Opinion ID: 1924896
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Issue C: Did the court err in admitting a tape recording of Chance and Chad Hall into evidence?

Text: The defendant vigorously objects to the introduction of a tape recording made by Chance of her and Chad Hall. Mike Hall claims that the tape contained inadmissible hearsay and impermissibly bolstered the testimony of the victim and the state's expert witnesses. The tape was made in Chance's office during an interview session with Chad on June 20, 1985, about nine months after the alleged abuse. It is very persuasive. With the help of anatomically correct dolls, Chad Hall described how his father sodomized him and stated that he wants to kill his father for hurting him. The problem is that this type of testimony is hearsay. The latest discussion on hearsay testimony in a sexual abuse case is in Quimby v. State, 604 So.2d 741 (Miss. 1992). It controls here. In Quimby, the state produced a police detective who testified extensively and graphically as to statements made to her by the child victim describing the various ways her father had abused her. Under Miss.R.Evid. 802, [h]earsay is not admissible except as provided by law. [3] Miss.R.Evid. 803 provides a list of exceptions to the rule against which hearing sets forth statements which are not excluded by the hearsay rule even though the declarant is available as a witness. [4] Since the victim, Chad Hall, testified as a witness, the admissibility of hearsay statements on the tape and by Chance is governed by Rule 803. The statements do not fall within the scope of Miss.R.Evid. 803(1) [Present Sense Impression], Miss. R.Evid. 803(2) [Excited Utterance], or Miss. R.Evid. 803(3) [Then Existing Mental, Emotional, or Physical Condition]. [5] Instead, this court in Quimby, like the trial court in the case sub judice, concentrates on 803(24): RULE 803. HEARSAY EXCEPTIONS; AVAILABILITY OF DECLARANT IMMATERIAL The following are not excluded by the hearsay rule, even though the declarant is available as a witness: (24) Other Exceptions. A statement not specifically covered by any of the foregoing exceptions but having equivalent circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness, if the court determines that (A) the statement is offered as evidence of a material fact; (B) the statement is more probative on the point for which it is offered than any other evidence which the proponent can procure through reasonable efforts; and (C) the general purpose of these rules and the interests of justice will be served by admission of the statement into evidence. However, a statement may not be admitted under this exception unless the proponent of it makes known to the adverse party sufficiently in advance of the trial or hearing to provide the adverse party with a fair opportunity to prepare to meet it, the proponent's intention to offer the statement and the particulars of it, including the name and address of the declarant. [6] This residual, or catch-all, exception has five requirements for admissibility: (1) trustworthiness; (2) materiality; (3) probative value; (4) the interests of justice; and (5) notice. [7] Findings regarding these requirements must be made on the record. [8] The trial court here addressed all five points required by Miss.R.Evid. 803(24) and found that the statements made by Chad Hall and Brenda Chance were admissible under the catch-all provision of the Rules of Evidence. At the time of trial, the lower court did not have the benefit of two amendments to the Mississippi Rules of Evidence which would also allow the introduction of the disputed testimony. In 1991, this court amended Miss.R.Evid. 803(4) and also added a 25th exception to Miss.R.Evid. 803. Miss.R.Evid. 803(4), as amended, and Miss.R.Evid. 803(25), are as follows: RULE 803. HEARSAY EXCEPTIONS; AVAILABILITY OF DECLARANT IMMATERIAL (4) Statements for Purposes of Medical Diagnosis or Treatment. Statements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment and describing medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably pertinent to diagnosis or treatment, regardless of to whom the statements are made, or when the statements are made, if the court, in its discretion, affirmatively finds that the proffered statements were made under circumstances substantially indicating their trustworthiness. For purposes of this rule, the term medical refers to emotional and mental health as well as physical health. (Emphasis added.) ... . (25) Tender Years Exception. A statement made by a child of tender years describing any act of sexual contact performed with or on the child by another is admissible in evidence if: (a) the court finds, in a hearing conducted outside the presence of the jury, that the time, content, and circumstances of the statement provide substantial indicia of reliability; and (b) the child either (1) testifies at the proceedings; or (2) is unavailable as a witness: provided, that when the child is unavailable as a witness, such statement may be admitted only if there is corroborative evidence of the act. The trial court found substantial indicia of the declarations' reliability, and Chad Hall testified. [9] If this case were remanded, both Miss.R.Evid. 803(4) and Miss. R.Evid. 803(25) [10] would support the admission of the disputed testimony. When hearsay testimony is introduced into evidence, [t]he Sixth Amendment right of the accused to be confronted with the witness against him must be observed. Parker v. State, 606 So.2d 1132, 1138 (Miss. 1992) (citing Leatherwood, 548 So.2d at 402.). See also Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969); Pointer v. Texas, 380 U.S. 400, 85 S.Ct. 1065, 13 L.Ed.2d 923 (1965). As this Court stated in the original Hall case, as well as in many other cases, the essence of confrontation is the right to cross-examine. Hall, 539 So.2d at 1346; see also Williams v. State, 595 So.2d 1299, 1307 (Miss. 1992); Prewitt v. State, 156 Miss. 731, 735, 126 So. 824, 825 (1930). Cross-examination is the best tool we have for exposing truth. Hall, 539 So.2d at 1346. Mike Hall had the opportunity to cross-examine each of the state's witnesses. His accuser, Chad Hall, was cross-examined at length. In attacking Chad's credibility, the defendant thoroughly questioned him about his surroundings during the time of the alleged abuse. He was questioned about his use of anatomically correct dolls and denied anyone told him how the dolls were supposed to work. Mike Hall had latitude to ask whatever he wanted of Chad. His right of confrontation was satisfied. The trial court's admission of this testimony was proper and is affirmed.