State v. McIntyre

284 P.3d 1284, 252 Or. App. 16, 2012 WL 3727319, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1056
CourtCourt of Appeals of Oregon
DecidedAugust 29, 2012
Docket091234903; A146236
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 284 P.3d 1284 (State v. McIntyre) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. McIntyre, 284 P.3d 1284, 252 Or. App. 16, 2012 WL 3727319, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1056 (Or. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

HASELTON, C. J.

In this criminal prosecution involving, inter alia, a charge of promoting prostitution, ORS 167.012,1 the state appeals a pretrial order excluding two rap music videos— viz., “Turn This Up” and “Pimp’n (All I Know).” Defendant appeared in both videos and made general statements in one of them that, according to the state, describe his involvement in the prostitution trade. The trial court excluded the rap videos under OEC 403, reasoning that their probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice and their potential to distract the jury.

On appeal, the state contends that the videos are admissible under OEC 404(3) because they are relevant to show defendant’s intent to promote prostitution as alleged in this case and that, under OEC 404(4), the trial court was precluded from excluding the evidence under OEC 403. As amplified below, in light of the Supreme Court’s recent decision in State v. Leistiko, 352 Or 172, 282 P3d 857 (2012) (Leistiko II), we conclude that, even if the videos qualify as “[e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts” for purposes of OEC 404(3), the state has not established that they are relevant to prove defendant’s intent under the analysis established in State v. Johns, 301 Or 535, 725 P2d 312 (1986). Accordingly, we affirm.

The material facts are undisputed. Defendant was indicted on numerous offenses, including promoting prostitution. Specifically, the indictment alleged, in pertinent part, that defendant, “with intent to promote prostitution, receive [d] and agree [d] to receive money and other property * * * pursuant to an agreement and understanding that the [19]*19money and other property was derived from a prostitution activity * * (Emphasis added.)

Before trial, the state sought the admission of two publicly available rap music videos entitled, respectively, “Turn This Up” and “Pimp’n (All I Know)” that Officer Burkeen, a detective for the Portland Police Bureau with four years of experience as a vice investigator, had located on YouTube. We begin by describing the two videos.2

Defendant appears in the first video, “Turn This Up,” and, at one point, defendant appears in front of a car as the name “Mac Shawn” appears on the screen.3 The lyrics during that part of the video are as follows:

“‘I’m a Vegas pimp, and a Portland Mac
“‘Pimping ‘hos and taxin’ traps
“‘Taking bitches across the map
“‘Break it down like this baby girl let’s go
“You can get money if you fuck them with a [unintelligible]
“‘We’ll hit a couple cities, let your ass get dough
“‘A certified pimp, a bonafide ho
“‘Get money all on the row
“‘[Don’t] give a fuck about the weather ’cause the bitch go ’ho
“‘On the Internet strip, on the boulevard strong
“You better break that trick and get my dough.’”

(Brackets in state’s brief.)

In the second video, “Pimp’n (All I Know),” defendant is seen in a group on a yacht. The video features the following lyrics:

[20]*20“‘Cause pimp’n is all I know about
“‘Pimp’n is all I talk about
“‘It’s pimp’n, it’s pimp’n, it’s pimp’n
“‘Pimp’n over here, pimp’n over there, pimp’n on a bitch, everywhere
“‘The mall, the zoo, and the state fair
“‘The car on the ground, and the plane in the air
“‘Lions and tigers and pimps, oh yeah
“‘Hoing ain’t easy and life ain’t fair
‘“Your feet hurt bitch, I don’t care
“‘Get dressed, get ready, and do your hair
“‘What do I look like, a sucker-ass square?
“‘All my money, bitch, I don’t share
“T build-a-bitch, like build-a-bear.’”

Following the lyrics, the music stops and several individuals, including defendant — identified by the name “Mac Shawn” — speak directly into the camera. At different points during the remainder of the video, defendant makes the following three statements:

(1) “‘This isn’t the fucking Villa ni**er. This is what it mother fucking do, ni**er. Mac Shawn, understand it bitches. Don’t fuck with me. I want all the dough, I want all the shit. We’re doing some moving, bitch.’”
(2) “ ‘We want all the shit. * * * Trying to knock your bitch, I’m going to knock your bitch, ni**er.’”
(3) “‘We’re out here, bitch. I’m fitting to take that bitch, ni**er. You better hide her, ni**er.’”

(Omissions in state’s brief.)

During the state’s offer of proof at the hearing concerning the admissibility of the evidence, Burkeen described the significance of some of the lyrics. For example, according to Burkeen, in the prostitution trade, the term “‘bitch’” refers to a prostitute and the phrase “‘taking bitches across the map’” refers to taking prostitutes “out of [21]*21state to work.” She also explained that defendant’s reference to “‘knock[ing]”’ and ‘“tak[ing]’” a “‘bitch’” refers to the practice of one pimp stealing a prostitute from another pimp.

The trial court ultimately determined that both videos should be excluded under OEC 403 on the ground that their probative value was substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice and their potential to distract the jury. Consistently with that ruling, the trial court entered a pretrial order excluding the videos. This appeal ensued.

On appeal, as before the trial court, the parties’ competing contentions concerning the admissibility of the videos focus on the proper application of two rules of evidence — viz., OEC 404, which concerns, as pertinent here, the admissibility of “[e]vidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts,” and OEC 403, which concerns the exclusion of relevant evidence for, among other reasons “unfair prejudice.” We begin by describing those rules of evidence because they provide the necessary context for understanding the parties’ contentions.

As pertinent here, OEC 404(3) provides:

“Evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show that the person acted in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity, or absence of mistake or accident.”

Generally, even if evidence qualifies for admission under OEC 404(3), a court may exclude the evidence under OEC 4034 if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of, among other things, unfair prejudice and confusion of the issues. State v. Berg, 223 Or App 387, 397, 196 P3d 547 (2008),

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
284 P.3d 1284, 252 Or. App. 16, 2012 WL 3727319, 2012 Ore. App. LEXIS 1056, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mcintyre-orctapp-2012.