People v. Morse

541 N.E.2d 868, 185 Ill. App. 3d 503, 133 Ill. Dec. 657, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1099
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedJuly 19, 1989
DocketNo. 5-87-0482
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 541 N.E.2d 868 (People v. Morse) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Morse, 541 N.E.2d 868, 185 Ill. App. 3d 503, 133 Ill. Dec. 657, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1099 (Ill. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

JUSTICE HOWERTON

delivered the opinion of the court:

The State must disclose charges pending against one of its witnesses and must disclose the terms of any deal for leniency for that witness so that a defendant can show bias. Failure to so disclose can deprive a defendant of due process of law as guaranteed by the fifth amendment to the Constitution of the United States, made applicable against the several States by operation of the fourteenth amendment. See, e.g., Brady v. Maryland (1963), 373 U.S. 83, 10 L. Ed. 2d 215, 83 S. Ct. 1194; Napue v. Illinois (1959), 360 U.S. 264, 3 L. Ed. 2d 1217, 79 S. Ct. 1173.

We affirm defendant’s conviction despite the State’s erroneous position taken both at trial and on appeal that there is no duty to disclose these matters, because the record establishes that defendant knew of the pending charges, was not restricted in his cross-examination, and thereby was able to show the bias of the State’s witness.

Defendant was convicted by a jury of unlawful delivery of a controlled substance. The drug deal was set up by drug agents and utilized an informant who wore an eavesdropping device. The drug agents watched and listened as defendant sold cocaine to the informant.

The informant had been persuaded to participate in the setup by the Massac County State’s Attorney’s offer of leniency on an existing charge of armed violence, a Class X, nonprobational felony. The armed violence charge arose out of the informant shooting into a house. In exchange for the informant wearing an eavesdropping device and arranging a drug deal with defendant, the State’s Attorney promised both to reduce the armed violence charge to a, probational offense and to recommend probation upon a plea of guilty. The deal was sweetened later when the State’s Attorney further agreed to refrain from transferring a case against the informant’s son from juvenile to criminal court.

Notwithstanding a request by defendant during discovery, the State refused to disclose this promise of leniency. The State also failed to disclose information concerning the dismissal of certain traffic charges involving the informant. The State claimed that this was not “Brady material,” and therefore, not discoverable.

Nevertheless, after a pretrial conference, defense counsel asked if any deals had been made with the informant and the State’s Attorney replied that he had agreed to reduce the armed violence charge and to recommend probation when defendant pleaded guilty. However, the State’s Attorney did not disclose information concerning dismissal of the traffic cases.

Before trial, the State’s Attorney left office, and a new one appointed.

On the day defendant’s trial commenced, the armed violence charges against the informant were dismissed because the speedy trial period had expired. Additionally, charges against the informant of driving under the influence, driving while license revoked, and driving with a suspended license had been dismissed between the time defendant had been arrested and put on trial.

At trial, the informant was cross-examined by defendant about the dismissal of the pending traffic cases, the deal that he had made on the armed violence charges, and the favorable treatment that his son had received. The cross-examination dwelled, at length, on the fact that the armed violence charges had been dismissed because of a speedy trial violation instead of resulting in probation on a lesser charge.

Defendant moved for a mistrial based on the State’s refusal to disclose. The circuit court denied that motion.

The State called as a witness the previous State’s Attorney. He testified to the promise of leniency for the informant as well as for the informant’s son, but denied deliberately allowing the speedy trial period to run. The ex-State’s Attorney further denied that the traffic cases were dismissed in consideration of the informant’s efforts against defendant.

Disclosure of leniency is critical to the integrity of the fact-finding process. A defendant has the right to question a witness concerning any matter which would tend to discredit the witness, and the fact that a witness has been charged with a crime may be shown where it reasonably tends to show bias or motive to fabricate. (People v. Barr (1972), 51 Ill. 2d 50, 280 N.E.2d 708.) The State usually has superior access to information regarding a promise of leniency. Because a defendant cannot cross-examine on what he does not know, we require the State to give the defendant this information to allow him the opportunity to show bias. However, if that defendant has knowledge of the promise of leniency, there is no prejudice in failure to disclose. See People v. Elbus (1983), 116 Ill. App. 3d 104, 451 N.E.2d 603.

Here, defendant not only knew of the promise, but extensively cross-examined the informant on it, as well as on the dismissal of the pending traffic cases. While, in this case we find that there was no prejudice, ordinarily, refusal to disclose will result in a denial of due process.

Defendant complains that the ex-State’s Attorney should not have been allowed to testify as to his motivations in making the promise of leniency to the informant, and that his testimony had the effect of vouching for the credibility of the informant. Defendant further claims that the circuit court erred in allowing the ex-State’s Attorney to testify, because he was not one of the witnesses listed in the State’s discovery answer. The State cites People v. Hudson (1987), 161 Ill. App. 3d 447, 514 N.E.2d 799, and counters that because it had no intent to call the ex-State’s Attorney to testify until defendant’s opening remarks concerning the “deal” struck between the ex-State’s Attorney and the informant, it had no duty to disclose the witness’ name prior to trial.

The question of whether a witness who has not been listed should testify is submitted to the discretion of the circuit court, and absent a showing of surprise or prejudice, the circuit court’s decision to permit a witness to testify will not be reversed. (People v. Taylor (1982), 107 Ill. App. 3d 1019, 1023, 438 N.E.2d 565, 567; People v. Hudson (1987), 161 Ill. App. 3d at 452, 514 N.E.2d at 802.) We find no such abuse of discretion.

The ex-State’s Attorney’s testimony was relevant to show the terms of the promise of leniency and was made critical to the State’s case when defendant implied that the speedy trial period for the informant’s armed violence case deliberately had been allowed to expire. The only means the State had to rebut that implication was through the testimony of the ex-State’s Attorney, himself. Further, the defendant had implied that the traffic cases had been dismissed in exchange for the informant’s efforts in this case. Again, the testimony of the ex-State’s Attorney was relevant to rebut that implication. Both implications were made by defendant’s cross-examination of the informant.

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577 N.E.2d 183 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1991)

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541 N.E.2d 868, 185 Ill. App. 3d 503, 133 Ill. Dec. 657, 1989 Ill. App. LEXIS 1099, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-morse-illappct-1989.