Court Opinion

ID: 9779140
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 21:37:47.028679+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:33:21.966664
License: Public Domain

KELLY, Judge
(concurring).
I concur in the result, but I would have overruled appellant’s second point for the reason that it is not properly before this court for review. Appellate courts are too busy ruling on matters properly brought before them for review to be required to search the transcript, motion for new trial and briefs to ascertain what it is that counsel contends entitles the appellant to a new trial. It is becoming ever more essential that counsel, both in the trial court and in the appellate briefs, preserve the record and correctly state the points on appeal by which it is sought to have reviewed what errors are to be the basis for appeal so that those points worthy of careful scrutiny can be afforded the time necessary to thoughtfully and correctly decide them.
At the time the assistant circuit attorney sought to have the appellant read the “findings” of Dr. Jacks, the only objection lodged was: “I object to him reading the specific findings. If Mr. Murphy wants to see if Mr. Vansandts can read, it’s fine with me, but I would request that he be permitted to read something that is not pertinent to this case.”
In appellant’s Motion for New Trial the only paragraph making reference to this procedure is as follows: “8. The Court erred in permitting the findings of a psychiatric report concerning the defendant to be read to the jury by the defendant and the circuit attorney, as this precluded the defendant from conducting adequate cross-examination.”
In appellant’s brief filed here this point is stated as follows: “The trial court erred in requiring the defendant on cross-examination in the presence of the jury to read from psychiatric reports regarding his mental condition, over the objection of defense counsel. The contents of the reports were inadmissible hearsay and would have been considered by the jury as evidence contra-dieting his appearance in court as a person of doubtful mental competency and would improperly affect his credibility as a witness.”
It is apparent from the foregoing that appellant’s objection at trial was at best a general objection and did not state any evidentiary rule upon which the objection should be sustained. The office of an objection is to advise the trial court of a valid reason for the objection so that the trial court is afforded an opportunity to rule. In the absence of such an objection which is sufficiently specific to advise the trial court of the basis for the objection, nothing is preserved for review in an appellate court, even if raised for the first time in a motion for new trial. State v. Fields, 434 S.W.2d 507, 512-513[1, 2] (Mo.1968).
Nor is the point properly preserved in appellant’s Motion for New Trial. Rule 27.20(a) requires that the specific grounds of causes for a new trial must be set forth in detail and with particularity. We daresay appellant’s paragraph 8 in his Motion for New Trial falls far short of this mark, and does not meet the standards of the Rule.
Finally, in appellant’s brief, we are advised that the basis for his contention that the trial court erred is founded upon a violation of the hearsay rule. However, it is the rule of this jurisdiction that an objection cannot be broadened on appeal beyond that made in the trial court. Dyer v. Globe-Democrat Publishing Co., 378 S.W.2d 570, 582[9] (Mo.1964), Missouri State Park Board v. McDaniel, 473 S.W.2d 774, 778 (Mo.App.1971).