United States v. Frazier

32 M.J. 651, 1991 WL 33727
CourtU S Air Force Court of Military Review
DecidedJanuary 7, 1991
DocketACM 28468 (f rev)
StatusPublished

This text of 32 M.J. 651 (United States v. Frazier) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U S Air Force Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Frazier, 32 M.J. 651, 1991 WL 33727 (usafctmilrev 1991).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT UPON FURTHER REVIEW

LEONARD, Senior Judge:

Airman Frazier pleaded guilty to and was convicted of conspiracy to commit larceny, two larcenies, and willful destruction of military property. On appeal, he asserts that the military judge erroneously admitted into evidence stipulations of fact his accomplices entered into at their earlier trials. We agree.

Appellant was involved with four other airmen in the theft of three video cassette recorders (VCR) and three hand held radios from the receiving section of the supply squadron. He and two of the airmen conspired to steal and subsequently stole the VCRs. The stolen VCRs were kept by the other airmen and a mutual friend. Appellant and two other airmen stole the hand held radios, disassembled them and threw the parts away. After he became a suspect, appellant confessed to the thefts and provided investigators with the names of his accomplices.

All five airmen had court-martial charges preferred against them. The other four airmen were tried before appellant. They all stipulated to the facts of their offenses and entered guilty pleas.

After appellant pleaded guilty, the government offered a stipulation of fact signed by appellant and his counsel. The military judge conducted an inquiry to determine the appellant’s consent and understanding of the stipulation and admitted it into evidence. See R.C.M. 811(c) and Discussion. At this point, the trial counsel offered into evidence the four stipulations of fact that the other airmen had entered into at their courts-martial. Trial defense counsel objected and the military judge refused to admit the stipulations. In ruling, he stated that it was not the appropriate point in the trial for their introduction.

After the military judge completed the providency inquiry and entered findings of guilt, the government again moved for admission of the other airmen’s stipulations. The government’s theory of admissibility was that the stipulations furnished evidence of the facts and circumstances and aggravation of appellant’s offenses. R.C.M. 1001(b)(4). Trial counsel conceded the stipulations were hearsay, but maintained that they qualified for admission under the public records hearsay exception of MiLR.Evid. 803(8).

Trial defense counsel objected to admission of the stipulations, asserting that Mil. R.Evid. 803(8) only provided for introduction of records of convictions and not entire records of trial. He maintained the stipulations were inadmissible hearsay and the only appropriate way to introduce the evidence was to bring the other airmen to testify and subject them to cross-examination. He also pointed out that all four of the airmen were present on base and available to be called as witnesses.

The military judge held that the stipulations qualified for admission as a public record under Mil.R.Evid. 803(8). He then [653]*653found that the stipulations were relevant, applied a balancing test under Mil.R.Evid. 403, and admitted all four.

We find the military judge’s ruling to be in error. He incorrectly applied the public records hearsay exception, did not consider the limited basis of admissibility of stipulations of fact, and disregarded appellant’s confrontation rights under the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution.

The government contends that the last sentence of Mil.R.Evid. 803(8) provides for the admission of entire records of trial to show a record of a court-martial conviction. They also contend that this provision is part of a “firmly rooted” hearsay exception. We disagree with both assertions.

The provision that permits the admissibility of “records of court-martial convictions” is contained in the last sentence of Mil.R.Evid. 803(8). After examining the wording of the sentence and the drafters’ analysis, we do not believe it was intended that “records of court-martial convictions” would be proven by introduction of the entire record of trial. The sentence provides:

[T]he following are admissible under this paragraph as a record of a fact or event if made by a person within the scope of the person’s official duties and those duties included a duty to know or to ascertain through appropriate and trustworthy channels of information the truth of the fact or event and to record such fact or event: ...

Mil.R.Evid. 803(8) (emphasis added).

The drafters’ analysis of this provision indicates that it was added to allow admissibility of “records ... made pursuant to a duty required by law ... notwithstanding the fact that they may have been made as matters observed by police officers and other personnel acting in a law enforcement capacity.” The drafters also stated the admissible records are the type “which are truly administrative in nature.” MCM, App. 22, Rule 803(8) (1984). It is evident that the type of “record of court-martial conviction” the drafters contemplated was a court-martial order or a similar document reporting the result of the court-martial. Therefore, we conclude that they did not intend an entire record of trial would be admitted to prove a conviction without any consideration of the accused’s right to confrontation, relevancy, reliability, or specific nature of the individual items that may be contained in or attached to the record. United States v. Kilbourne, 31 M.J. 731 (A.F.C.M.R.1990); see also United States v. Charley, 28 M.J. 903, 906 (A.C.M.R.1989); United States v. Nellum, 24 M.J. 693 (A.C.M.R.1987); United States v. Wright, 20 M.J. 518, 519 (A.C.M.R.1985), petition denied, 21 M.J. 309 (C.M.A.1985).

Regardless of the hearsay exception involved, when an accused maintains that the admission of certain evidence would violate his rights to confrontation under the Sixth Amendment, the government must show that the declarant is unavailable and that the evidence bears adequate indicia of reliability. Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56, 100 S.Ct. 2531, 65 L.Ed.2d 597 (1980). Reliability may be inferred when the offered evidence qualifies for admission under a “firmly rooted” hearsay exception. 448 U.S. at 66, 100 S.Ct. at 2539; United States v. Hines, 23 M.J. 125, 129 (C.M.A.1986). Recent modifications of common law rules are not “firmly rooted.” United States v. Groves, 23 M.J. 374 (C.M.A.1987).

The last sentence of Mil.R.Evid. 803(8) was an addition to the public records exception by the drafters of the Military Rules of Evidence. The provision did not exist in Fed.R.Evid. 803(8) and it was not consistent with prior federal and military judicial authority. MCM, App. 22, Rule 803(8) (1984); S. Saltzburg, L. Schinasi, & D. Schlueter, Military Rules of Evidence Manual 648 (2d ed. 1986). Since the provision was an extension of existing law and is not contained in Fed.R.Evid. 803(8), it can not be considered “firmly rooted.” United States v. Broadnax, 23 M.J. 389 (C.M.A.1987). The drafters’ analysis recognized that the last sentence of Mil.R. Evid. 803(8) would not be entitled to a presumption of trustworthiness:

[654]

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Related

Ohio v. Roberts
448 U.S. 56 (Supreme Court, 1980)
United States v. Wright
20 M.J. 518 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1985)
United States v. Hines
23 M.J. 125 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1986)
United States v. Groves
23 M.J. 374 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1987)
United States v. Broadnax
23 M.J. 389 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1987)
United States v. Nellum
24 M.J. 693 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1987)
United States v. Glazier
26 M.J. 268 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1988)
United States v. DeYoung
27 M.J. 595 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1988)
United States v. Charley
28 M.J. 903 (U.S. Army Court of Military Review, 1989)
United States v. Peoples
29 M.J. 426 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1990)
United States v. Kilbourne
31 M.J. 731 (U S Air Force Court of Military Review, 1990)

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Bluebook (online)
32 M.J. 651, 1991 WL 33727, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-frazier-usafctmilrev-1991.