Court Opinion

ID: 9453841
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-04 18:25:46.272901+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:33:49.773801
License: Public Domain

KILEY, Circuit Judge,
concurring.
I concur in Judge Schnackenberg’s opinion that although United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 87 S.Ct. 1926, 18 L.Ed.2d 1149, and Gilbert v. State of California, 388 U.S. 263, 266, 87 S.Ct. 1951, 18 L.Ed.2d 1178, do not reach back to Gilmore’s conviction, the totality of circumstances here requires reversal of Gilmore’s conviction for denial of due process in the admission of Gardner’s identification testimony after a pretrial confrontation with Gilmore singly. Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 87 S.Ct. 1967, 18 L.Ed.2d 1199. Gardner’s initial uncertainty about identification of the robber followed by his positive testimony at trial demonstrates the dangers inherent in an identification made without proper safeguards.
Since this case is remanded for retrial, however, I think we should point out other imperfections at Gilmore’s trial, to avoid possible repetition of these errors.
Gardner was the only eyewitness before and at the trial. The district court allowed Gilmore’s attorney’s motion, under the Jencks Act, for permission to use copies of Gardner’s pretrial statements to FBI Agent Lyle in the cross-examination of Gardner. During the cross-examination, Gardner denied making some of the statements attributed to him and was vague about others. After the cross-examination the documents were returned by Gilmore’s attorney. Against this background FBI Agent Lyle was called as a witness by defense counsel for the express purpose of impeaching Gardner. Gilmore’s counsel was denied the use of the Jencks Act statements for this examination. I think a similar denial on retrial could be prejudicial error.
The trial began at 9:30 a. m. on January 24, 1967. On January 25 it resumed at 9:00 a. m., and the case was given to the jury at 8:30 that night, despite Gilmore’s motion to adjourn trial to the next day. The government’s brief defends this procedure on the sole ground that Gilmore has not clearly shown an abuse of the district court’s discretion or prejudice. I think care must be exercised in well-intentioned expeditious disposition of court business lest a defendant be prejudiced. Jury deliberations which begin in the late evening present the danger of leading to a hasty and ill-considered verdict.
Finally, the United States Attorney asked Gilmore on cross-examination whether he was a gambler, and whether he made a pretrial statement to Agent *684Lyle that his weight was down to “about 180 pounds” at the time of the robbery. The question concerning Gilmore’s weight was important because Gardner had stated that the bank robber weighed about 180 pounds, and Gilmore weighed 220 pounds at trial. The relevancy of the question concerning gambling was never shown, and, although Gilmore denied making the statement to Lyle about his weight, the government did not call Lyle to rebut the denial. I do not attribute to government’s counsel the deliberate use of an old prejudicial trial ploy in this instance. But I point out that the use of questions to create prejudicial implications about evidence or about the defendant’s character, has been consistently criticized by the courts. Here again care must be exercised to avoid a retrial infected with prejudice.