Court Opinion

ID: 9624788
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:17:37.405061+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:54.510262
License: Public Domain

Alexander, C.J.
(dissenting)—Although I agree with the majority that the trial court erred in admitting evidence that Cole had insured the victim's life, I would not reverse. I reach this conclusion because, in my judgment, the error was harmless.
In reaching its conclusion that the evidence of insurance was not relevant, the majority stressed that there was no evidence that Cole believed that the policy on the child's life was in effect at the time of the alleged assault or that *99he was motivated by a thought of gain on the policy. It follows that Cole was not prejudiced by the testimony about insurance. The jurors heard evidence from which they could reasonably conclude that the policy was not in effect at the time of the assault, and consequently, it would appear that the prejudicial effect of this evidence is as slight as its probative value.
The majority correctly observes that the error in admitting this evidence is of nonconstitutional magnitude. Error of nonconstitutional magnitude provides a basis for a reversal only if it can be said that within reasonable probabilities the outcome of the trial was affected by the inadmissible evidence. State v. Zwicker, 105 Wn.2d 228, 243, 713 P.2d 1101 (1986). In this fairly lengthy trial, where the principal focus was on the nature of the severe injuries experienced by David Cole, the evidence about insurance was relatively insignificant. In fact, it pales in comparison to the evidence about the child's burns. My review of the record reveals that the discussion of insurance consumed only five pages of the approximately 300-page trial transcript. The brief reference to insurance in the record, in my judgment, had no influence on the trial's outcome when it is viewed in the context of the State's strong case against Cole.
I would affirm.