Court Opinion

ID: 9659750
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:54:04.32317+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:11.169418
License: Public Domain

Coleman, J.
(dissenting) (for affirmance). Defendant is appealing her conviction for the murder of her husband. The Chief Justice has written to reverse because the court admitted a statement made by the husband in the presence of a police officer during a heated argument with defendant about one hour before the husband was killed. Our colleague’s opinion finds that this denied defendant a fair trial. We cannot agree. We would affirm.
On the date of the incident at about 3 p.m., two police officers were called to defendant’s residence and found a family fight in progress. One officer gave this testimony:
"Well we arrived, we walked in the door. I observed the butt of a gun sticking out of the right rear pocket of Mr. Cunningham’s pants. Approximately the same time Mrs. Cunningham made the statement to the fact that he had a gun. I took him out on the front porch, took the gun away from him out there, and came back into the house where the gun was unloaded.
"He stated then that he had taken the gun from her because she had threatened to shoot him with it. Then *524he went on to state that he had had a check and while he was sleeping she had taken the check from his pocket and gone out and cashed it.
"In turn, she stated that he had threatened to shoot her and that he had taken a shot at her a few months prior to this. And they continued to argue back and forth and finally he agreed to leave the house.
"At this time the gun was — had been laid down. I’m not sure if it was on the table—
”Q. Could you speak up, please?
"A. I laid the gun down and she picked it up. And I told her that we’d have to take the gun with us, due to the fact that they were both quite upset. And she said no, that T just might load this gun and shoot this’ — did you want the exact words?
"Q. Yes, would you state exactly as you remember it.
’A. She said, T might load this gun, just — I just might load this gun and shoot this motherfucker.’
"We told her no, that she was going to have to give the gun to us and explained that we were not going to keep the gun, but that she could come down and pick the gun up at a later time at the Identification Bureau a couple days from then when they had cooled down.
"She said no, that she wouldn’t give it to us. She then sat back in a chair and put the gun behind her back. My partner took her by the left arm and I held onto her right wrist and took the gun away from her. She become upset and began to holler at us because we had come into her home and taken the gun away from her.”
About one hour later, the police were called to the house and found Mr. Cunningham lying dead in the doorway. He had been shot with a rifle. Defendant admitted shooting him. She claimed that it was an accident that occurred during an argument when Mr. Cunningham grabbed a rifle she was holding.
The jury was properly instructed on defendant’s theory of accident. They found her guilty of second-degree murder. The Court of Appeals affirmed.
*525When the officer’s testimony was given during trial, defendant’s attorney did not raise an objection until the direct examination was over. He then said:
"If it please the court, there is one matter, although I didn’t object to the recounting of the conversation between Mr. and Mrs. Cunningham, I would — I think it has some relevance, but I would request the court to instruct the jury to limit the conversation to any statement he made as to showing the state of mind of the parties at that time. I think other — as to anything else would be hearsay to my client.
"I’m talking about the statements allegedly made by him reported by the officer on direct examination.”
The court denied this motion.
At the close of the day’s proceedings, counsel moved to strike the testimony and asked for a mistrial. The court denied the motion believing '"there was an occasion which was startling enough to exert excitement and to render the statements by the deceased spontaneous and unreñecting. It was made before there was time to contrive or misrepresent. And it was made relative to circumstances which are in issue in this case.”
In his opinion, the Chief Justice makes a different analysis. He believes that the statement "was made after there was time to contrive and misrepresent, and after time for consideration of self interest”.
Thus, we have the trial judge who heard the testimony and observed the witnesses and felt the statements were "spontaneous and unreflecting”. The Chief Justice finds the same statements to be otherwise. We believe the trial judge is in the superior position to make such a judgment. We would not second guess his call.
*526The Court of Appeals found no abuse of discretion in admitting the testimony. Its "review of the sequence of events leading to the fatal shooting convinces us that there was a circumstantial probability that the statement was trustworthy and admissible as part of the res gestaeWe agree there was a "circumstantial probability of trustworthiness” here sufficient to permit the jury to consider what weight it would assign the testimony. Compare People v Ernest Edwards, 396 Mich 551; 242 NW2d 739 (1976).
The conviction should be affirmed.
Lindemer, J., concurred with Coleman, J.
Lindemer, J. Additionally, I agree with Justice Williams that, if the admission of the statement was error, it was harmless.
Fitzgerald, J., took no part in the decision of this case.