Court Opinion

ID: 9629440
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:42:58.697162+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:19.335939
License: Public Domain

DEL SOLE, Judge,
dissenting.
I dissent from the Majority’s holding that the Commonwealth may introduce evidence at trial to the effect that following a defendant’s arrest, no further crimes of the type of which the defendant stands accused were reported. In this case the defendant was charged in a highly distinctive series of crimes involving sexual assaults of elderly occurring in the Borough of Homestead, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Admittedly, the crimes committed were of a unique pattern as pointed out in the Majority Opinion. During the trial the Commonwealth, over objection, asked the following question:
Q. Chief Kelly, have you gotten any reports that involved the early morning burglaries including rapes and robberies involving the homes of elderly women living alone since September 3, 1987?
A. No, Sir, none.
N.T. Vol. 2 at 250.
First, it is my view that whether or not the police department received any reports of crime, particularly, rape, is not prohibitive of the guilt or innocence of the defendant. For example, the same type of crimes could have occurred in neighboring municipalities and while the Chief’s answer would be correct, it would not be accurate with regard to *452whether the defendant’s arrest ended this specific type of criminal activity.
Also, I believe that this testimony is highly prejudicial and not prohibitive of the defendant’s guilt. The Majority states on page 450 of its Opinion:
Once the evidence is admitted, defense counsel may choose to protect the defendant’s interests by suggesting to the jury alternative explanations for evidence of an absence of post-arrest crimes. There are many possible reasons for an absence of additional reported crimes that are consistent with the defendant’s innocence. Police testimony concerning crime reports could be inaccurate. Further signature crimes may have been committed but never reported to the police. The true culprit may have died, or left the community, or been incarcerated on unrelated charges about the time of the defendant’s arrest. Or perhaps the true culprit has decided to refrain from further acts of violence in order to shift suspicion onto the defendant and thereby escape detection. The jury may assess the relative merits of each of these alternative explanations. The jury should be permitted to reach an informed decision as to guilt or innocence after considering all relevant and competent evidence in light of the arguments of counsel.
Unfortunately, while the Majority recognizes all of the problems with admitting this type of testimony and the reasons that go to its lack of reliability, the Majority opines that argument of counsel can explain away direct testimony presented at trial. This analysis ignores the fact that arguments of counsel are not evidence and that defense counsel’s explanation during summation would not necessarily be persuasive even though one of the many factors giving rise to the lack reliability of this testimony has, in fact, occurred. Therefore, I dissent.