Opinion ID: 1285642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Kendrick Davis's impeachment with prior convictions

Text: On direct examination, Kendrick Davis admitted he was convicted of murder in May 1977 and was on parole for life. He was further impeached on cross-examination with a 1968 conviction for safecracking and possession of safecracking tools, an administrative adjudication of embezzlement while he was in prison in 1981, and an admission that he did not pay income tax while he worked as a barber at Kelly's. Appellant claims the trial judge erred in refusing to allow him to further impeach Davis with 1968 convictions for grand larceny and housebreaking, and a 1966 unlawful drug conviction. He argues this evidence is admissible under Rule 609, SCRE. Rule 609(b) provides in pertinent part: (b) Time Limit. Evidence of a conviction under this rule is not admissible if a period of more than ten years has elapsed since the date of the conviction or of the release of the witness from the confinement imposed for that conviction, whichever is the later date, unless the court determines, in the interests of justice, that the probative value of the conviction supported by specific facts and circumstances substantially outweighs its prejudicial effect. (emphasis added). We find the evidence of these convictions was properly excluded under Rule 609(b). First, narcotics offenses are generally not considered probative of truthfulness, State v. Aleksey, 343 S.C. 20, 538 S.E.2d 248 (2000), and appellant has failed to show why the ten-year limit should be overridden as to Davis's 1966 drug conviction. Second, the defense emphasized in closing that it was not challenging Davis's honesty but only the accuracy of his memory. Davis's criminal record therefore has little or no probative value and the 1968 convictions for housebreaking and grand larceny were properly excluded under the ten-year rule. The trial judge did not abuse his discretion in refusing to allow Davis's impeachment with these convictions.