Opinion ID: 1703842
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State's Loss of Evidence

Text: Prior to trial, Eugene filed a motion for inspection and discovery pursuant to Rule 16, N.D.R.Crim.P., requesting a wide-ranging assortment of documents and articles, including relevant, tangible objects within the possession, custody, or control of the prosecution. The record does not indicate whether or not the trial court ordered discovery pursuant to the motion. [2] Nor is it evident whether or not the defense made any additional effort to examine the lost items prior to trial. The State was served with a copy of the motion. At the close of the case, Eugene moved for judgment of acquittal on grounds that the evidence produced at trial was insufficient to sustain a conviction of burglary. A second motion for judgment of acquittal was made on grounds of police misconduct and negligence in the loss of vital evidence. Eugene contended that it had been shown at trial that the items would have been exculpatory and, therefore, the case should not go to the jury. The trial court denied the motions for the reason that the weight and materiality of the lost padlock would probably have been in question even if it had been received in evidence and that there was sufficient evidence to present a prima facie case to the jury. Following the jury verdict, Eugene moved for a new trial alleging as a basis therefor several grounds, including the State's loss of evidence. The trial court indicated that the case rose and fell on the totality of the circumstances and denied the motion for a new trial because it was not known whether or not the items lost by the State were exculpatory. Eugene appeals to this Court contending that the trial court erred in denying the motion for acquittal and motion for new trial because the State's loss of the padlock, knife, hammer, and tire iron violated his constitutional rights of due process as interpreted by the United States Supreme Court in Brady v. State of Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963). In Brady, supra, 373 U.S. at 87, 83 S.Ct. at 1196-97, 10 L.Ed.2d at 218, the Supreme Court announced the rule that suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material to guilt or to punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution. Accord State v. Anderson, 336 N.W.2d 123, 129 (N.D.1983); State v. Skjonsby, 319 N.W.2d 764, 785 (N.D.1982); State v. Larson, 313 N.W.2d 750, 753 (N.D. 1981); State v. Hilling, 219 N.W.2d 164, 168-170 (N.D.1974). The petitioner in Brady, supra, and a companion were found guilty of first degree murder. Prior to trial the petitioner had requested the prosecution to allow him to examine his companion's extra-judicial statements, and several of those statements were shown to him; but one, in which the companion had admitted the actual homicide, was withheld by the prosecution. The Court held that the suppression of this confession by the prosecution violated the petitioner's due process rights. In Moore v. Illinois, 408 U.S. 786, 794-95, 92 S.Ct. 2562, 2568, 33 L.Ed.2d 706, 713 (1972), the Supreme Court indicated that three matters are important in applying the Brady rule: (a) suppression by the prosecution after a request by the defense, (b) the evidence's favorable character for the defense, and (c) the materiality of the evidence. The duty to produce exculpatory materials under the Brady rule is not limited to materials in the hands of the prosecutor, but includes material known to the police. Hilling, supra, 219 N.W.2d at 169. The Court clarified the Brady rule in United States v. Agurs, 427 U.S. 97, 96 S.Ct. 2392, 49 L.Ed.2d 342 (1976), by enumerating three situations in which the Brady rule arguably applies, each involving the discovery, after trial, of information which had been known to the prosecution but unknown to the defense. The first situation involves prosecutorial use of perjured testimony where the prosecution knew or should have known, of the perjury. The standard of materiality or review to be applied in such a case is that the conviction must be set aside if there is any reasonable likelihood that the false testimony could have affected the judgment of the jury. Agurs, supra, 427 U.S. at 103, 96 S.Ct. at 2397, 49 L.Ed.2d at 349-50. This is a strict standard of materiality espousing the view that the use of perjured testimony is fundamentally unfair and a corruption of the truth-seeking function of the trial process. Agurs, supra . The second situation is characterized by a pre-trial request by the defense for specific evidence where the prosecution fails or refuses to disclose the evidence. The Brady decision itself presented this situation because it involved a specific request by the defendant for extrajudicial statements made by the defendant's companion. When such a specific request is made and the evidence requested is suppressed by the prosecution, that evidence is deemed material for purposes of the Brady rule if disclosure of the evidence might have affected the outcome of the trial. Agurs, supra, 427 U.S. at 104, 96 S.Ct. at 2398, 49 L.Ed.2d at 350. The third situation discussed in Agurs, supra, arises when there has been either a general request for discovery of evidence, or no request is made at all. In this situation evidence not revealed by the prosecution will be held to be material if the omitted evidence creates a reasonable doubt that did not otherwise exist [when] evaluated in the context of the entire record. Agurs, supra, 427 U.S. at 112, 96 S.Ct. at 2402, 49 L.Ed.2d at 355. The differences between the two standards of materiality applicable in the latter two Brady situations, and the dependence for their application upon the specificity of a defendant's request, is designed to implement traditional values inherent in the concept of reasonable notice. Agurs, supra, 427 U.S. at 106-07, 96 S.Ct. at 2399, 49 L.Ed.2d at 351. [3] The parties have essentially argued this case along the lines suggested by Brady and Agurs, i.e., was the evidence favorable to the defendant, and was the evidence material? Under Brady, supra, the State has a duty to disclose material evidence favorable to the accused. Eugene contends, as many jurisdictions have held, that the duty to disclose also operates as a duty to preserve exculpatory evidence. See, e.g., United States v. Bryant, 439 F.2d 642, 651 (D.C.Cir.1971); Lauderdale v. State, 548 P.2d 376, 382 (Alaska 1976); Garcia v. District Court, 21st Judicial District, 197 Colo. 38, 589 P.2d 924, 929-30 (1979); State v. Clements, 52 Or.App. 309, 628 P.2d 433, 435-36 (1981). Eugene concedes that he can only speculate as to the exculpatory nature of the lost items; however, he believes the lost items may have provided direct or circumstantial evidence pertaining to the identity of the person who opened the padlock and/or the means utilized in opening the padlock. He contends, specifically, based upon the testimony elicited at trial concerning the condition of the lost padlock and Borggreve's testimony concerning the various possible means by which the padlock may have been opened, that disclosure and a subsequent examination of the padlock might have proved to be exculpatory in that (1) it may have reasonably disclosed that it could have only been opened by a key; (2) it may have shown that the lock was opened by the twisting method known to the employees of the restaurant, or (3) it may have disclosed fingerprints of some other suspects. As to the remaining items lost by the State, Eugene contends that a testing [thereof] might have shown fingerprints on such items and might have disclosed whether these items were used in opening the lock. During oral argument, Eugene contended, specifically, that fingerprint analysis performed on the padlock may have disclosed the fingerprints of Gary Potter. In State v. Larson, supra, 313 N.W.2d at 753-54, we extended the application of the Brady rule to cases wherein evidence requested by the defendant has been lost or discarded by the State: `Were Brady and its progeny applicable only when the exact content of the non-disclosed materials was known, the disclosure duty would be an empty promise, easily circumvented by suppression of evidence by means of destruction rather than mere failure to reveal.' Larson, supra, (quoting United States v. Bryant, supra, 439 F.2d at 648.). We nevertheless acknowledged in Larson, supra, that cases involving the loss or destruction of evidence present a quite different problem than that posed in those cases in which suppressed evidence is still in existence. In Larson, supra, we determined that the State's good faith failure to preserve and provide the defendant the test ampoule used in a Breathalyzer examination performed subsequent to his arrest for DWI did not violate Brady. We deemed it appropriate in Larson, in light of the difficulty involved in applying the elements of Brady to evidence intentionally, but not maliciously or fraudulently, destroyed by the State, to adjust the materiality element of the Brady rule to require the defendant to demonstrate that it is possible to analyze the test ampoule to obtain material evidence reflecting upon the accuracy of the test results. We also adjusted, in Larson, supra, the favorability element of Brady to require the defendant to demonstrate a reasonable probability that the destroyed evidence, even if material, would have been favorable to him: The underlying principle of Brady, supra, is that a defendant must not be denied a fair trial by the State's withholding of evidence requested by him. However, the withholding of evidence by the State cannot deprive the defendant of a fair trial or violate his due process rights if that evidence is not favorable to the defendant. We believe that where the requested evidence has been destroyed, as in the instant case, the defendant, to establish a violation of his due process rights under Brady, supra, must demonstrate a reasonable probability that the destroyed evidence would have been favorable to him. In this regard we agree with the Oregon Court of Appeals in State v. Michener, 25 Or.App. 523, 550 P.2d 449 (1976), wherein it stated: `We deem it apparent that the Brady rule requires disclosure of material evidence where a defendant establishes some reasonable possibility, based on concrete evidence rather than fertile imagination, that it would be favorable to his cause.' 550 P.2d at 454. Larson, supra, 313 N.W.2d at 756. The test ampoule in Larson, supra, was potentially relevant and material because it is an essential part of the Breathalyzer test which gives rise under Section 39-20-07, N.D.C.C., to a presumption of intoxication depending upon the results of the test. We concluded, however, that the defendant failed to demonstrate the feasibility of testing the ampoule to obtain material evidence and, also, failed to introduce concrete evidence which would establish a reasonable probability that the destroyed evidence would have provided evidence favorable to him at trial. In Bryant, supra, a tape recording of a conversation between the defendants and an undercover narcotics agent regarding the drug transaction at issue was unaccountably lost by the prosecution. Under the circumstances in Bryant, the defendants' involvement in the transaction could only be established by proof of what was said during the taped conversation. Thus, the testimony of the narcotics agent was the key to the prosecution's case. Because the tape recording was absolutely crucial to the question of appellants' guilt or innocence, and a possibility existed that the tape recording might have been significantly `favorable' to the accused, the court determined it was crucial evidence which the prosecution was obligated to preserve and disclose to the defense, either under Brady, Rule 16 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, or the Jencks Act. The materiality of the evidence lost or destroyed in Larson and Bryant was apparent. We believe the State's duty under Brady to preserve evidence arises only after the State knows, or has reason to know, that the evidence is, or is claimed to be, material and exculpatory. State v. Clements, supra, 628 P.2d at 436. The State contends that evidence of the means utilized in opening the padlock and evidence of who opened the padlock is of questionable relevance because the State was not required to show how the lock was opened. The crime of burglary as defined by our statute does not include, as a necessary element thereof, a breaking or forcible entry. See State v. Olson, 290 N.W.2d 664, 673-74 (N.D.1980). Section 12.1-22-02(1), N.D.C.C., reads as follows: A person is guilty of burglary if he willfully enters or surreptitiously remains in a building or occupied structure, or a separately secured or occupied portion thereof, when at the time the premises are not open to the public and the actor is not licensed, invited, or otherwise privileged to enter or remain as the case may be, with intent to commit a crime therein. The element of entry for purposes of the offense of burglary may be proved, as it was here, by circumstantial evidence. Olson, supra . The evidence presented by the State at trial revealed that the restaurant's freezer was open; meat products from the freezer were missing; these products were discovered in Potter's automobile on the right rear seat; Officer Shulz observed Eugene, minutes after the burglar alarm sounded, leaning into the right rear window of Potter's automobile; the keys to the automobile were in the automobile; and Eugene testified that he was a casual acquaintance of Potter. There is no indication, in light of the apparent immateriality of the lost items in terms of the State's burden of proof, that the State had any reason to know that the condition of the padlock and other items would be at issue or that Eugene believed them to be exculpatory. Since no fingerprint analysis had been made, the police could not have known whether the fingerprints of Potter or anyone else were on any of the items. An examination of the transcript of the preliminary hearing in this case reveals that Eugene received notice of the existence of the items taken by the police from Caspar's at the October 13, 1982, preliminary hearing. Eugene's trial commenced on February 10, 1983. Yet the record reveals that, except for the broad discovery motion filed on December 20, 1982, no effort was made to gain access to the items prior to trial. By the time the State was made aware of Eugene's contentions concerning the items at trial, the items had already been lost. There is no indication in the record that the police, prior to losing the items, had reason to know that the items might be material and exculpatory to Eugene. In Larson, supra, our implicit consideration of the State's intentional, but good faith, destruction of the test ampoule is apparent. Brady, supra, indicates that the prosecution's good or bad faith in suppressing evidence is irrelevant to a determination of whether or not a defendant's due process rights have been violated. In Bryant, supra, the Court determined, after concluding that the prosecution had breached its duty of preservation under Brady, that the degree of good or bad faith by the prosecution can be considered in the determination of whether or not a sanction should be imposed. Relying on United States v. Augenblick, 393 U.S. 348, 89 S.Ct. 528, 21 L.Ed.2d 537 (1969), the Court in Bryant determined that criminal convictions otherwise based on sufficient evidence would be permitted to stand so long as the prosecution made earnest efforts to preserve discoverable materials. In Augenblick, supra, an accused in a military court martial sought discovery of tape recordings made of the interrogation of a key prosecution witnessthe other participant in the crime for which the defendant was subsequently court-martialed and discharged from the service. It turned out that the tapes, which might have aided the defendant by enabling him to impeach the prosecution's witness, had been lost. The Supreme Court determined that there was no credible evidence to indicate that the tapes were suppressed, presumably meaning bad faith suppression, Bryant, supra, but noted that the Government bore the burden of producing [the tapes] or explaining why it could not do so. The Government's explanation was found adequate; the record contained extensive testimony concerning the recording facilities used and the Navy's routine followed in handling and using such tape recordings, and disclosed that an earnest effort was made to locate them. Accordingly, the Court found no violation of due process even though the evidence was clearly discoverable under the Jencks Act. In Bryant, supra, the Court concluded that the record before it was inadequate for a determination of whether the sanction sought was appropriate. The case was remanded with directions to weigh the degree of negligence or bad faith involved, the importance of the evidence lost, and the evidence of guilt adduced at trial. Many jurisdictions follow this pragmatic balancing test in determining whether or not a due process violation has occurred in a case involving lost or destroyed evidence. See, e.g., United States v. Picariello, 568 F.2d 222, 227 (1st Cir.1978); State v. Amundson, 69 Wis.2d 554, 230 N.W.2d 775, 789 (1975). But see State v. Vaster, 99 Wash.2d 44, 659 P.2d 528, 533 (1983) [good or bad faith of prosecution not considered in determining whether State's failure to preserve evidence violated defendant's due process right; considered only in determining appropriate sanction]. We do not believe, in a situation such as that presented in the instant case, where the State may possibly be negligent in the loss of evidence, that a defendant's speculative version of the favorability and materiality of lost evidence must be uncritically accepted and prejudice assessed as if the nature of the evidence were as the defendant claims it might have been. It may be, though we do not now so decide, that intentional conduct, malicious or fraudulent, on the part of the State would warrant the inference that evidence lost or destroyed would have been favorable to a defendant. Eugene has also failed to support with any evidence his contention that a reasonable probability exists that the items lost by the State would have provided material evidence favorable to him at trial. Larson, supra . The record contains only a limited amount of testimony concerning whether or not a meaningful fingerprint analysis could have been made of the sought for evidence. Officer Schulz testified that there was not necessarily a likelihood that any fingerprints could have been obtained from the padlock. Nor is there any indication that any employee of Caspar's, who had access to the padlock key or knew of the peculiar manner in which the prior padlock utilized by the restaurant could be opened, was involved in the burglary. Under the circumstances, the State's loss of the padlock, knife, hammer, and tire iron in the instant case did not result in the denial of Eugene's due process right to a fair trial. Accordingly, the trial court did not err in denying the motion for acquittal and the motion for a new trial.