Opinion ID: 794277
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Feeding Evidence to Jolliff

Text: 30 Reasonover asserts Detective Eichelberger and Detective Tillman fed Jolliff information before interviewing her and used leading questions to elicit the responses they wanted. She points to her claim that Jolliff made certain misstatements of fact that were present in a prior police report (that Reasonover had a son rather than a daughter, and that Buckley had been beaten with the butt of a rifle), and two instances of Detective Eichelberger asking leading questions. Finally, Reasonover claims the habeas court's finding strong evidence suggesting that Jolliff was given incriminating details to use in her testimony against Reasonover is relevant to our decision. Reasonover, 60 F.Supp.2d at 966. 31 Based on our review of the transcript and record as a whole, we conclude Reasonover has not presented evidence that Detective Eichelberger and Detective Tillman fed Jolliff answers during their interview of her. First, Detective Tillman was present, but he did not participate in any questioning. Second, Reasonover presents no evidence connecting Detective Eichelberger or Detective Tillman to the prior police report's incorrect statement that Reasonover had a son. Third, contrary to Reasonover's assertions, Jolliff never claimed during the interview that Reasonover told her Buckley had been beaten with the butt of a rifle. Finally, the information Reasonover claims Detective Eichelberger supplied through the use of leading questions arose only in response to Jolliff first raising the particular issue. Detective Eichelberger told Jolliff the name of Reasonover's ex-boyfriend only after she referenced him without using his name. Detective Eichelberger asked Jolliff if Reasonover admitted to using a rifle only after she made reference to a rifle. Furthermore, the information Jolliff appears to know about the murder may have come not from the officers, but from her having seen television reports on the case: Well, it was supposed to be a rifle involved.... I had heard about it on TV. While we do not commend Detective Eichelberger's use of leading questions as an interview technique under these circumstances, the facts presented by Reasonover do not raise a genuine issue that Detective Eichelberger intentionally fed or planted evidence.