Phillips v. State
Phillips v. State
Opinion
The defendant was indicted and convicted for robbery in the first degree. Sentence was twenty-one years' imprisonment.
The defendant contends that the identification was unduly suggestive because Coggins was told that an arrest had been made and that the suspect's picture was in the mug book before he made his identification. While such information is suggestive it is not "unnecessarily suggestive". Just as with the lineup procedure, it is perfectly natural for a person called to make an identification from photographs to understand that a suspect's picture is among those photographs. That a person is actually told that the suspect's photograph is among the other pictures, although generally inadvisable, does not contaminate the identification proceeding. Joshua v. State,
The defendant also alleges that the photographic display was unnecessarily suggestive because Coggins viewed the mug book on November 10, 1980. At that time Coggins was informed that a suspect had been arrested that very day and that the suspect's photograph was in the mug book. This was the first time that the police told Coggins that they had a suspect. The defendant alleges that his photograph was dated November 10, 1980, and that Coggins used this date to make the identification.
These facts, if proven, might have constituted an impermissibly suggestive photographic lineup. However, at trial Coggins *Page 920 testified that at the time he viewed the photograph it was not dated and that he did not rely on any date in making his identification. Since there was no other evidence that the photograph was dated at the time Coggins made his identification, we find the defendant's argument without factual support.
The first prong in determining whether a pretrial identification can be properly admitted is whether the photographic lineup is impermissibly suggestive. If it is not, the inquiry ends. Branch v. Estelle,
"Whether an in-court identification has been so tainted by an extrajudicial identification as to vitiate the in-court identification is not to be determined solely by the circumstances of the extrajudicial identification, but all of the circumstances relative to the identification of defendant by the witness are to be taken into consideration, and if it is determinable therefrom that an in-court identification was independent of the extrajudicial identification, evidence of the in-court identification is admissible." Matthews v. State,
361 So.2d 1195 (Ala.Cr.App. 1978).
In this case Coggins testified that he got a good look at the defendant during the robbery. Several times during trial Mr. Coggins testified that he was sure beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant was the one who robbed him and that his in-court identification of the defendant was based upon his observations at the time and scene of the crime. Coggins stated that he was "absolutely certain" and "positive" that the defendant was one of the men who robbed him. We find his identification to be reliable after applying the balancing test established in Manson v. Brathwaite,
The defendant also strongly argues that because witness Coggins altered his testimony regarding whether he identified a front-view or side-view photograph this makes the evidence of the pretrial identification unreliable, and therefore inadmissible. True, Coggins initially testified that he identified a side-view photograph of the defendant. Later, Coggins testified that it could have been a front-view picture of the defendant which he selected. This conflict or alteration was challenged by defense counsel in his cross examination of Coggins. "The danger that initial identification by photograph may result in misidentification may be substantially lessened by course of cross examination at trial which exposes to the jury the method's potential for error." Simmons v. UnitedStates,
Both of these arguments affect the credibility and weight to be given the statement of the defendant but do not limit its admissibility. A statement is not rendered inadmissible simply because it is not verbatim as related by the accused. King v.State,
Tuskegee Police Officer Otto Moore completed an "Alabama Uniform Incident/Offense Report Supplement" detailing an oral statement given him by the defendant. On appeal the voluntariness of this statement is not questioned. Our review convinces us that the statement was properly admitted into evidence under Miranda v. Arizona,
Officer Moore testified that not everything the defendant said was contained in his report and that the report was not a verbatim copy of what the defendant told him. Before the report was offered into evidence, Officer Moore used it in testifying. Defense counsel also used the report in his cross examination of Officer Moore.
While the record is not without some confusion in this regard, as to whether defense counsel objected to the admission of Officer Moore's report (State's Exhibit 2) or to a document only identified in the record as State's Exhibit 3 and never admitted into evidence, it is clear that when the State finally offered Officer Moore's report into evidence there was no objection. Without an objection and an adverse ruling, the defendant cannot complain and this Court has nothing to review.Harris v. State,
A careful search of the record reveals no error prejudicially affecting the substantial rights of defendant. The judgment of conviction is affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All Judges concur. *Page 922
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Jimmy Phillips v. State.
- Cited By
- 16 cases
- Status
- Published