Opinion ID: 2746353
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Improper Character and Other-Acts Evidence

Text: {¶ 183} Thompson claims that the state improperly introduced a recorded telephone conversation between Thompson and his girlfriend, Roberson, under the guise of rebutting Roberson’s testimony. {¶ 184} On cross-examination of Roberson, the prosecutor inquired about a phone conversation she had had with Thompson. Roberson agreed that Thompson had called her at some point after his arrest. The prosecutor then asked, “And he told you that he wasn’t himself that day?” Roberson replied, “I don’t recall that.” The prosecutor asked whether Roberson recalled a series of statements that Thompson made during that conversation. Each time, Roberson responded, “I don’t recall that.” Ultimately, she explained, “I don’t recall a lot of phone conversations because they were so long ago. It’s been two years.” {¶ 185} After the defense rested, the prosecution recalled Detective Kline as a rebuttal witness. Kline testified that he had listened to recordings of jailhouse phone conversations between Thompson and Roberson, including their May 3, 2009 conversation about the events of July 13, 2008. The state played a recording of that conversation for the jury. On the recording, Thompson told Roberson that he had been “pissed off” because she “came out of the house half dressed and [he] had [his] friend in the car.” He explained, “I had just got back from out of town. I was tired. And when I told you to get dressed and later when I got there you weren’t dressed, and it just—it just pissed me off.” Thompson then noted, “But it 49 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO wasn’t just all of that.    It was just everything, man. I had enough, man. I had enough with life, man, you know.” {¶ 186} Thompson claims that this was improper character and other-acts evidence under Evid.R. 404, because it was offered to persuade the jury that “Thompson was a bad person and acted in conformity therewith on the night in question.” Evid.R. 404(A) generally prohibits the admission of “[e]vidence of a person’s character or a trait of character    for the purpose of proving action in conformity therewith on a particular occasion.” Likewise, “[e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith.” Evid.R. 404(B). Thompson did not object to this evidence at trial, so his claim is reviewable only for plain error. See State v. McKnight, 107 Ohio St.3d 101, 2005-Ohio-6046, 837 N.E.2d 315, ¶ 270. {¶ 187} The May 2009 recording did not violate Evid.R. 404, because it was not offered to prove Thompson’s general character or action in conformity with that character. Instead, this evidence was relevant to establishing Thompson’s mindset on the night he killed Miktarian. During her testimony, Roberson provided the foundation for the defense’s theory that Thompson acted in response to Miktarian’s conduct that night. Indeed, the defense argued at closing that Thompson acted out of “self-preservation” and “instinct.” The state offered this recording to undermine that defense theory and to corroborate Bartz’s testimony that Thompson was agitated hours before he encountered Miktarian. {¶ 188} This recording was relevant to establish Thompson’s mental state and thus his purpose in killing Miktarian. It was not improper character or otheracts evidence.