Court Opinion

ID: 9473895
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:42:49.75144+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:48.116437
License: Public Domain

WALLACE, Circuit Judge,
concurring:
I concur in the result reached by the majority, and concur entirely with all except part II.B. I believe that we need not reach the issue of whether the reference to Hodges’ offer of a favorable story in exchange for money is unfairly prejudicial relative to its probative value. I agree that the threat of physical violence is unfairly prejudicial, and its presence in the record sufficiently harmful to warrant reversal. Since this alone requires reversal, however, the majority’s analysis of the rest of Hodges’ statement is dictum, and constitutes an unnecessary intrusion into the domain of the district court. We should leave the issue of whether that statement’s probative value outweighs any prejudice to the district court in the first instance. If the issue comes before us again, our review will be based upon an adequate record under the abuse of discretion standard.
Since the central issue in this case is Hodges’ knowledge or consciousness of guilt, the need to commit this evidence to the sound discretion of the district court is even more compelling. The majority concedes that the evidence has some probative value with respect to Hodges’ knowledge. Under these circumstances, I believe that we should not undertake a rule 403 balancing on appeal, but should leave that issue open for the district court in the new trial.