Opinion ID: 479235
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: claim of suggestive photographic identification

Text: 111 As already stated, Carr identified defendant in court as the customer who purchased lead shot. Of the four Graham employees, Quillin and Laux testified that defendant resembled the customer who ordered and picked up timers. Rogers testified that defendant's picture resembled his customer. It was proved that in 1978, Carr, Quillin, Laux, and Rogers had selected defendant's picture out of a group of seven. Huffman made no identification of any sort. 112 Defendant argues that the district court erred in denying his motion to suppress this evidence because the pre-trial identification procedure had been impermissibly suggestive. 113 The procedure was substantially identical for each witness. The agents spread out the seven photographs before each witness, individually. They asked if the witness could identify the customer. 114 The witnesses had referred to a beard, terming it light, new, beginning, or sparse. They had observed their customer at various dates, from August 10 to September 2. The picture of defendant, taken after September 11, and before September 19, showed a beard, and the agents obtained pictures of six other young white men, with beards. 115 Defendant's picture had been taken with a telephoto lens, and enlarged. Although there was testimony that it appeared grainier than the others, our own examination shows little difference, except that an object in the background of the picture is not clear. Any difference does not appear to us to convey the suggestion that defendant's photograph must be of the person believed by the agents to be the customer. Cf. United States v. Bubar, 567 F.2d 192, 198 (2nd Cir.), cert. denied, 434 U.S. 872, 98 S.Ct. 217, 54 L.Ed.2d 151 (1977). 116 The lower portion of the pictures had been covered with tape. An agent explained that [t]he tape was applied to these photographs to cover up the dress of each individual in the photograph and, more specifically, to cover up the fact that the T-shirt worn by Mr. Kimberlin has a design on it. Witnesses Rogers and Carr had referred to a design on the T-shirt worn by the customer. 117 Although very little of the individual's clothing appeared on any picture, defendant's showed enough to indicate his shirt was a T-shirt. The other shirts appeared to have some type of attached collar. Witnesses Rogers, Quillin, and Carr had said the customer was wearing a T-shirt. Laux said his customer had worn a blue jean shirt or jacket. 118 The situation is readily distinguishable from United States v. Baykowski, 583 F.2d 1046 (8th Cir.1978), where it was found suggestive for the police to show the victim photographs of six people, one of whom was wearing a sweater like the one reported stolen from the victim's home. 119 We do not find the procedure so impermissibly suggestive as to give rise to a very substantial likelihood of misidentification. Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 198, 93 S.Ct. 375, 381-82, 34 L.Ed.2d 401 (1972), adapting the standard expressed in Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384, 88 S.Ct. 967, 971, 19 L.Ed.2d 1247 (1968). 120 After witness Carr had selected defendant's photograph as resembling his customer, the agents showed one picture of defendant. It had been taken earlier, when defendant had no beard. The single picture was shown in other instances, as well. In each case, the witness expressed a more definite opinion after seeing the unbearded photograph, although only Carr indicated certainty. We do not consider that this showing of a single picture of the individual initially selected tainted the process, particularly since the bearded picture first shown had been taken a substantial period after each witness had observed his customer with a new beard. Carr, for example, had seen his customer August 10, and had said, This person had sparse hair on his cheeks as if he was starting to grow a beard. The hair on his chin was longer and appeared to be a goatee.