Court Opinion

ID: 9855842
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-24 06:32:01.185426+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:37:12.754226
License: Public Domain

Ness, Justice
(concurring) :
*615I concur with the majority opinion except the .rationale for the issue on post arrest silence. I believe the issue is controlled by the recent decision of Jenkins v. Anderson, - U. S. -, 100 S. Ct. 2124, 65 L. Ed. (2d) 86 (1980), where the defendant in a murder case plead self defense. On cross examination the prosecutor questioned him about the fact he had never told anyone about that defense. The U. S. Supreme Court held the defendant’s Fifth Amendment rights were not violated by the use of his pre-arrest silence.
I also would hold that here the trial judge articulated for the record his reasons for excluding the public during a small portion of the trial which I believe complies with the requirement of Richmond Newspapers, Inc. v. Commonwealth of Virginia, et al., - U. S. -, 100 S. Ct. 2814, 65 L. Ed. (2d) 973 (1980).
I concur.