Opinion ID: 2007705
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Erroneous Exclusion of Defense Witnesses

Text: Two other children, Robert and Richard, were in the house when Rita died. In 1963, Robert was six years old, and Richard was almost five. The State objected to their competency as witnesses, citing Ind. Code § 34-1-14-5, which states in relevant part that children under ten years of age are not competent witnesses unless it appears they understand the nature and obligation of an oath. The court accepted competency as the appropriate issue and held a hearing on the matter; the trial court ruled that both witnesses should be excluded on the basis of their youth at the time of the incident. The court erred in excluding these witnesses. Any person over the age of ten is presumed competent to testify. Ware v. State (1978), 268 Ind. 563, 376 N.E.2d 1150. Although Richard and Robert were children under the age of ten when Rita died (as were Debra and Patty) their age at the time does not affect their present undisputed ability to understand an oath, or to perceive and narrate events, the true tests of competence. Grecco v. State (1960), 240 Ind. 584, 166 N.E.2d 180. They claim to have actual and authentic memories of the event, and they were not of such infancy that this is an impossibility. Their credibility was for the jury to determine. Ware, supra, 376 N.E.2d 1150. A defendant has a constitutional right to present a defense regardless of its credibility as seen by the trial court. U.S. v. Cerro (1985), 775 F.2d 908 (7th Circuit). Patterson sought to present the testimony of two witnesses who claimed to have information about Rita's death. We believe it was grave error to exclude these witnesses on the basis of an inapplicable statutory provision. The question becomes the effect of that error on the verdict. Of course, not all constitutional error is reversible error. It is always perilous to speculate about the effect which improperly excluded evidence would have had. Id. However, if the reviewing court can be satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the error did not contribute to the conviction, reversal is not required. Chapman v. California (1967), 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705. We are not convinced the error here was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. There is a vast difference between evidence that would prevail over a claim of insufficiency and evidence that is so convincing that a jury could not properly find against it. Coates v. State (1985), Ind. App., 487 N.E.2d 167. Here we cannot conclude that the evidence of Patterson's guilt was so overwhelming that the unavailability of two defense witnesses did not influence and contribute to the guilty verdict. Richard and Robert, if believed, would have corroborated the version, denied by Patty, that she and Rita fought at the top of the stairway. They would have substantiated the claim that another adult in the household, appellant's mother, had beaten Rita. Most importantly, Richard claimed to have seen Patty push Rita down the stairs. Patty was seriously impeached for bad motive, bias, and untruthfulness. Her testimony was completely contradicted by Debra. Although both medical experts testified Rita probably died from a beating, her death was ruled an accident in 1963. We cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt that the introduction of Richard's and Robert's exculpatory testimony would not have tipped the balance against the State. Therefore, Patterson's conviction must be reversed.