State v. Walker

• Decision Date: 06 March 1990
• Docket Number: No. 13664,13664
• Court: Connecticut Supreme Court
• Parties: STATE of Connecticut v. Michael WALKER.

Page 686

571 A.2d 686

214 Conn. 122

STATE of Connecticut v. Michael WALKER.

No. 13664.

Supreme Court of Connecticut.

Argued Dec. 14, 1989.

Decided March 6, 1990.

Brian M. O'Connell, Hartford, for appellant (defendant).

Rita M. Shair, Deputy Asst. State's Atty., with whom were James E. Thomas, Asst. State's Atty., and, on the brief, John M. Bailey, State's Atty., for appellee (state).

Before PETERS, C.J., and ARTHUR H. HEALEY, CALLAHAN, GLASS and HULL, JJ.

CALLAHAN, Associate Justice.

The defendant, Michael Walker, was charged in a substitute information with murder in violation of General Statutes §§ 53a-54a(a) and 53a-8, conspiracy to commit murder in violation of General Statutes §§ 53a-54a(a) and 53a-48(a) and assault in the first degree in violation of General Statutes §§ 53a-59(a)(1) ¹ and 53a-8. After a jury trial, he was found guilty of all the charges and was subsequently sentenced by the trial court to an effective term of imprisonment of eighty years.

The defendant claims on appeal that the trial court erred in: (1) denying his motion for a new trial because of the state's delay in disclosing exculpatory evidence; and (2) allowing into evidence the testimony of a witness for the state that she had been threatened. We find no error.

The record discloses that the defendant and Tracey Fisher ² were arrested in connection with the death of Thomas Dixon and the wounding of Barrington Solomon. The shooting occurred on the evening of May 12, 1987. Dixon and Solomon were seated, conversing on the first floor rear porch of a multiple family dwelling located at 104 Enfield Street in Hartford. The defendant and Fisher approached the dwelling and fired bursts from a .30 caliber automatic or semi-automatic weapon at the men on the porch. The shots killed Dixon instantly and severely wounded Solomon. The shooting was apparently motivated by the defendant's desire to avenge his brother, Robert Walker, who, on a previous occasion, had been shot by Solomon and, as a result, was paralyzed. ³

At the defendant's trial the state offered Lehman Brown ⁴ as a witness. Brown testified that he knew the defendant and Fisher and that he had been with them early in the day on May 12, 1987. Thereafter, he said, he had gone to visit a friend, Dion Smith, at her apartment. Brown testified that Smith resided at 98-100 Enfield Street, the premises adjoining 104 Enfield Street where Dixon and Solomon were shot. Brown stated that he had fallen asleep at 98-100 Enfield Street and that upon awakening in the evening he had gone out on a rear porch. While there, he observed the defendant and Fisher come through the back lot behind 98-100 Enfield Street. Fisher was in possession of an automatic weapon. Brown stated that he then saw Fisher scale a fence between the properties and fire a series of shots at the men on the porch. Fisher then returned to where the defendant was standing and handed him the gun. The defendant then fired a burst from the weapon at the porch. Fisher and the defendant then ran from the scene.

Smith, Brown's friend, did not testify in the state's case-in-chief nor did she testify for the defense. After the defendant had rested his case, however, the state called her as a witness on rebuttal. Smith testified that she had known Brown for approximately two and one-half years. She stated that, although she had been with Brown on May 12, 1987, she had never been with him in or near an apartment at 98-100 Enfield Street in Hartford. Smith was not cross-examined by the defendant.

During the state's closing argument to the jury the prosecuting attorney noted that he had called Smith as a witness because he had a duty to see that the defendant received a fair trial and that he was obligated to produce all the relevant evidence whether it helped or hurt the state's case. He then stated that Smith's testimony indicated that the state's witness, Brown, "was probably not on the porch at 100 Enfield Street on the night in question." ⁵

I

The defendant claims that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a new trial because of the state's failure to promptly disclose Smith's exculpatory testimony prior to calling her as a witness. He argues that the lack of prior disclosure amounted to the suppression of exculpatory evidence and deprived him of his right to due process under both the federal and state constitutions. ⁶

It is axiomatic that "the suppression by the prosecution of evidence favorable to an accused upon request violates due process where the evidence is material either to guilt or punishment, irrespective of the good faith or bad faith of the prosecution." Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, 87, 83 S.Ct. 1194, 1197, 10 L.Ed.2d 215 (1963); State v. Cohane, 193 Conn. 474, 495, 479 A.2d 763, cert. denied, 469 U.S. 990, 105 S.Ct. 397, 83 L.Ed.2d 331 (1984). However, " '[e]vidence known to the defendant or his counsel, or that is disclosed, even if during trial, is not considered suppressed as that term is used in Brady. State v. Altrui, 188 Conn. 161, 177, 448 A.2d 837 (1982); State v. Perez, 181 Conn. 299, 309, 435 A.2d 334 (1980); State v. Grasso, 172 Conn. 298, 303, 374 A.2d 239 (1977).' State v. Dolphin, 195 Conn. 444, 455-56, 488 A.2d 812 [cert. denied, 474 U.S. 833, 106 S.Ct. 103, 88 L.Ed.2d 84] (1985)." (Emphasis added.) State v. Reddick, 197 Conn. 115, 121, 496 A.2d 466 (1985), cert. denied, 474 U.S. 1067, 106 S.Ct. 822, 88 L.Ed.2d 795 (1986).

Here, Smith testified as to her exculpatory knowledge at trial. The defendant, therefore, has no basis for a claim of suppression. He can complain only of the timing of the disclosure. Id.; see Hudson v. Sowders, 510 F.Supp. 124, 126 (W.D.Ky.1981), aff'd, 698 F.2d 1220 (6th Cir.1982). Under such circumstances the defendant bears the burden of proving that he was prejudiced by the failure of the state to make Smith's information available to him at an earlier time. United States v. Stone, 471 F.2d 170, 173-74 (7th Cir.1972), cert. denied, 411 U.S. 931, 93 S.Ct. 1898, 36 L.Ed.2d 391 (1973); State v. Reddick, supra, 197 Conn. at 121-22, 496 A.2d 466.

The defendant failed, however, to demonstrate in the trial court or this court on appeal how he was specifically prejudiced by not having been furnished information concerning the subject matter of Smith's testimony prior to the time she testified. In his brief he merely asserts that, because he was not informed of Smith's testimony at an earlier time, he was deprived of an opportunity to conduct an adequate investigation or to prepare adequately for cross-examination. He fails to specify, however, in what way the earlier discovery of Smith's testimony would have aided him in the preparation and presentation of his case. ⁷ Smith appears to have testified about whatever material knowledge she possessed that could have been helpful to the defendant. The defendant, moreover, seems to have reached this same conclusion. There was no request after Smith's direct testimony for a recess to prepare for cross-examination or for a continuance to conduct a further investigation. The defendant, in fact, was apparently satisfied with Smith's testimony because, rather than attempt to improve upon it, he waived completely his opportunity to cross-examine her.

Where there has been an initial disclosure of exculpatory evidence at trial, the appropriate standard to be applied "is whether the disclosure came so late as to prevent the defendant from receiving a fair trial." United States v. McPartlin, 595 F.2d 1321, 1346 (7th Cir.), cert. denied, 444 U.S. 833, 100 S.Ct. 65, 62 L.Ed. 43 (1979); State v. Reddick, supra, 197 Conn. at 122, 496 A.2d 466; State v. Packard, 184 Conn. 258, 277, 439 A.2d 983 (1981). After reviewing the record and the defendant's broad, unsubstantiated claims of prejudice in this case, we can only conclude that his prior lack of information concerning the subject matter of Smith's testimony did not prejudice him in any way or deprive him of a fair trial. State v. Reddick, supra. "On this record, the defendant's claims of prejudice are purely speculative and cannot furnish a basis for the reversal of his conviction." State v. Miner, 197 Conn. 298, 305, 497 A.2d 382 (1985).

II

The defendant next claims that the trial court erred by allowing a witness for the state to testify concerning threats directed toward her. At trial, the witness, Nadine Collier, identified the defendant as a man she had seen running from the area of the shooting. On cross-examination, however, she admitted that prior to trial she had given a statement to an investigator for the public defender to the effect that she could not identify the defendant.

On redirect examination, the state, in an effort to explain the discrepancy between Collier's testimony and her statement to the investigator, inquired of Collier whether she had been threatened prior to giving her statement. Collier testified that she had received threatening telephone calls and had been followed. She testified that consequently she was too frightened to tell the truth when she was interviewed by the investigator. ⁸ None of the threatening behavior was connected by evidence to the defendant. The defendant claims on appeal that because there was no evidence to link him to the threats, Collier's testimony was inadmissible and its admission into evidence was reversible error. We disagree.

The general rule is that threats against witnesses are not relevant and are thus inadmissible as evidence unless the defendant is linked in some way to the making of the threats. State v. Altrui, supra, 188 Conn. at 174, 448 A.2d 837; State v. Brokaw, 181 Conn. 475, 478-79, 436 A.2d 6 (1980); State v. Sorbo, 174 Conn. 253, 256, 386 A.2d 221 (1978); State v. May, 587 S.W.2d 331, 336 (Mo.App.1979); Commonwealth v. Bryant, 316 Pa.Super. 46, 50, 462 A.2d 785 (1983); State v. Payano, 528 A.2d 721, 728 (R.I.1987); 1 F. Wharton, Criminal Evidence (14th Ed. Torcia) § 145; C. McCormick,...