Tolbert v. State

391 N.E.2d 823, 271 Ind. 269
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 24, 1979
Docket378S45
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 391 N.E.2d 823 (Tolbert v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tolbert v. State, 391 N.E.2d 823, 271 Ind. 269 (Ind. 1979).

Opinion

PRENTICE, Justice.

The defendant (appellant) was charged with First Degree Murder, Ind.Code § 35-13^4-1 (Burns 1975). Following trial by jury, he was convicted of Second Degree Murder, Ind.Code § 35-1-54-1 (Burns 1975), and sentenced to imprisonment for life. On appeal, he presents the following issues:

(1) Whether the trial court erred in denying a motion to require production of a deputy prosecutor’s notes.

(2) Whether the trial court erred in refusing to appoint psychiatrists for the purpose of determining the sanity of a State’s witness.

(3) Whether the defendant was denied his Sixth Amendment right to confront that witness.

(4) Whether the trial court erred in refusing to admit into evidence a case history report relative to the decedent previously made by the Marion County Welfare Department.

(5) Whether the trial court erred in refusing to give certain instructions tendered by Defendant.

* * * * * *

*825 ISSUE I

During the direct examination of a witness for the State, it was learned that a legal intern for the Prosecutor’s Office had taken “some notes” while interviewing that witness several days before the trial. Defense counsel moved for production of the notes, which motion was overruled. Defendant premises his claim of error upon Antrobus v. State, (1970) 253 Ind. 420, 254 N.E.2d 873, provides for in-trial discovery of a witness’ pre-trial statement unless the State shows a paramount interest in nondisclosure. However, the State correctly points out that the defendant did not first lay an adequate foundation, as required by Antrobus:

“With respect to a defendant’s right to obtain such statements we hold the rule to be this: First, the defendant must lay the proper foundation for his motion or the trial court may properly deny it. An adequate foundation is laid when: (1) The witness whose statement is sought has testified on direct examination; (2) A substantially verbatim transcription of statements made by the witness prior to trial is shown to probably be within the control of the prosecution; and, (3) The statements relate to matters covered in the witness’ testimony in the present case.” (Emphasis added.)

253 Ind. at 427, 254 N.E.2d at 876-877.

The defendant did not show that the notes were a “substantially verbatim transcription of statements made by the witness” as required by the above quoted rule; rather, the only testimony was that the legal intern had taken “some notes.”

ISSUE II

A key witness for the State was to have been the victim’s ten year old son, Elvis. Before he took the witness stand, it was learned from another State’s witness that the youth had been receiving psychiatric counseling since his mother’s death. The trial court ordered a hearing to determine whether the boy was competent to testify. Ben Glancy, a psychotherapist at the Child Guidance Center, testified at the hearing that he had seen the boy on nine occasions, that he did not discuss his feelings very openly, had normal intelligence and communicative skills, and showed no signs of mental illness. Glancy expressed the further opinion that the boy was able to differentiate between reality and fantasy, between the truth and a lie. On cross-examination, Glancy stated that the boy was not psychotic, though he was possibly neurotic in regards to his mother’s death. At the conclusion of Glancy’s testimony the defendant requested that the court appoint psychiatrists to examine the boy, which motion was denied.

Defendant asserts that Ind.Code 34-1-14-5 (Burns 1973) provides that insane persons, whether they have been so adjudged or not are incompetent witnesses and that, according to Glancy’s testimony, the boy was “neurotic and severely depressed and should not be allowed to testify.” However, our examination of the record reveals that the defendant’s summary of Glancy’s testimony is a gross misstatement of the record. Glancy testified that the boy had no abnormal personality disorders, that he was not psychotic although possibly neürotic. He further stated that while the boy was depressed about his mother’s death, he was not severely depressed. Defendant’s very loose interpretation of Glancy’s testimony is apparently based upon the following colloquy on cross-examination:

“Q. Sir, let me ask you one question. From a course of treatment, forget the legal stuff, from a course of treatment, would it be your preference that this boy not have to testify?
“A. Yes.”

It is obvious that Glancy’s response to that question was concerned with the emotional comfort or well being of the witness, not with his competence as a witness.

In the case at bar, there was little or no evidence that the witness was incompetent to testify due to insanity. As this Court stated in Reiff v. State, (1971) 256 Ind. 105, 108, 267 N.E.2d 184, 185:

*826 “ * * * in Antrobus this Court did not mean to imply that every time a defendant requests a psychiatric examination of a witness the request must automatically be granted. The decision rests within the sound discretion of the trial court. In Antrobus the court did not conduct a hearing on the request of the appellant, whereas in the case at bar the court conducted a full hearing as to whether or not a psychiatrist should be appointed to examine the witness. It was after this hearing that the court determined the psychiatric examination was unnecessary. In Antrobus there was an abuse of judicial discretion in failing to grant the examination in the face of such overwhelming evidence, * *

The defendant has not shown that the trial court abused its discretion.

ISSUE III

Elvis was eventually called to the witness stand to testify for the State. However, after answering only a few questions, he began to cry and a recess was called. Thereafter the State did not ask any more questions of him. When asked if he wished to cross examine the witness, defense counsel replied, “I can’t do it. No questions.” Defense counsel then moved for a mistrial charging that the State deliberately called the witness under circumstances which they knew would preclude his testifying on direct examination and being subjected to meaningful cross examination. The defendant asserts that he was thusly denied his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses against him. A hearing was held on the motion, outside the presence of the jury, at which time a Prosecuting Deputy Intern for the State testified that she had fully expected that the witness would be able to testify as to the events of the night in question and that she was surprised by his inability to maintain his composure. The motion for mistrial was denied.

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Bluebook (online)
391 N.E.2d 823, 271 Ind. 269, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tolbert-v-state-ind-1979.