Opinion ID: 1896204
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Out of Court Identification

Text: This issue concerns an out-of-court photographic lineup identification of Chamberlain made by State witness Donna Garrett. At trial, Garrett testified that on Thanksgiving morning, November 26, 1998, three men came to her house carrying electronic equipment. Without objection, the State introduced into evidence a photopack from which, two years after the incident, Garrett had identified with eighty percent certainty a picture of Chamberlain as depicting one of the men at her house on Thanksgiving morning. However, when asked at trial to identify which picture she had previously selected, Garrett misidentified the picture of Chamberlain. Chamberlain alleges that the photopack identification was unreliable and unduly prejudicial and should not have been admitted because Garrett was only eighty percent certain of her identification of Chamberlain. This Court has set forth a two-pronged test to determine whether suppression of an out-of-court identification is warranted: (1) did the police use an unnecessarily suggestive procedure to obtain the out-of-court identification; (2) and if so, considering all the circumstances, did the suggestive procedure give rise to a substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification. Dennis v. State, 817 So.2d 741, 760 (Fla.2002) (quoting Thomas v. State, 748 So.2d 970, 981 (Fla.1999)). Not only was this issue not preserved for appeal but, other than generally asserting that the photopack was prejudicial, Chamberlain fails to advance any argument regarding the two-pronged test or address the factors to be considered when determining whether suppression of an out-of-court identification is warranted. We conclude that Chamberlain is not entitled to reversal on this issue both because it was not preserved and because the argument on appeal is insufficiently pled. Also regarding Garrett's identification, Chamberlain alleges that the trial court erred in subsequently allowing Detective Fraser to testify as to the identification Garrett made of Chamberlain when she observed the photopack. Chamberlain argues that Detective Fraser's testimony was inadmissible hearsay. We do not reach the issue of whether it was error to allow Fraser to testify to the identification because we conclude that if error occurred, it was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt for several reasons. First, the identification did not involve Chamberlain's actions or involvement in the murder. Rather, the identification related to Chamberlain's whereabouts the morning after the murder. Second, Garrett was only one of four witnesses who identified Chamberlain as being at her house the morning of November 26, 1998. Garrett's mother, her brother, and her boyfriend all identified Chamberlain with 100 percent certainty as one of the men at Garrett's house that morning. These witnesses all testified at trial and confirmed their previous identifications. Thus, Chamberlain's presence at Garrett's house on the morning of the killings was collateral to Chamberlain's culpability, several witnesses other than Garrett identified him as being present, and Garrett herself testified to, and was cross-examined on, her identification. Chamberlain is not entitled to reversal on this issue.