Opinion ID: 1274871
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Statement to Judy

Text: We think that Connie's statements to Judy  that Joe had a loaded gun and that he had vowed to shoot her if the police came  also bore particularized guarantees of trustworthiness. First, there is very little danger that Connie was mistaken about whether Joe had a gun or whether he had threatened her. Joe and Connie lived together as husband and wife for an extended period of time. It is probable that Connie had personal knowledge of any guns in Joe's possession. Likewise, it is unlikely that Connie misperceived the threat. A statement of intent to shoot someone if the police arrive is not the sort of statement that is susceptible to nuance or subtlety. The danger of ambiguity, i.e., that Judy misunderstood Connie, was also minimal. Connie's statements were in response to Judy's specific questions about whether Joe had a gun and whether Judy should call the police. Furthermore, Connie and Judy were sisters, and there was evidence at trial that they were quite close and talked on the telephone frequently. Indeed, Judy had spent the weekend prior to the shooting as a guest in Connie's home. We think that there is little danger that Judy misunderstood Connie's statements. The closeness of the relationship between Connie and Judy is also relevant to the issue of Connie's candor. Judy testified that she was scared about her sister's welfare and that this was her reason for calling Connie on the morning of August 23. Judy further testified that she began to cry as she talked to Connie. Thus, Connie apparently realized that Judy was upset about Connie's situation; nevertheless, Connie aggravated Judy's anguish by recounting Joe's threat and reporting that he had a loaded gun. We think it unlikely that Connie, who was on close, loving terms with her sister, would burden her with statements of this nature unless they were true. The psychological incentive to tell the truth under these circumstances is equivalent to the psychological incentives for truthfulness upon which the traditional hearsay exceptions rest. Cf. Wright, 497 U.S. at 820, 110 S.Ct. at 3149 (recognizing that the rationale for traditional hearsay exceptions is that declarants are likely to be truthful in certain situations); Pacheco, 110 N.M. at 602, 798 P.2d at 203 (observing that a hearsay statement is reliable if the circumstances in which the [statement is] made are indicative of a strong propensity for truthfulness). We conclude that Connie's statements to Judy possessed the requisite particularized guarantees of trustworthiness and that they were properly admitted into evidence.