Court Opinion

ID: 9774884
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 18:37:07.165643+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:32:16.992138
License: Public Domain

MURPHY, J., dissenting, which RODOWSKY, J., joins.
I agree with the majority that, because of the State’s failure to disclose Ms. O’Carroll’s statement that she was “legally blind,” petitioner was denied an adequate opportunity to cross-examine Ms. O’Carroll about her “vision issues” at the first trial. I also agree with the majority that the “abuse of discretion” standard of review is applicable to the issue of whether “the remedy that the Circuit Court devised at petitioner’s second trial was inadequate to mitigate the prejudice arising from Det. Massey’s nondisclosure of Ms. O’Carroll’s vision issues, and constituted an abuse of discretion.” I dissent, however, from the holding that “[t]he Circuit Court’s remedy of allowing the introduction of any available medical records as well as Det. Massey’s testimony about [Ms. O’Carroll’s] vision, was inadequate to mitigate the prejudice petitioner suffered at his second trial.”
In Gray v. State, 388 Md. 366, 879 A.2d 1064 (2005), this Court stated:
We will only reverse a trial court’s discretionary act if we find that the court has abused its discretion. As noted by this Court in Dehn v. Edgecombe, 384 Md. 606, 865 A.2d 603 (2005):
“ ‘Abuse of discretion’ is one of those very general, amorphous terms that appellate courts use and apply with great frequency but which they have defined in many different ways.... [A] ruling reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard will not be reversed simply because the appellate court would not have made the same ruling. *701The decision under consideration has to be well removed from any center mark imagined by the reviewing court and beyond the fringe of what that court deems minimally acceptable. That kind of distance can arise in a number of ways, among which are that the ruling either does not logically follow from the findings upon which it supposedly rests or has no reasonable relationship to its announced objective. That, we think, is included within the notion of ‘untenable grounds,’ ‘violative of fact and logic,’ and ‘against the logic and effect of facts and inferences before the court.’ ” Dehn v. Edgecombe, 389 [384] Md. at 628, 865 A.2d at 616 (quoting North v. North, 102 Md.App. 1, 13-14, 648 A.2d 1025, 1031-1032 (1994).
Id. at 383-84, 879 A.2d at 1073-74.
From my review of the record, I am persuaded that the relief fashioned by the Circuit Court—that petitioner would be permitted to attack the credibility of Ms. O’Carroll by presenting the evidence that should have been disclosed prior to petitioner’s first trial—does not come close to constituting an abuse of discretion as that term has been defined by this Court. For me, the following portions of the record are of dispositive consequence to the issue of whether petitioner had a full and fair opportunity to impeach Ms. O’Carroll at the second trial.
The opening statement of petitioner’s trial counsel included the following comments about Ms. O’Carroll:
Now, when you hear the testimony of Brenda O’Carroll, the direct and the cross-examination, listen carefully because it will be internally inconsistent. At the very end of her direct examination, and not until that point, and watch it carefully as to whether or not even the Prosecutor seemed surprised, she says that she saw Mr. Williams running from the scene and jumping into a red Corvette right after the last shot was fired. She also testifies inexplicably, that the car was parked on Marjorie Lane, that the man that did the shooting was chasing Dana Drake and fired two shots. And that after everything was over, the man had left the scene *702that she said was Tony Williams, got into a parked car of the parking lot of the apartment complex, not on Marjorie Lane. Which you would infer means that somehow magically, whoever did this shooting, moved a car during a three to five minute event. Couldn’t happen I submit to you.
What else did she say that won’t add up? She was interviewed after this incident by an investigator for a previous defense attorney in this case. And she told him flat out, this was [a] month later, that she saw nobody leave the scene, nobody. She also told Detective Massey, the evidence will show, and he will testify in this case, that she said in an interview on the day of the shooting that she was legally blind. And Detective Massey will also testify that he surmised as much from her mannerisms. That never came out on the prior testimony. You will not hear that on either direct examination in the previous proceeding.
The evidence will show that Brenda [O’Carroll] never told Detective Massey who will testify, any law enforcement official on the date of the incident, that she saw Tony Williams either during the incident or leaving the scene. Magically one year later, after all of these statements were she never identified anybody, she magically appears in Court and testifies on direct examination that she saw Tony Williams running from the scene and jump into a red Corvette in the parking lot. I ask you to use your commonsense, just like the State stressed. Would a person’s memory be better the day of the incident when she’s interviewed by a police officer or a year later at the time of trial?
(Emphasis supplied).
The State’s ease-in-chief included the testimony of Det. Massey. The following transpired during his cross-examination:
Q: Now you remember testifying about a month ago correct?
A: Yes sir.
*703Q: And you were asked questions in regards to Brenda O’Carroll.
A: Yes Sir. O’Carroll.
Q: And you were asked questions in regards to what information she provided you in connection with this case correct?
A: That’s correct.
Q: And according to my discovery you saw her for the first time the day after the shooting with Det. Offer is that correct?
A: The day after or the same day of the incident. The day of the incident would’ve been meaning the morning as the sun comes up so within that 24 hours of the incident yes. Q: And you testified at the hearing the month ago didn’t you? In fact it was on direct examination by [the prosecutor].
A: Um-hum.
Q: “Question: And did she give a description of anyone?
“Answer: No Sir.”
[Q]: Is that correct?
A: That’s correct
Q: Question by [the prosecutor],
“Question: Okay did she say that she saw anyone running like that at the scene?
“Answer: She mentioned hearing things. Part of her sickness she was blind. Whether it was legally she was blind.”
Correct. That was your answer
A: From What I believe yes sir. Sure.
Q: Then later on cross by me,
“Question: All right, And she said[,] you testified ... that she did not give you a description of anyone right?
“Answer: That’s correct.
“Question: And that she was blind.
*704“Answer: I believe so, yes sir.
“Question: So she never told you it was not her that told you that it was a black male with dark clothing. “Answer: No sir.”
Then after lunch I asked you this question this other day,
“Question: If you remember before we broke up for lunch you testified both on direct and on cross in regards to Brenda [O’Carroll] that she gave no description of anyone. And then you said that the witness was blind. Do you remember that?
“Answer: Yes Sir.
Your answer. Then I asked,
“Question: Did you base your conclusion that the witness was blind based on something she told you or your observations of you when you interviewed her. “Answer: Both.
“Question: Both.
“Answer: Both yes sir.
“Question: So she told you she was blind.
“Answer: Legally yes sir.
“Question: And she looked blind.
“Answer: Her demeanor was consistent with someone who may have a sight impairidy [sic]. Sure.
[Q]: Now your testimony would be the same today wouldn’t it?
A: And it has been.
Q: Right.
A: Yes Sir.
(Emphasis supplied).
The closing argument of petitioner’s trial counsel included the following assertions:
Now, let’s get to the heart of their case. Which they studiously stayed away from in their Closing Argument, in their opening remarks. Brenda [O’Carroll] and Shaw *705Williams. First, Brenda [O’Carroll]. As it now turns out, based on Michael Morgan, Detective Massey, Detective Harrant, she saw nothing of relevance on the morning of February 21, 1998. And she may have heard something, but we now know that her testimony at both the first trial and her videotaped testimony that you saw is wrong, simply not correct. Why? Anything she claimed at trial she saw is contradicted by her physical condition, legally blind, and the fact that she never admitted it to either Massey, Harrant, or Defense investigator Morgan. That she saw the Defendant that morning run out, or in the apartment, or drive away in a red Corvette.
There’s something else then that’s important. Which is the bias that she had against Tony Williams. You take a look at her testimony and her statement, what did she say? She admitted to Mr. Morgan that everything she said about the Defendant was a hunch or a gut feeling. That’s what she though[t], hunch or a gut feeling. You heard the words from her on cross examination by Mr. Brown; I hope that man fries. Was actually this; I hope they just all get all the juice on his ass and go ahead and fry him, that’s all.
And of course if the Defendant was guilty of domestic abuse on Dana Drake as is the inference from her statements and her testimony on the videotape, why was Dana Drake still engaged to the Defendant on February 21? Huh? If he was beating on her regularly. On to of that, no evidence of any domestic complaints to the police introduced by the State in this case of Tony Williams against Dana Drake. Second, her testimony as to the shot pattern and the sequence makes no sense at all and is contradicted by Shannond Fair. She says two shots followed by 10 minutes and one shot. According to her testimony, the killer would hang around 10 minutes after two shots were fired almost guaranteeing he might get caught? And then fire one more shot makes no sense at all. Her testimony at trial, after him running out the front door and jumping into a red Corvette. That assume that if it was Tony Williams, that he would be stupid enough, be wrapped of any intelligence, *706that he would park his red Corvette in the handicapped block or in the parking lot and commit the crime and run right out and do it. But of course, which is contradicted by her own testimony isn’t it, do you remember what she said on the tape? Which is physically impossible. He’s running, chasing her, she sees the car over on Marjorie Lane, she hears voices and argument, she then hears a shot, she then sees the Defendant leave and he ran out and jumped into a car in the parking lot. So that somehow during this argument and during this shooting the Defendant moved his car? It doesn’t add up. And of course all of that is flatly contradicted by Shannond Fair.
She contradicted herself on direct at trial. This is on Direct. Unfortunately [the attorney representing petitioner in the first trial] didn’t pick up on it. On direct she said, page 211, 2/3/99, question, this is by [ ] the prosecutor; did you see anyone in the hallway that evening or that early morning hours other than Ms. Drake? Answer; no. This directly contradicts what she later testified that she saw the Defendant leave the building, jump into the red Corvette and leave. She also said that she saw, or heard, two shots while the Defendant was chasing her, and then one shot later. Now, if that’s the case, why wouldn’t two cartridges be recovered from outside this apartment building somewhere in either the grass, the sidewalk, or in the street? No cartridges introduced into evidence from outside the building.
(Emphasis supplied).
On the basis of the above quoted portions of the record, I am persuaded that the relief fashioned by the Circuit Court, which is entirely consistent with the provisions of Md. Rules 5-616(b)(4) and 5-806(a), did provide petitioner with a full and fair opportunity to attack the credibility of Ms. O’Carroll by introducing extrinsic evidence of weaknesses in her capacity to see what she claimed to have seen. Under these circumstances, rather than hold that petitioner is entitled to a new trial at which “the trial court should redact any portion [of Ms. O’Carroll’s prior testimony] which related to what she might *707have seen or testimony dependent upon her vision,” I would affirm the judgment of the Court of Special Appeals.
Judge RODOWSKY has authorized me to state that he joins this dissenting opinion.