Opinion ID: 2509217
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The failure to hold a Petrocelli hearing

Text: Rhymes contends that the district court never conducted a hearing to determine the admissibility of the prior bad acts evidence and that in any event the prior bad acts were insufficient to show motive, intent, or similarity evidencing a common scheme or plan. NRS 48.045(2) prohibits the introduction of evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts as proof of a person's character, but allows such evidence to prove motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity or absence of mistake or accident. While such evidence may be admitted for these limited purposes, this court has often looked upon the admission of prior bad acts evidence with disfavor because the evidence is often irrelevant and prejudicial, and forces a defendant to defend against vague and unsubstantiated charges. [3] For these reasons, such evidence is presumed to be inadmissible, and the State bears the burden of requesting the admission of the evidence and establishing its admissibility. [4] To accomplish this task, the State must demonstrate, at a hearing outside the presence of the jury, that: (1) the incident is relevant to the crime charged; (2) the act is proven by clear and convincing evidence; and (3) the probative value of the evidence is not substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. [5] We have consistently held that the decision to admit or exclude such evidence is within the discretion of the trial court and will not be overturned absent a showing that the decision is manifestly incorrect. [6] Moreover, we have determined that when the district court fails to conduct a hearing establishing the aforementioned requirements, that failure is reversible error unless (1) the record is sufficient for this court to determine that the evidence is admissible under the test for admissibility of bad acts evidence set forth in Tinch; or (2) where the result would have been the same if the trial court had not admitted the evidence. [7] In the instant case, we conclude that the trial court did conduct a hearing to determine the admissibility of the evidence. During the course of the hearing, the district court found the prior bad acts testimony to be relevant as to both intent and similarity and found the evidence to be more probative than prejudicial. However, we conclude that the district court erred in failing to make a determination that the prior bad acts were proven by clear and convincing evidence. Despite this omission, we conclude that such a finding can be implied from the district court's findings, and the trial court properly admitted the prior bad acts evidence in this instance. The record sufficiently establishes the occurrence of the collateral acts by clear and convincing evidence. In this case, the prior bad acts involved situations wherein Rhymes used his skills as a masseur to gain sexual access to his victims. When the victim in this case awoke to find her pajamas pulled down and Rhymes lying beside her, he began to discuss his employment as a masseur and began massaging the victim's leg. This demonstrates a strong similarity between the prior acts and those involved in the present case. It is notable that the prior bad acts occurred very close in time to the acts charged in the instant case, further demonstrating Rhymes' intent to use his skills as a masseur to facilitate sexual contact with his potential victims. As a result, the district court determined that the evidence was relevant and allowed it to be admitted. Moreover, after listening to the arguments made by the State and by Rhymes, the court acknowledged that while ordinarily such evidence would not be admitted, in this particular instance the State's arguments were compelling and, therefore, the evidence was admissible. Because this decision was not manifestly erroneous, this court concludes that the evidence of uncharged prior bad acts was properly admitted in this case.