Court Opinion

ID: 9532195
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 04:19:03.880553+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:28:42.131128
License: Public Domain

DUNN, Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
I concur in the majority decision except as to defendant Graham. I would reverse the conviction of Graham for the reason that the complaining witness’ “in-court identification” was tainted by the following: (1) the suggestion made by the complaining witness’ friends that it was “Rei-man and his friends” who committed the crimes charged; (2) the reputations of the defendants with law enforcement officials for alleged connection with some of the problem areas of Yankton; (3) the taking of the complaining witness by a construction site by law enforcement officials for the purpose of viewing defendant Graham and the failure of the complaining witness to identify him at the construction site; (4) the pointing out of other suspects by the complaining witness where no follow-up investigation took place; (5) the discrepancy between the description given to the police by the complaining witness and Graham’s actual appearance, especially since the complaining witness indicated she remembered Graham most clearly; (6) the driving of the complaining witness by a garage where defendant Graham was standing with no other adults present “several times” in an effort to obtain a more positive identification; (7) the arrest of defendant Graham to allow for a one-man show-up at the Public Safety Center to secure a positive identification; (8) the lack of a formal lineup and the lack of counsel present during the identification procedures; and (9) the fact that the complaining witness did not identify defendant Graham until nine days after alleged rape and kidnapping, and only after three viewings of the defendant where he was “zeroed in on” by police as a possible suspect.
After this police procedure, it seems incredulous that the complaining witness’ in-court identification had an origin independent of and untainted by these pretrial procedures.