of Appeals. See Holmes v. State, 350 Md. 412, 712 A.2d 554, 560 (Md.1998) (We believe that Tome left open the question of whether a prior consistent statement may be admissible for other rehabilitating purposes.). Notwithstanding our interpretation of Tome, we believe our Rules of Evidence incorporated the common law rule regarding prior consistent statements. Therefore, we conclude that Rule 11-801 does not prohibit certain limited rehabilitative uses of prior consistent statements. {46} In this case, Defendants attacked Lucero's credibility on two grounds which allow admission of the prior consistent statement. First, counsel for Defendant Smith suggested on cross-examination of Lucero that Lucero's in-court testimony was inconsistent with his statements to his aunt. At common law, the State would be permitted to introduce the complete statement to his aunt to rebut the suggestion that it was inconsistent, as well as under the doctrine of completeness. See, e.g., Ellis, 121 F.3d at 920-21; cf. Holmes, 712 A.2d at 559-60 (permitting use of prior consistent statement to rebut impeachment through prior inconsistent statement). Second, counsel for Defendant Smith asked Lucero on cross-examination whether he had admitted killing Younger to his cousin, Denise Purcell-Abeyta, and another woman, Matilda Gonzales; Lucero denied making the admission. Defendants then called Purcell-Abeyta and Gonzales to the witness stand to relate Lucero's alleged admission. At common law, the State could introduce Lucero's consistent statement to Satomba in order to bolster Lucero's denial of making the prior inconsistent statement to Purcell-Abeyta and Gonzales. See, e.g., State v. Franco, 365 A.2d 807, 812 & n. 5 (Me.1976); Brown v. Pointer, 390 Mich. 346, 212 N.W.2d 201, 203-04 (Mich.1973). Thus, we conclude it was not error for the district court to admit the prior consistent statement for purposes of rehabilitation.