Opinion ID: 1577692
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 20

Heading: Exclusion of Kimmel Testimony

Text: Vince Kimmel was an acquaintance of Burton and Appellant who claimed that Burton once confessed to him that she had committed the murder. Prior to trial, however, Kimmel was involved in a serious car accident that rendered him incompetent to testify. In light of his unavailability, defense counsel sought to introduce a recorded statement Kimmel made to defense investigators. The trial court refused because Kimmel had not been subject to cross-examination by the Commonwealth and his statement contained hearsay. [4] Appellant argues that this ruling unduly restricted his right to present a defense, thus, violating his due process rights. The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant's right to present a defense, which includes evidence that someone else committed the crime. Beaty v. Commonwealth, 125 S.W.3d 196, 207 (Ky.2003). However, evidence is not admissible simply because it would tend to prove that another person was the perpetrator; and criminal defendants' due process rights are not violated by every limitation placed on the admissibility of evidence. Beaty, 125 S.W.3d at 208. Rather, the exclusion of evidence violates a defendant's constitutional rights when it significantly undermine[s] fundamental elements of the defendant's defense. United States v. Scheffer, 523 U.S. 303, 315, 118 S.Ct. 1261, 1267-68, 140 L.Ed.2d 413 (1998). Such was not the case here. The evidence sought to be introduced contained inadmissible hearsay evidence. See KRE 801; KRE 804. Furthermore, had Kimmel been available as a witness, the Commonwealth indicated that it would have cross-examined him regarding his criminal background, mental health issues, and substance abuse. Because the recorded statement was not subject to cross-examination, it bore little indicia of reliability. The trial court enjoys broad discretion in decisions concerning the admissibility of evidence, and we find no abuse of discretion in this instance. See Olden v. Commonwealth, 203 S.W.3d 672, 677-78 (Ky.2006). Nor do we believe Appellant was wholly prevented from presenting his defense theory that Burton committed the murder, and his reliance on Chambers v. Mississippi for this assertion is misplaced. 410 U.S. 284, 93 S.Ct. 1038, 35 L.Ed.2d 297 (1973).  Chambers holds that application of evidentiary rules cannot be applied so as to completely bar all avenues for presenting a viable defense. It does not hold that evidentiary rules cannot be applied so as to properly channel the avenues available for presenting a defense. Mills v. Commonwealth, 996 S.W.2d 473, 489 (Ky.1999). Throughout the trial, defense counsel ably injected the possibility that Burton committed the crime. Significantly, Burton's supposed confession was elicited from two other testifying witnesses. Appellant's defense was not unduly thwarted by the trial court's ruling with respect to Kimmel's recorded statement.