State v. Lewis

523 P.2d 1316, 111 Ariz. 115, 1974 Ariz. LEXIS 372
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedJune 24, 1974
DocketNo. 2909
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 523 P.2d 1316 (State v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Lewis, 523 P.2d 1316, 111 Ariz. 115, 1974 Ariz. LEXIS 372 (Ark. 1974).

Opinion

CAMERON, Vice Chief Justice.

This is an appeal from a jury verdict and judgment of guilt to the crime of robbery, § 13-641 and § 13-643, as amended 1967, A.R.S., and a sentence thereon of not less than fifteen nor more than twenty five years in the Arizona State Prison.

[116]*116Defendant raises two questions on appeal. They áre:

1. Was it reversible error for the trial court to allow the prosecutor to cross-examine and impeach his own witness, Katie Brown ?
2. Was it reversible error for the trial court to give, on its own motion, a cautionary instruction regarding the use to be made of Katie Brown’s prior inconsistent statement ?

The facts necessary for a determination of this matter on appeal are as follows. In the early morning of 6 September 1973, the defendant, his brother, Melvin Lewis, a girl named Mary Ann Williams, a girl named Katie Brown, and a girl named Cherry Jones, age 15, were in a bar on Buckeye Road in Phoenix, Arizona, at closing time. At that time the victim, a white male driving a 1966 Thunderbird automobile, was observed “cruising” the vicinity. He stopped and Melvin Lewis talked to the driver. Melvin Lewis convinced Cherry Jones to agree to go with the victim for the alleged purpose of performing an act of prostitution. By prearrangement, however, she was to have the victim drive to the corner of 13th Avenue and Grant where he was to be robbed. The other members of the group flagged down an automobile and rode to the corner before the victim and Cherry could arrive. They hid behind some bushes across the street. After the group arrived, Katie Brown, who had a .22 pistol concealed in her bra, gave the pistol to Mary Ann Williams. This gun in turn came into the possession of someone, allegedly the defendant. After the car arrived and Cherry Jones had left the car, the party went over to the car where the victim was beaten. He got out and ran, and was shot in the back by the .22 pistol. The defendant then drove the victim’s Thunderbird away from the scene.

Trial was held in January of 1974 at which time the defendant testified denying he had shot the victim. The jury returned a verdict of guilty as to the robbery charge but was unable to reach a' verdict on the murder charge.

CROSS-EXAMINATION OF KATIE BROWN BY THE PROSECUTOR

Katie May Brown was an important witness to the State. She had been with the defendant the night of the shooting, stood across the street from the car before the shooting, and the gun used in the killing was her gun. She testified that she kept the gun, a .22 pistol, in her bra, and because it was beginning to hurt her, gave it to another one of the girls present, named Mary Ann, and that Mary Ann either gave the gun to the defendant or the defendant took the gun from her. Katie Brown, with her attorney present, had her deposition taken prior to the trial. She had told the county attorney at that time that the defendant, Adolphus Lewis, admitted to her that he shot the man. Katie Brown was called as a State’s witness and when she reached this point the following transpired :

“Q Did Adolphus tell you that he had shot the man ?
“A Well, he didn’t speak directly to me, but that was what the conversation was about, you know, who did the shooting. I didn’t hear anybody, you know, exact — say exact who shot him.
“Q Well, what did you hear said ?
“A Well, I just heard them say that he had been shot.
“Q Do you recall giving a sworn statement on October the 26th, 1973, before a Court Reporter ?
“A I don’t know.
“Q Do you recall being. asked some questions by a Mr. Dennis Dairman of the County Attorney’s Office?
“A Yes.
“Q Do you remember Mr. Jerry Stewart being there ?
“A Yes.
[117]*117“Q Mr. Stewart was your attorney, wasn’t he?
"A Yes.
“Q Do you remember Mr. Conrad Blain being there, Court Reporter?
“A Well, there were some men there, but I don’t remember the names of all of them.
“Q You remember being asked some questions? And do you remember giving some answers on that day?
“A Yes.
“Q Do you recall giving some answers on that date that are different from what you have said just now ?
“A No.
******
“Q Do you recall being administered an oath on that date?
“A Yes.
“Q To tell the truth ?
“A Yes.
“Q Do you recall being asked, ‘Did Adolphus tell you that he shot the man?’
“MR. WILSON: Just a moment, objection on the ground of impeaching his own witness.
“MR. HAMMOND: Your Honor, in view of the statement, I must claim surprise. The witness has given an inconsistent answer.
“THE COURT: Let me see it.

Objection is overruled.

“BY MR. HAMMOND:
“Q Do you recall, after having been asked, ‘Did Adolphus tell you that’he shot the man,’ answering, ‘Yes. He mentioned something about it the next night, that he had shot him.’
“A Yes, he did.
“Q Is that correct?
“A Yes.
“Q So it is true that he did tell you the next night that he had shot him?
“A He didn’t speak directly to me. He was speaking to all of us that were there. He did mention something about it.
“Q He did tell all of you who were there that he had shot the man?
“A Yes, he said that the man was shot.
“Q Did he tell you that he had shot the man?
“MR. WILSON: I object as a cross-examination of his own witness, as well as impeachment.
“THE COURT: Overruled.
“BY MR. HAMMOND:
“Q Please answer.
“A Did he tell me that he had shot the man?
“Q Did he say that in your presence? “A Yes.
“Q That was there at Dixson’s the. next night?
“A Yes.”

We have previously stated:

“The early common law rule was that a party calling a witness was ‘bound by his testimony’ and could not question the truth thereof. This is sometimes called the ‘voucher’ rule and its historical origins may have come from the primitive English trial practice in which ‘oathtakers’ were called to stand behind a particular party’s position in any controversy.

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Related

State v. Lewis
537 P.2d 25 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1975)

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Bluebook (online)
523 P.2d 1316, 111 Ariz. 115, 1974 Ariz. LEXIS 372, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lewis-ariz-1974.