Opinion ID: 1794442
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: limitation of defense counsel's interrogation of alibi witnesses

Text: Curtis Hudson testified that on June 15, 1975, he saw appellant for five to ten minutes in Leavenworth, Kansas, between 1:30 and 2:00 p. m. The half hour span he described was immediately before or during the period when the crimes were committed. After developing testimony of the relationship between the witness and Vincent X. Lee, defense counsel inquired if he had driven to court that morning from Leavenworth, Kansas. This led to the following: Q. Did you notice how long it took you to travel from Leavenworth to Kansas City? MR. HAGGERTY: Wait just a moment. Object to the question, your Honor. It's totally irrelevant and not material to any issue before the Court how long it took him to come to court. THE COURT: I'll sustain the objection. MR. LARSON: May we approach the bench, your Honor? (Counsel approached the bench and the following took place out of hearing of the jury.) MR. LARSON: Your Honor, I think it's relevant to determine how long it took him to get from one place to another. THE COURT: Not this particular individual. It would be completely immaterial as to how long it took him. It depends on the route that he took and the speed that he drove. MR. LARSON: I think that's subject to cross-examination. THE COURT: To set his conduct up as a standard that it takes so long to come from Leavenworth wouldn't be proper, I don't think. There are many roads to Leavenworth, for one thing. MR. LARSON: We can't call in anybody whose ever driven to Leavenworth either. I think it's relevant to the issue. THE COURT: I'll sustain the objection as to this man's personal experience. (The proceedings returned to open court.) Defense counsel made no attempt to elicit further testimony in this area by rephrasing the question or laying a proper foundation. Evidence, to be relevant, must logically tend to prove or disprove a fact in issue or to corroborate evidence which is relevant and bears on the principal issue. State v. Moore, 435 S.W.2d 8 (Mo. banc 1968); State v. Jenkins, 516 S.W.2d 522 (Mo.App.1974); State v. Bolden, 525 S.W.2d 625 (Mo.App.1975). We find no error in the court's ruling. The propounded question was vulnerable to the objection and defense counsel's explanation did little to demonstrate how it might be proper. Questions of evidence relevancy are left to the discretion of the trial judge, State v. Proctor, 546 S.W.2d 544 (Mo.App.1977); State v. Martin, 530 S.W.2d 447 (Mo.App.1975); State v. Evans, 406 S.W.2d 612 (Mo.1966), and his ruling will be disturbed only if clear abuse of discretion is shown. United States v. Cole, 449 F.2d 194 (8th Cir. 1971), cert. denied 405 U.S. 931, 92 S.Ct. 987, 30 L.Ed.2d 806. There was no attempt to show that traffic conditions between Leavenworth and Kansas City on the morning of trial were similar to those between 1:30 to 2:00 p. m. of June 15, 1975, the date of the crime. It is likely that they were not. No attempt was made to compare the weather, road or other conditions affecting travel time on the morning of trial to those on the afternoon of the crime. There was no evidence of the available routes, their distances, speed limits, traffic control devices or similar information to establish a foundation for a meaningful comparison of travel times. Also the question as propounded related to the distance from Leavenworth to the Kansas City Courthouse which we take notice is more than 9 miles from the scene of the crime. State v. Heissler, 324 S.W.2d 714, 716[3] (Mo.1959); State v. Garrett, 416 S.W.2d 116, 118[1] (Mo.1967). This is not to suggest that proper questions and answers elicited on this point or results of a controlled experiment would not have been admissible. State v. Baldwin, 358 S.W.2d 18 (Mo.1962); State v. Gish, 371 S.W.2d 654 (Mo.App.1963). See also People v. Dyer, 11 Cal.2d 317, 79 P.2d 1071 (1938) and Commonwealth v. Bonomi, 335 Mass. 327, 140 N.E.2d 140 (1957), concerning testimony as to the time to travel distances by foot and by car in situations similar to that at bar. The point is without merit.