Opinion ID: 2464014
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: request for funds.

Text: This issue usually arises pursuant to a pretrial motion for funds to hire an expert witness to assist in the presentation of the defense. E.g., Binion v. Commonwealth, Ky., 891 S.W.2d 383 (1995); Sommers v. Commonwealth, Ky., 843 S.W.2d 879 (1992). In this case, the issue arose when Melissa Vaughn testified on the last day of the prosecution's case, July 25, 1995, that on the night of Geordan's murder, she was in a car with Rogers and Rogers's mother; that they parked near a rock quarry; that Rogers disappeared in the direction of the quarry for fifteen or twenty minutes; and that when he returned, he was wearing different clothes. Vaughn's evidence was offered as a possible explanation of why (1) the murder weapon was never found and (2) when Rogers was arrested, no hair or other evidence of physical contact with Geordan was found on his clothing. The police learned of Vaughn's evidence as a result of an anonymous tip received just two days before the trial began. They immediately searched the area around the rock quarry without success. Later, on July 23, 1995, they returned to the quarry with expert divers brought in from out of town. The divers conducted a brief and unsuccessful underwater search for the missing gun, which was aborted because of an approaching storm. Another attempted search could not be scheduled prior to the close of the Commonwealth's case. On July 27, 1995, two days after receipt of this information, Appellant requested a continuance of the trial and funding to hire his own divers to search the quarry for the missing weapon. He posits that Rogers's gun was the murder weapon, thus, proof of its existence would inculpate Rogers as the murderer and thereby exculpate him. The trial judge took these motions under advisement, but never issued a ruling. It is the duty of one who moves the trial court for relief to insist upon a ruling, and a failure to do so is regarded as a waiver. Brown v. Commonwealth, Ky., 890 S.W.2d 286, 290 (1994) (motion to suppress post-arrest statements to police); Wilkey v. Commonwealth, Ky., 452 S.W.2d 420, 422 (1970) (motion for a copy of grand jury testimony). But even if the trial court had denied Appellant's motion, such would not have been reversible error. Vaughn did not testify that Rogers had a gun when he left the automobile. It is only speculation that Rogers might have thrown a gun into the rock quarry, or that any gun which might be found in the quarry could be proven to be the murder weapon. The police attempted an underwater search, which, though admittedly abbreviated, was unsuccessful. While we hesitate to refer to this particular request for funds as a fishing expedition, no better description comes to mind. A denial of a continuance and of funds to conduct an underwater search of the quarry, absent any testimony tending to prove that the murder weapon is in the quarry, would have been neither an abuse of discretion nor a denial of due process of law. Caldwell v. Mississippi, 472 U.S. 320, 323, n. 1, 105 S.Ct. 2633, 2637, n. 1, 86 L.Ed.2d 231 (1985); Simmons v. Commonwealth, supra, at 395; Hicks v. Commonwealth, Ky., 670 S.W.2d 837, 838 (1984), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 1040, 105 S.Ct. 521, 83 L.Ed.2d 409 (1984).