People v. JESSIE LEE JOHNSON
People v. JESSIE LEE JOHNSON
Opinion of the Court
A jury found defendant guilty of second-degree murder.
■ The eighth witness called by the prosecution at the preliminary examination was Solomon Goliday. He testified that he had witnessed a confrontation between the accused and Charles L. Henry shortly before the latter was killed. Upon cross-examination Goliday stated that he had talked to a police officer regarding the incident. Based upon the well-grounded belief that said officer was John Jurkas of the city of Muskegon police department, counsel for the defendant demanded that he be permitted to examine Jurkas in order to compare Goliday’s tes
Upon examination Jurkas indicated that he had interrogated the defendant and 3 other witnesses to the alleged crime and that he had prepared notes or reports which he delivered to the prosecuting attorney. Thereupon counsel for the defendant asked the prosecutor for permission to inspect those documents. The prosecutor refused the request on the ground that, by previous agreement,
Defendant was bound over to circuit court on the charge of first-degree murder.
On appeal defendant argues that “Jessie Johnson was denied due process of law
“The rules of evidence in civil actions, in so far as the same are applicable, shall govern in all criminal and quasi criminal proceedings except as otherwise provided by law.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Since we have not found any compelling reasons why the adverse agent rule is not applicable in a preliminay examination, we hold that defendant’s counsel had the right to call and cross-examine Officer Jurkas the same as if he had been called by the prosecution. See People v. Saccoia (1934), 268 Mich 132, 142, where, in a criminal proceeding, the ad-, verse agent rule was recognized a fortiori but unsuccessfully invoked because the judge held that the witness was not in fact an adverse agent.
This right of cross-examination, however, can be no more extensive than in any other civil or criminal
Defendant directs onr attention to People v. Dellabonda (1933), 265 Mich 486, wherein on pages 499 and 500 the Court said:
“One of the elementary principles of cross-examination is that the party having the right to cross-examine has a right to draw out from the witness and lay before the jury [or examining magistrate] anything tending or which may tend to contradict, weaken, modify, or explain the testimony of the witness on direct examination or which tends or may tend to elucidate the testimony or affect the credibility of the witness.
“Here the witness had made a prior report to a superior officer relating to the occurrences involved on the night of the shooting. Defendants had a right on cross-examination to call out the fact that such statement had been made, to lay the same before the jury, for the purpose of modifying, explaining or contradicting the testimony of the witness.”
If defense counsel in our case would have evinced some intention to inspect the reports or notes for possible impeachment or at least elucidation purposes, his “cross-examination” would have been extricated from the fishing expedition quagmire.
It is apparent, that defendant’s counsel intended to frame questions for cross-examination from the notes or reports; he did not attempt to conduct proper cross-examination by first framing an issue or eliciting some fact and then using the reports or notes to illuminate previous testimony related to that issue or fact.
The examining magistrate was under no obligation to permit the discovery of Officer Jurkas’ notes
Affirmed.
CL 1948, § 750.317 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.549).
Earlier in the preliminary examination a similar problem arose when defense counsel was cross-examining another poliee' officer who had also prepared notes and reports. At that time the examining magistrate ruled that said documents eould be examined by the defendant. The prosecutor requested and was given permission to seek review of that holding. The circuit court heard the prosecutor’s “complaint seeking superintending control over Muskegon municipal court” and the defendant’s motion to dismiss, but before a decision was rendered, the prosecutor withdrew his objections and agreed to allow defense counsel to review the officer’s notes and reports.
CL 1948, § 750.310 (Stat Ann 1954 Rev § 28.548).
US Const, Am li; Const 1963, art 1, §17.
Concurring Opinion
{concurring). The result called for by the decision of my Brother Judges appears to effect a proper result. Believing that it would be helpful to explain my interpretation of the law applicable, this concurring opinion is written.
It can be said without possibility of contradiction that a prosecuting attorney need not call all of the people’s witnesses in order to satisfy the requirements of a preliminary examination. The people in this case chose not to call Officer Jurkas. The defendant called the witness Jurkas and proceeded to question him concerning statements which he had taken from defendant and other witnesses. Defendant’s counsel, apparently in an endeavor to.impeach the witness, requested that the statements be supplied by the prosecution. The prosecuting attorney refused the request, on the ground that by previous agreement defendant was to be given access only to statements for the purpose of cross-examination, and that since the officer was called by the defendant, he could not subject his oiun witness to cross-examination.
Now it is true that OL 1948, § 768.22 (Stat Ann 1954 Bev § 28. 1045) provides:
“The rules of evidence,in civil actions, in so far as the’same are applicable, shall govern in all criminal and quasi criminal proceedings except as otherwise provided by law.”
In civil actions a party may call an agent of the opposite party for the purpose of cross-examina-'
“After the testimony in support of the prosecution has been given, the witnesses for the prisoner, if he have any, shall Toe sworn, examined and cross-examined and he may be assisted by counsel in such examination and in the cross-examination of the witnesses in support of the prosecution.” (Emphasis supplied.)
Witness Jurkas having been called by the defendant as provided in the statute was the defendant’s witness and he could not subject his own witness to cross-examination.
Affirmed.
Giacobazzi v. Fetzer (1967), 6 Mich App 308.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- People v. Jessie Lee Johnson
- Cited By
- 8 cases
- Status
- Published