Opinion ID: 1164429
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: testimony and photographs concerning s.l.'s physical condition

Text: Crump objects to testimony by Karen Kowalski, an employee of the Division of Social Services, and Debra Slade, a woman living in an apartment near J.L. Kowalski testified that when she came to pick S.L. up on July 11, after obtaining a forty-eight-hour court order for S.L.'s custody, the child had two black eyes and bruises on each cheek. Photographs of S.L.'s face that were taken on July 11 were introduced into evidence. Additionally, Slade testified that she had seen S.L. in April, 1978, with dried blood in and around her left ear and red marks under her eyes. Crump argues that there was no proof linking the child's injuries to him, and that the testimony was irrelevant to establish who removed S.L. from Hospitality House. He claims that the evidence of S.L.'s condition could not be admitted on a conspiracy theory because there was no conspiracy at the time the injuries allegedly took place. Alaska Rule of Evidence 401 provides: Relevant evidence means evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. [15] The state argues that the testimony and photographs were relevant to show Crump's motive for participating in the abduction, and therefore to circumstantially identify Crump as one of the persons actually involved in the abduction. It contends that S.L. would eventually have identified the one who inflicted the injuries. If J.L. were responsible, she would be unlikely to secure custody and thus the domestic situation between Crump and her would be disturbed. If Crump were named, he might be subject to criminal charges. In our view the testimony was relevant and admissible. The evidence tended to show that S.L. was being abused and explained the involvement of the Division of Social Services. The evidence of S.L.'s injuries, regardless of who caused them, would tend to show that J.L. or Crump might well believe that, in further custody proceedings, the superior court would not allow J.L. to ever regain custody of S.L. Thus, J.L. and Crump might have believed that the only way they could regain custody was by force. This evidence, combined with evidence that Crump had made several threatening argumentative telephone calls to Kowalski, and confronted Kowalski in her office, tended to show circumstantially the likelihood of Crump's involvement in any kidnapping scheme. [16] During Karen Kowalski's testimony, the prosecutor showed Kowalski photographs taken when S.L. was first brought into the state's custody. Crump argues that the state denied him the opportunity to discover these photographs under Criminal Rule 16, and that the superior court erred in not granting a continuance so that Crump could effectively rebut them. Crump also argues that the pictures were irrelevant. This latter argument is the same as that raised with regard to Kowalski's and Slade's testimony of child abuse and, in our opinion, should be rejected for the same reasons. Prior to trial, Crump made a motion to discover any photographs which the prosecutor intended to use at trial. The state responded that Crump could view photographs listed in the police report on twenty-four hours' notice. Crump suggested to the superior court that the state had misrepresented the fact that the defense had all the photographs, when in fact they did not have the photographs of S.L. According to Crump's lawyer, the prosecutor told him, You've got everything, don't even bother coming over. The prosecutor did not know whether he thought the defense had all the photographs, but he denied telling the defense that they should not bother coming over. The superior court concluded that the photographs were available for inspection and could have been inspected. The court offered to have a hearing after Crump's trial if the defense attorney thought the state should be subject to sanctions for misrepresenting to the defense that they had all the evidence. It does not appear from the record that Crump ever pursued the matter. In the case at bar there is nothing close to the kind of prosecutorial abuse of Rule 16 we noted in Des Jardins v. State, 551 P.2d 181, 188 (Alaska 1976). In Des Jardins, despite a court order, the state failed to give the defense the names of some witnesses called at trial, demonstrating a pattern of grudging, last minute disclosures. The evidence in the present record suggests a simple misunderstanding between the parties. Thus, we conclude that there was no violation of Criminal Rule 16. Finally, defense counsel requested a continuance because: Not having knowledge of those photographs, I had no opportunity to examine the circumstances, under which they were taken, who they were taken by, [the] exact time they were taken, all of those things. In our opinion this argument is without merit. The day before Crump requested a continuance, Kowalski had explained adequately how and when the photographs were taken. Crump had enough time to gather any additional information he needed. Moreover, the photographs merely confirmed Kowalski's testimony at trial concerning S.L.'s physical condition, and defense counsel was either aware of what she was going to say or should have been aware. A copy of Kowalski's notes, which referred to the photographs, was furnished to the defense several months prior to trial. Thus, we hold that there was no abuse of discretion on the superior court's part in denying the continuance. AFFIRMED. BOOCHEVER, J., not participating. []