Opinion ID: 518923
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cross-examination of George Walker

Text: 6 On direct examination during defendant's case-in-chief, George Walker, a co-worker of Clark's, testified that a man approached him on numerous occasions, including the day of the murder, asking Walker to have Clark contact him. During cross-examination, the government elicited testimony from Walker that Walker found out from someone else that the man was a landlord or a realtor. Durham asserts that this was inadmissable hearsay and that it prejudiced him because it rebutted his theory that someone else committed the murder. 7 The doctrine of opening the door allows a party to explore otherwise inadmissable evidence on cross-examination when the opposing party has made unfair prejudicial use of related evidence on direct examination. United States v. Lum, 466 F.Supp. 328, 334 (D.Del.) (citations omitted), aff'd without opinion, 605 F.2d 1198 (3d Cir.1979). The doctrine    is limited to testimony that might explain or contradict the testimony offered by the opposing party on direct examination; it cannot be 'subverted into a rule for injection of prejudice.'  Id. at 335 (quoting United States v. Winston, 447 F.2d 1236, 1240 (D.C.Cir.1971)). 8 Here, Durham's direct examination elicited the fact that a man inquired of Clark's whereabouts. Without more, this could lead the jury to believe that this man murdered Clark. Therefore, it was necessary for the government to clear up this impression, if possible, and show the jury that the man was looking for Clark to lease or sell him property. See United States v. Womochil, 778 F.2d 1311, 1315 (8th Cir.1985) (finding that it was no abuse of discretion to allow the government to clear up a false impression created on cross-examination). Under the circumstances, we conclude that the cross-examination of Walker was proper.