Court Opinion

ID: 9533217
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:29:33.67754+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:28:58.461113
License: Public Domain

BLOODWORTH, Justice
(dissenting) :
As I understand it, the majority holds that the defendant has the right to rehabilitate witness Bagley by showing all the circumstances attending his plea of guilty. This would include showing that he “entered the plea of guilty of second degree manslaughter in reliance on the agreement between Bagley, his counsel, and the solicitor that if Bagley pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter he would be put on probation.” I most respectfully dissent from this holding.
*214I think the extent of the testimony to he admitted to rehabilitate a witness (who has been thus impeached) should be committed to the sound discretion of the trial court. See United States v. Boyer, 80 U.S.App. D.C. 202, 150 F.2d 595, 166 A.L.R. 209 (1945); Annotation 166 A.L.R. 211.
It should he noted that in the instant case, the trial court allowed questions of witness Bagley to the effect that he was indicted for first degree manslaughter, that he pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter, that he got a sentence of one year, and that he was put on probation. Under these facts and circumstances, I d^ not think there was any abuse of the trial court’s discretion in restricting the proof of the circumstances attending the plea to these matters and in refusing to allow the witness to “explain the circumstances under which he pleaded guilty and his motive for doing so.”
I also suggest, in view of these facts, that this is a case for application of our Rule 45, Rules of the Supreme Court, 279 Ala. XXI, XLI.
I would therefore affirm the case and respectfully dissent from the decision insofar as it holds there was reversible error in refusing to allow defendant to show “why” witness Bagley pleaded guilty.