Court Opinion

ID: 9733188
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 16:56:49.927037+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:26:39.165739
License: Public Domain

Blair Moody, Jr., J.
(concurring). I concur with the result reached by the Court. The defendant was charged with felony murder. The trial judge denied the request of the defendant to exclude references to the defendant’s prior conviction of second-degree murder that occurred 14 years previously.
In People v Jackson, 391 Mich 323; 217 NW2d 22 (1974), it was stated:
"Among the factors to be considered are the nature of the prior offense, whether it is for substantially the same conduct for which the accused is on trial, and the effect on the decisional process if the accused does not testify from fear of impeachment by prior convictions.”1
Furthermore, this Court has approved the factors outlined in Gordon v United States, 127 US App DC 343; 383 F2d 936 (1967), which include: "As a general guide, those convictions which are for the same crime should be admitted sparingly.”
The fact that 14 years separated the two offenses, the fact that the crimes were substantially similar, the fact that the nature of the prior conviction, although probative, offers modest insight as to credibility, and the fact that the defendant did not testify lead to the conclusion that the prejudicial nature of this evidence outweighed its probative value.
Coleman, C.J., and Ryan, J., concurred with Blair Moody, Jr., J.

 It is to be noted that upon retrial MRE 609 will be applicable.