Court Opinion

ID: 9725592
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 11:55:04.196754+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:16.888241
License: Public Domain

CHEZEM, Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent with regard to whether the trial court erred in admitting evidence of other crimes, wrongs, and acts. The testimony in question was offered by the State to rebut the Defendant’s assertion during voir dire that the victims had been coached and manipulated. The record indicates that all jurors retained for trial heard defense counsel at least once, and some more than once, state that children in child molest cases ■ can be manipulated and coached by parents, police, and therapists. R. 364, 396, 404, and 409. In total, defense counsel stated such four times during voir dire.
It is axiomatic that voir dire is not to be used to begin trying the case before any evidence is taken. Robinson v. State, 260 Ind. 517, 297 N.E.2d 409 (1973); Hopkins v. State, 429 N.E.2d 631 (Ind.1981). Our supreme court has held that “it is not the *995function of voir dire examination to ‘inform ’ the jurors of anything.” Blackburn v. State, 271 Ind. 139, 390 N.E.2d 653, 656 (1979). Albeit, there is nothing wrong with using voir dire to inquire into jurors’ biases or tendencies to believe or disbelieve certain things about the nature of the crime or about a particular line of defense. Hopkins, 429 N.E.2d at 635. However, Sundling did not present the defense of manipulation during his case in chief and nor were his statements to the jurors regarding the impressionability of child victims valid attempt to understand the potential jurors’ understanding. Rather, Sundling’s attorney was attempting in voir dire to convey the impression that the children who would testify were mistaken due to extraneous influences. Sundling’s attorney made a direct attack as to the existence of a corpus delicti It can reasonably be Inferred that Sundling’s attorney was attempting to cultivate and condition the jurors, both consciously and subconsciously, as to the substantive issues at hand through the use of voir dire examination. This practice has long since been abandoned by the courts of Indiana. See, e.g., Robinson, 260 Ind. 517, 297 N.E.2d 409.
Instead of summarily dismissing the State’s tactic as error, the Majority opinion should examine what to do when a jury has been tainted by improper conduct in voir dire. When the State is the party that erroneously presents improper argumentation in voir dire, the defendant’s remedy is to ask for a mistrial after the State’s case in chief if the evidence presented by the State attempts to conform to the improper suggestions made by the State during voir dire. Robinson, 297 N.E.2d at 412. However, no Indiana cases could be found which examine what the State’s remedy is when a defendant presents improper statements in voir dire. Sundling argues that it was improper and prejudicial for the State to have introduced evidence in its case in chief to rebut the position made by Sundling during voir dire, especially when Sundling did not present direct evidence in support of the voir dire statements during his ease in chief. The issue, then, is whether a defendant’s improper statements during voir dire can open the door to the State to present evidence in its case in chief which would otherwise be considered rebuttal evidence.
In general, “a trial court abuses its discretion when it admits evidence of extrinsic acts that are relevant to no issue other than character and to proof of behavior in conformity with that character.” Johnson v. State, 655 N.E.2d 502, 505 (Ind.1995). Only where the error had substantial influence or if one is left in grave doubt, the conviction cannot stand. Warner v. State, 579 N.E.2d 1307, 1311 (Ind.1991).
Our supreme court adopted the Federal Rule of Evidence 404(b) in Lannan v. State, 600 N.E.2d 1334 (Ind.1992). In adopting Rule 404(b), the court in Lannan abrogated the previously authorized depraved sexual instinct exception which allowed the admission of character evidence in the prosecution of certain sex offenses. Rather than admitting evidence of prior bad acts to establish that a sex crime defendant acted in conformity with a previously exhibited depraved sexual instinct, such evidence can now be admitted only when it is offered for a purpose other than to prove that the defendant acted in conformity with some character trait. Lannan, 600 N.E.2d at 1339. The evidence becomes admissible not because it ceases to show the defendant’s bad character or criminal propensity, but because it makes the existence of an element of the crime charged more probable than it would be without such evidence, despite its tendency to show bad character or criminal propensity. Id.
We examined the impact of defendant opening the door in terms of Ind.Evidence Rule 404(b) in Koo v. State, 640 N.E.2d 95 (Ind.Ct.App.1994) trans. denied. Relying upon U.S. v. McAnderson, 914 F.2d 934 (7th Cir.1990), and U.S. v. Beltempo, 675 F.2d 472 (2nd Cir.1982), cert. denied 457 U.S. 1135, 102 S.Ct. 2963, 73 L.Ed.2d 1353, we determined that prior misconduct may be admitted to rebut a specific factual claim raised by the defense. In Koo, because Defendant introduced substantial evidence to suggest that the victim had hallucinated the sexual encounter, we found that the prosecution was entitled to rebut that claim with evidence of the Defendant’s prior misconduct.
*996Ind.Evidence Rule 404(b) provides as follows:
Evidence of other crimes, wrongs, or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person to show action in conformity therewith. It may however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity or absence of mistake or accident.
Further, the exceptions listed in Evid.R. 404(b) are available only when a defendant goes beyond merely denying the charged crime and affirmatively presents a claim contrary to the charge. Bolin v. State, 634 N.E.2d 546, 560 (Ind.Ct.App.1994). The State may then respond by offering evidence of prior crimes, wrongs or acts to the extent relevant to prove an issue of genuine dispute. Id.
We have adopted a four-part test to evaluate the admissibility of evidence under Rule 404(b); this test requires that the evidence:
(1) be directed toward proving a matter in issue other than the defendant’s propensity to commit the crime charged, (2) show that the prior act is similar enough and close enough in time to be relevant to the matter in issue, (3) be such that a reasonable jury could find that the act occurred and that the defendant committed the act, and (4) meet the requirement of Rule 403 that the evidence’s probative value not be substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.
Fisher v. State, 641 N.E.2d 105, 108 (Ind.Ct.App.1994) (quoting United States v. Schweiks, 971 F.2d 1302, 1311 (7th Cir.1992)).
In other words, the evidence may be admitted for the purpose of rebutting, or countering, a defendant’s factual assertions, to the extent that the evidence admitted is relevant to those factual assertions. Fisher v. State, 641 N.E.2d 105. To be considered relevant in Indiana, evidence must logically tend to prove or disprove a material issue of fact. Bolin, 634 N.E.2d at 548. Evidence which tends to prove a material fact is admissible, even if the tendency to provide such proof is slight. Id.
To the extent the evidence introduced by the State was admissible, and I believe that it was, we must examine whether its probative value is outweighed by its prejudicial impact, in accordance with Ind.Evidence Rule 403. Jeramy Heavrin v. State, 675 N.E.2d 1075 (Ind.1996); Taylor v. State, 659 N.E.2d 535, 543 (Ind.1995). The decision to admit evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial court and is afforded a great deal of deference on appeal. Tynes v. State, 650 N.E.2d 685, 687 (Ind.1995).
Additionally, though the evidence in question was admitted in the State’s ease in chief, because it was used to rebut statements made by the defense in voir dire, it can be characterized as rebuttal evidence. The scope of rebuttal evidence is within the trial court’s discretion. Heck v. State, 552 N.E.2d 446, 453 (Ind.1990). Evidence which explains, contradicts, or disproves the adversary’s evidence may be competent rebuttal evidence. Id.
We were faced with a similar issue in Koo, 640 N.E.2d 95, wherein the defendant was a doctor accused of raping his patient. At trial, the defendant presented evidence that the victim was a heavy user of drugs such as Valium, and implied the drugs caused her to hallucinate the rape. The State then presented the testimony of two other patients who described encounters with the defendant which were remarkably similar to that described by the victim. On appeal, the defendant claimed the trial court erred in admitting the testimony of the other patients in part because it did not fall within an articulated exception to the general rule disallowing such evidence. We held that the evidence was admissible for the purpose of refuting defendant’s claim that the victim was mistaken due to her drug usage.
Likewise, though presented in voir dire, Sundling’s defense of mistake impressed upon the jury that the child witnesses were somehow not credible. It would be unfair to the State to require that it wait until the defense has yet a second chance in its case in chief to present additional matter on the same issue raised in voir dire. The same is true if the defense postures itself accordingly *997in its opening statement. Sundling was not examining the jurors as to their understanding as to an element of the crime such as the element of intent. Had such been the ease, Bundling’s argument may carry more credence. Rather, Sundling placed a defense of mistake on the block for all jurors to examine, test, and arguably apply to the facts thereafter presented. Such conduct during voir dire should be discouraged. The remedy of allowing the State to rebut such posturing in its case in chief is a less costly remedy than striking the entire panel and empaneling a whole new jury. Additionally, it would serve as a deterrent to improper conduct in voir dire.