Court Opinion

ID: 9592991
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:18:29.834826+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:14:15.657945
License: Public Domain

Shepherd, J.
(dissenting). If People v Allen, 429 Mich 558; 420 NW2d 499 (1988), had not been decided I would have voted to affirm the convic*645tion. Allen, however, gives this Court guidance as to how this case should be decided given the fact that it comes during a period when Allen is not totally operative yet it is clear that if Allen applied to the case a reversal would be mandated. As I read Allen, we are now required to view this kind of a case with a somewhat different emphasis than under earlier decisions. The primary focus, given the rationale of Allen, is on whether the probability is substantially increased that the jury would convict a defendant because he had committed the prior offenses when the evidence in the case before us is not overwhelming against the defendant.
In the present case I agree with the majority’s opinion that the probative value of the prior convictions is low. I do not agree that the prejudicial effect is also low. This was an assaultive crime and it is more than likely that a jury would conclude that, if this defendant were willing to commit the serious assault contained in a first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction and the even more serious assault contained in assault with intent to commit murder, the defendant would certainly be willing to commit a much lesser assault involved in the offense of unarmed robbery. Where a jury is faced with deciding whether the defendant committed the crime or did not and must decide which witnesses to believe, it would be unlikely that a jury would disregard or attach little importance to the fact that this defendant had committed two serious assaultive crimes.
I also believe that defendant’s testimony was important to the decisional process. His demeanor and his credibility on the fabrication theory were essential to a proper evaluation of the case.
I would reverse and remand for new trial.