Opinion ID: 1935592
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the hallway confrontation and in-court identification

Text: Appellant's contentions stem from the trial court's refusal to suppress testimony concerning an identification of him made in the station house hallway following the lineup. Appellant characterizes this incident as an unnecessarily suggestive de facto showup since he was in custody at the time the complainant observed him. Appellant further contends that this hallway confrontation irreparably tainted the complainant's in-court identification as well, and thus, the trial court committed error when it ruled that the complainant would be permitted to attempt an in-court identification. The Supreme Court has dealt with pretrial identification procedures in a series of decisions spanning the last decade. These procedures are subject to two separate avenues of attack: due process and right to counsel. [16] Here, appellant's argument is couched in terms of due process. [17] An abbreviated review of recent Supreme Court decisions defining the contours of due process in cases such as this indicates that they are not uniform in their emphasis. Manson v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 106, 97 S.Ct. 2243, 2249 n.9, 53 L.Ed.2d 140 (1977). In Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 301-02, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 1972, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199 (1967) the Court reviewed the practice of showing a suspect singly to the complainant for purposes of identification and concluded that such out-of-court identifications would constitute a denial of due process if, considering the totality of the circumstances, the confrontation was . . . unnecessarily suggestive and conducive to irreparable mistaken identification  (emphasis added). Subsequently, in a case involving the admission of in-court identification testimony which arguably stemmed from the witness' exposure to a suggestive photographic array, the applicable due process standard was stated as: [considering each case on its own facts,] convictions based on eye-witness identification at trial will be set aside on that ground only if the photographic identification procedure was so impermissibly suggestive as to give rise to a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification. [ Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 971, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968) (emphasis added).] However, in Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 198, 93 S.Ct. 375, 381, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972), the Court again considered the scope of due process protections against the admission of evidence derived from suggestive identification procedures and announced that [s]ome general guidelines emerge from . . . [our] cases as to the relationship between suggestiveness and misidentification. First, the primary evil to be avoided is `a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.' Simmons v. United States, supra at 384, 88 S.Ct., at 971. Neil v. Biggers, supra, 409 U.S. at 198, 93 S.Ct. at 381. [18] Second, the fact a pretrial confrontation is unnecessarily suggestive does not automatically require the exclusion of the identification made. Neil v. Biggers, supra at 198-99, 93 S.Ct. 375. [19] Ultimately, the central question is whether the identification was reliable even though the confrontation procedure was suggestive. Id. at 199, 93 S.Ct. at 382. Accord, Dyas v. United States, D.C.App., 376 A.2d 827, 830 (1977); Thornton v. United States, D.C. App., 357 A.2d 428, 438 (1976). In effect, the admission of testimony concerning a suggestive and unnecessary identification procedure does not violate due process so long as the identification possesses sufficient aspects of reliability. Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2249. Moreover, the due process analysis suggested in Neil v. Biggers , viz., balancing the reliability of the identification against the corrupting effect of its suggestivity is to be applied in both pre and post- Stovall confrontations. Id. The factors to be considered in an evaluation of the reliability of an admittedly suggestive identification were set out in Neil v. Biggers, supra, 409 U.S. at 199-200, 93 S.Ct. 375, and cited with approval in Manson v. Brathwaite, supra at 97 S.Ct. 2253. These include (1) the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal during the crime, (2) the witness' degree of attention, (3) the accuracy of his prior description of the criminal, (4) the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation, and (5) the time between the crime and the confrontation. Against these indicia of reliability is to be weighed the corrupting effect of the suggestive identification itself. Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2253. On balance, reliability is to be the linchpin in any due process analysis of the admissibility of both pretrial and in-court identifications. Neil v. Biggers, supra, 409 U.S. at 198-99, 93 S.Ct. 375; Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2249 n.9. Application of this five factor analysis to the facts of this case persuades us that due process was not offended by the admission at trial of testimony describing the complainant's identification of the accused in the hallway outside the room in which the lineup was conducted. The opportunity to view. Robinson testified that for at least 15 minutes he stood within a few feet of the appellant, both when he was held at gunpoint and during the ensuing struggle. Even if we were to accept appellant's contention that only a few minutes elapsed during the robbery, the complainant would not necessarily have been deprived of a sufficient opportunity to observe his assailant. Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2246, 2261 (15 to 20 second observation of the accused by a single policeman during a five or seven minute drug transaction); Coleman v. Alabama, 399 U.S. 1, 4, 90 S.Ct. 1999, 26 L.Ed.2d 387 (1970) (fleeting but real good look at the assailant in the headlights of a passing car). Although the robbery occurred after dark, artificial lighting illuminated the area and the complainant testified that he was robbed while standing under a streetlight. The complainant also testified that he and the assailant were in the most brightly lighted portion of the schoolyard for approximately five minutes. The degree of attention. While the complainant was not a trained police officer on duty, as was the sole eyewitness in Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2253, neither was he a casual or passing observer. A fair reading of the record suggests that Frank Robinson paid close attention to detail during the robbery. At the conclusion of the suppression hearing, the trial judge, who was able to evaluate Robinson's demeanor and assurance, noted that: [the complainant] came across to this court as a very candid individual, and one who was rather meticulous in his description of the events of that night.       . . . he was positive in his assertion that the face of the defendant stood out in his mind and memory. The accuracy of the description. The complainant's description of the two assailants was given to the police on the night of the offense. It included his assailants' race, sex, age, height and weight. Also described were their hair style, facial hair, skin color, clothing, and the type of weapon employed by each. No substantial claim has been made that appellant did not possess the general physical characteristics so described. [20] Twelve days after the robbery, the complainant identified appellant at a fairly conducted lineup. The witness' level of certainty. There is no dispute that Frank Robinson identified appellant at the lineup, although the degree of assurance with which this identification was made is questioned by appellant. At the suppression hearing, although he identified appellant from a photograph of that lineup, he was initially unable to identify appellant in the courtroom. Robinson repeatedly stated with assurance at the suppression hearing that he was certain that the individual he selected from the lineup was the gunman who robbed and shot him. Similarly, there is no question whatsoever concerning the certainty with which Robinson made the challenged hallway identification which occurred shortly after the lineup. The time between the crime and the confrontation. The lineup identification occurred 12 days after the offense. Since such temporal proximity makes the identification more reliable than one occurring months later, this factor strengthens the accuracy of the identification in this case. These indicia of Robinson's ability to reliably identify his assailant are not outweighed by the corrupting effect of the challenged identification itself. Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2253. The hallway confrontation occurred shortly after Robinson had identified appellant at a lineup found to be fairly conducted. Since his ability to make an identification had been effectively tested at the lineup minutes before, we are convinced, after application of the reliability analysis outlined in Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2252, that the brief hallway encounter did not create a `very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.' Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2254, quoting Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967 (1968). [21] As a result, the trial court did not err when it permitted the admission of testimony concerning the hallway confrontation. Consequently, no error was generated when the trial court then permitted the complainant to attempt an in-court identification of appellant. Any shortcomings in the hallway confrontation are not, according to the Supreme Court, to be enforced . . . by a rigorous and unbending exclusionary rule. The defect, if there be one, goes to weight and not to substance. Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2254. [22] Since, under all the circumstances, we are unwilling to find a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification, the evaluation of the reliability of out-of-court identification was one for the jury to make. Similarly, we are not persuaded that the out-of-court confrontation could have so tainted the in-court identification that permitting the robbery victim to attempt an identification at trial denied appellant of due process of law. As stated by the Supreme Court: [W]e cannot say that under all the circumstances of this case there is a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification. . . short of that point, such evidence is for the jury to weigh. We are content to rely upon the good sense and judgment of American juries, for evidence with some element of untrustworthiness is customary grist for the jury mill. Juries are not so susceptible that they cannot measure intelligently the weight of identification testimony that has some questionable feature. [ Manson v. Brathwaite, supra, 97 S.Ct. at 2254.] Our conclusion that the introduction of the out-of-court and the in-court identification comported with the requirements of due process is supported by a multitude of decisions from the federal circuit courts of appeal. [23] Spontaneous pretrial recognitions, not arranged nor solicited by the police or prosecution, have not barred, on due process grounds, a later in-court identification of the accused, even though no untainted identification preceded the challenged confrontation. United States v. Colclough, 549 F.2d 937, 940-41 (4th Cir. 1977) (spontaneous recognition following an accidental confrontation outside the courtroom; accused not in custody); United States v. Massaro, 544 F.2d 547, 550 (1st Cir. 1976) (spontaneous recognition following a chance meeting in a courthouse hallway; fact accused in custody not apparent); United States v. Jewett, 520 F.2d 581, 582 (1st Cir. 1975) (inadvertent hallway confrontation prior to preliminary hearing; identification solicited by the prosecutor; strong evidence of accused's guilt); United States v. Matlock, 491 F.2d 504, 505 (6th Cir.), cert. denied, 419 U.S. 864, 95 S.Ct. 119, 42 L.Ed.2d 100 (1974) (chance encounter when accused was twice escorted in handcuffs through a room in which identification witnesses were awaiting trial); United States v. Davis, 487 F.2d 112, 122 (5th Cir. 1973), cert. denied, 415 U.S. 981, 94 S.Ct. 1573, 39 L.Ed.2d 878 (1974) (witness observes defendants in custody outside the courtroom prior to trial); Mock v. Rose, 472 F.2d 619, 621 (6th Cir. 1972), cert. denied, 411 U.S. 971, 93 S.Ct. 2165, 36 L.Ed.2d 693 (1973) (complainant spontaneously identified the accused upon observing him in custody in a station house hallway; the viewing was accidental and the suspect was not exposed for purposes of identification); United States v. Hamilton, 469 F.2d 880, 882-83 (9th Cir. 1972) (witness spontaneously identifies accused upon observing him in handcuffs in courthouse corridor just prior to trial); United States v. Hardy, 448 F.2d 423, 424 (3rd Cir. 1971) (witness' chance viewing of accused sitting with a codefendant in the courtroom prior to the commencement of trial); Griff v. Fitzharris, 451 F.2d 151, 152-53 (9th Cir. 1971) (spontaneous identification following an unarranged confrontation prior to a preliminary hearing); United States v. Jackson, 448 F.2d 963, 965 (9th Cir. 1971), cert. denied, 405 U.S. 924, 92 S.Ct. 970, 30 L.Ed.2d 796 (1972) (spontaneous identification made when witnesses sitting in spectator's section viewed accused during pretrial hearing; confrontation not arranged by the prosecution; witnesses discussed their identifications among themselves; witnesses previously unable to identify the accused from a photographic array); United States v. Pollack, 427 F.2d 1168, 1169 (5th Cir.), cert. denied, 400 U.S. 831, 91 S.Ct. 63, 27 L.Ed.2d 62 (1970) (witness recognizes accused after unexpected meeting in courthouse corridor; witness previously unable to identify accused from a single photograph shown on the day of the hallway confrontation). Similarly, due process has not prevented the admission of an in-court identification following a witness' spontaneous identification of the accused after an accidental pretrial confrontation in cases where a valid, untainted recognition was made, as in the instant case, prior to the suspect encounter. United States v. Jones, 512 F.2d 347, 351 (9th Cir. 1975) (unplanned confrontation between witnesses and accused in a courthouse hallway prior to trial; prior identification made from a photographic array); United States v. Neverson, 150 U.S.App. D.C. 133, 135-36, 463 F.2d 1224, 1226-27 (1972) (spontaneous recognition of accused upon accidental viewing of him in handcuffs outside county jail; witness had previously identified the accused from a photographic array); Allen v. Moore, 453 F.2d 970, 972-74 (1st Cir.), cert. denied, 406 U.S. 969, 92 S.Ct. 2422, 32 L.Ed.2d 668 (1972) (spontaneous identification made following chance observation of the accused walking outside courthouse and in courthouse hallway; previous identification made from a photographic display tinged with elements of suggestivity); United States v. Marson, 408 F.2d 644, 648 (4th Cir.), cert. denied, 393 U.S. 1056, 89 S.Ct. 695, 21 L.Ed.2d 698 (1968) (witnesses sitting in spectator's section spontaneously recognize accused as he is escorted into court; witnesses comment among themselves that the assailant had been brought into the courtroom; witnesses had previously identified the accused from a photographic array); United States v. Davis, 407 F.2d 846, 847 (4th Cir. 1969) (victim recognized accused in corridor during the recess at trial; previous identification made at a preliminary hearing). Moreover, the introduction of the out-of-court identification made spontaneously after an unplanned confrontation has also been found to comport with the mandates of due process. United States v. Massaro, supra at 550; United States v. Neverson, supra, 150 U.S.App.D.C. at 140, 463 F.2d at 1231; Allen v. Moore, supra at 974. In short, the decisions of seven federal circuit courts of appeal collectively support the conclusion that, after an evaluation of all the circumstances, the introduction of an in-court or out-of-court identification made under conditions similar to those of the instant case will be found to comply with the mandates of due process provided (1) the confrontation is inadvertent, accidental or unplanned, (2) the identification is spontaneous and positive, (3) the police and prosecution did not intend that an identification be attempted, (4) no one pointed out the accused to the witness, and (5) the witness is cross-examined fully at trial concerning the basis of the identification. [24] A consideration of all these additional factors persuades us that no error was committed at trial when the in-court and out-of-court identifications were admitted into evidence. Affirmed. YEAGLEY, J., concurs in the result.