Opinion ID: 2827101
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: In-Court Identification of Lanier

Text: Lanier argues that the district court erred in allowing Rachel Karnes to identify Lanier as one of the assailants who robbed her home because, prior to the identification, she was shown a video in which Lanier confessed to the robbery. Because Lanier failed to object to the identification, we review for plain error. United States v. Perry, 438 F.3d 642, 649 (2006). - 18 - No. 13-5703, USA v. Lanier “The Due Process Clause prohibits the use of identifications which under the totality of the circumstances are impermissibly suggestive and present an unacceptable risk of irreparable misidentification.” Carter v. Bell, 218 F.3d 581, 605 (6th Cir. 2000). “[A]n identification violates a defendant’s right to due process where the identification procedure was so unnecessarily suggestive as to run the risk of irreparable mistaken identification.” Howard v. Bouchard, 405 F.3d 459, 469 (6th Cir. 2005). “The due process concern is heightened when that misidentification is possible because the witness is called upon to identify a stranger whom she has observed only briefly, under poor conditions, and at a time of extreme emotional stress and excitement.” Ledbetter v. Edwards, 35 F.3d 1062, 1070 (6th Cir. 1994). While testifying on direct examination about the Lebanon Pike robbery and describing one of the robbers walking through the den, Karnes pointed her finger at the defendant. When asked to whom she was pointing, Karnes identified Lanier. On cross-examination, Karnes admitted that she was not able to identify Lanier until she saw a video of Lanier confessing to the crime. Karnes stated that she only assumed Lanier was the robber and explained, “I can’t say 100 percent, because at that moment it was the most chaotic moment of my entire life.” Karnes acknowledged that she could not recall Lanier walking in during the robbery, and that she only assumed it was him because he was present in court. Lanier cannot show that his substantial rights were affected by Karnes’s identification. Lanier’s counsel instead effectively dealt with the issue on cross-examination, with the witness conceding that she could not positively identify - 19 - No. 13-5703, USA v. Lanier Lanier as the perpetrator and essentially recanting her identification. In reality, Lanier’s conviction for the Lebanon Pike robbery was based on his own videotaped admission that he took part in this robbery, as well as corroborating evidence, including the testimony of his co-conspirators. Given the overwhelming evidence of Lanier’s presence at and participation in this robbery, even if there were any error associated with Karnes’s identification of Lanier, such error was harmless.