Opinion ID: 6928543
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Effect of child declarant’s incompetence

Text: The Swans say that R.T.’s faulty performance at the competency hearing preeludes a finding that her hearsay statements had sufficient guarantees of trustworthiness. 8 The Supreme Court rejected a similar argument in Wright. Id. 497 U.S. at 825, 110 S.Ct. at 3151-52 (“the Confrontation Clause does not erect a per se rule barring admission of prior statements of a declarant who is unable to communicate to the jury at the time of trial”). The Swans would distinguish Wright, arguing that there the trial court found the child incapable only of communicating to the jury but here the incompetency problems were broader and more damaging. The trial court recognized the distinction between R.T.’s ability to testify in a courtroom setting and to tell the truth at the time of the declarations. It clearly considered her incompetent only as to the former. We defer to its finding.