Opinion ID: 2087709
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Cross-Examination of Detective Yucaitis

Text: The defendant next argues that a new trial is warranted because he was not allowed, on cross-examination, to question Detective John Yucaitis with regard to whether the detective had seen particular newspaper articles pertaining to the defendant. Detective Yucaitis was the police officer who traced one of the guns recovered from the defendant after the CTA bus shooting as that belonging to Alvin Thompson, and who showed a photo array containing the defendant's picture to Thompson in order to obtain an identification. During cross-examination of Detective Yucaitis, defense counsel asked him if he recalled seeing a February 6, 1982, newspaper headline indicating that a police officer had been slain on a CTA bus. Detective Yucaitis testified that he did not see any newspapers that day. Defense counsel then asked Detective Yucaitis whether he recalled seeing such a newspaper headline in the February 7, 1982, newspaper. In response to that question, Detective Yucaitis testified, I would imagine I did, sir. The State then requested a sidebar at which the defense articulated its intention to show the witness the February 6 and 7, 1982, headlines to which the questioning had pertained. The trial court stated that it sustained the State's objection, and the defendant did not attempt any further cross-examination of Detective Yucaitis. The defendant now contends that he was impermissibly denied the right to inquire whether Detective Yucaitis had seen the February 6 and 7 articles which pertained to the defendant. We disagree. First, we note that the record indicates that the defendant did in fact ask Detective Yucaitis about both the February 6 and the February 7, 1982, newspaper articles. With regard to the February 6, 1982, article, Detective Yucaitis testified that he had not seen it. Thus, it would seem that no further questioning on that particular article was available. With regard to the February 7, 1982, article, Detective Yucaitis appears to have answered that he imagined he would have seen that newspaper. Thus, it appears that the defendant was not precluded from asking Detective Yucaitis whether he had seen either of these two articles. Even if the defendant's claim that he was restricted in his cross-examination of Detective Yucaitis on the subject of newspaper articles is accurate, we still find no error in the trial court's actions. The decision to admit or exclude evidence is left to the sound discretion of the trial judge, and that decision will not be overturned on review absent a clear abuse of that discretion. ( People v. Peeples (1993), 155 Ill.2d 422, 456, 186 Ill. Dec. 341, 616 N.E.2d 294.) The admissibility of evidence is dependent upon a showing that it is legally relevant. ( Peeples, 155 Ill.2d at 456, 186 Ill.Dec. 341, 616 N.E.2d 294.) Relevant evidence is evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact in consequence to the determination of the action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. ( Peeples, 155 Ill.2d at 455-56, 186 Ill.Dec. 341, 616 N.E.2d 294.) Testimony from Detective Yucaitis as to whether or not he saw a newspaper article or photo of the defendant was not relevant in this case. Detective Yucaitis was not a witness to the crimes who was being asked to identify the defendant as a perpetrator. Rather, Detective Yucaitis was merely a police officer participating in the investigation of the crimes. Thus, whether Detective Yucaitis saw or did not see a newspaper article pertaining to the defendant was irrelevant. The defendant argues that his constitutional right to present his theory of defense, as well as his right to cross-examine witnesses with regard to that theory, was violated by the trial court's actions. (See Crane v. Kentucky (1986), 476 U.S. 683, 106 S.Ct. 2142, 90 L.Ed.2d 636.) We disagree. The defendant's theory was suggestive identification and nothing in the trial court's ruling prevented the defendant from eliciting testimony which was relevant to that theory. With regard to the actual witnesses to the crimes, Thompson, Dawson and Trent, nothing stopped defense counsel from questioning those witnesses as to whether they had seen any news articles or photographs pertaining to the defendant. The defense, however, chose not to pose any questions to Thompson or Dawson regarding the articles. As for Trent, defense counsel asked him whether he had seen a February 6, 1982, photograph of the defendant in the newspaper, to which Trent answered that he had not. Defense counsel did not ask Trent about a February 7, 1982, newspaper article, although no ruling or objection hindered him from doing so. The defendant was not prevented in any manner from pursuing his theory of suggestive identification. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court did not abuse its discretion with regard to the scope of the defendant's cross-examination of Detective Yucaitis.