Opinion ID: 203288
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Medina's Testimony about the AR-15 Rifle

Text: While Medina was on the stand, the defense objected to the prosecution's attempt to elicit testimony about Medina's purchase of an AR-15 rifle for Alex Trujillo. At sidebar, the prosecution represented that Medina would testify that he subsequently saw Feliciano carrying the rifle that Medina purchased. Medina was then permitted to testify about the purchase but never actually testified that he witnessed Feliciano carrying the AR-15 rifle that Medina had bought for Trujillo. Rather, Medina testified that he saw Feliciano carry a different AR-15 rifle and use the rifle to shoot at shady-looking cars that passed through Covadonga. Feliciano claims that Medina's testimony regarding the rifle that Medina purchased on behalf of Trujillo was irrelevant and highly prejudicial. The Government concedes that Medina never testified that he saw Feliciano possess the identical rifle that Medina purchased for Trujillo. However, the Government contends that Medina's testimony regarding Feliciano's possession of another AR-15 rifle, and his firing of that rifle at passing cars, was highly relevant to the charges relating to Feliciano's use of guns in relation to drug trafficking. The issue of the testimony's relevance is governed by Federal Rule of Evidence 401, which provides that evidence is relevant if it has 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. Fed.R.Evid. 401. Generally, all relevant evidence is admissible, while evidence which is not relevant is not admissible. Fed.R.Evid. 402. Medina's testimony about Feliciano's use of the AR-15 rifle clearly was relevant. Medina's testimony tended to establish that Feliciano used a rifle to protect Covadonga from interlopers. While Medina's testimony about his purchase of the AR-15 rifle on Trujillo's behalf may have been irrelevant to Feliciano's possession of a different AR-15 rifle, it was nevertheless relevant to show that Trujillo, as a co-owner of the drug point and a co-conspirator of Appellant's, conspired to possess weapons to protect the drug operation. Further, Appellant has failed to show how testimony about Feliciano's possession of the rifle was unfairly prejudicial under Rule 403. Ample evidence was offered to establish that Feliciano carried guns on numerous occasions in order to protect his drug operation. Testimony about his possession and use of a rifle on the occasion described by Medina was not so inflammatory as to require exclusion. The district court did not abuse its discretion in allowing Medina to testify about Feliciano's possession of the rifle.