Williams v. State

681 N.E.2d 195, 1997 Ind. LEXIS 71, 1997 WL 302398
CourtIndiana Supreme Court
DecidedJune 6, 1997
Docket49S02-9706-CR-355
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 681 N.E.2d 195 (Williams 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
Williams v. State, 681 N.E.2d 195, 1997 Ind. LEXIS 71, 1997 WL 302398 (Ind. 1997).

Opinion

ON PETITION TO TRANSFER

BOEHM, Justice.

A jury convicted defendant Adrian Williams of attempted criminal deviate conduct, a Class A felony, and criminal confinement, a Class B felony. A majority of the Court of Appeals reversed the convictions on the grounds that the trial court erred in excluding certain evidence. Williams v. State, 669 N.E.2d 178 (Ind.Ct.App.1996). Because we conclude that the evidence was properly excluded and no other reversible error occurred, we now grant transfer, vacate the opinion of the Court of Appeals, and reinstate the convictions.

This appeal raises the following issues:

1. Did the trial court err by excluding evidence of the victim’s prior drug use?
2. Did the trial court err by excluding evidence of the victim’s past sexual conduct pursuant to Indiana Evidence Rule 412?
3. Did the trial court err by denying Williams’ Motion for Continuance?
4. Did the State engage in prosecutorial misconduct?
5. Was the evidence sufficient to support Williams’ convictions for attempted criminal deviate conduct and criminal confinement?

Factual and Procedural History

During the early morning hours on January 9, 1993, the victim was working as a topless dancer at a nightclub in downtown Indianapolis. The following is her version of the events of that night. When she finished work at approximately 2:45 a.m., she walked out into the parking lot and asked two strangers, Williams and co-defendant Antoine Edmondson, for a ride home. The two men agreed and she got into the car. Williams did not drive the car directly to the victim’s home. Instead, he told her that “they had to make a stop.” He drove into an alley behind a different club where *198 Edmondson exited the ear. The victim then attempted to run away but Edmondson grabbed her arms and pulled her into the back seat of the ear. As the victim struggled with Edmondson in the car, Williams drove to a public park and stopped the car in a dark area of its parking lot.

The two then ordered the victim to engage in sexual acts with them simultaneously. Edmondson pulled a gun out of his pocket and placed it on the arm rest of the front seat. He then removed the victim’s shoe and sock and pulled her right pants leg off. The victim managed to grab the gun, open the car door, and run away. As she ran, she fired the gun behind her and, although she apparently had never fired a weapon before, shot Edmondson in the jaw. Williams and Edmondson were subsequently arrested and each was charged with two counts of attempted criminal deviate conduct, criminal confinement, and carrying a handgun without a license. The two men were tried together.

Three days before trial, the State filed two motions in limine. In the first motion, the State sought to exclude evidence of the victim’s sexual history pursuant to Indiana’s Rape Shield Rule, Indiana Evidence Rule 412. Williams did not object to this motion. In the second motion, the State sought to exclude evidence of the victim’s history of drug use. Williams did object to this motion, arguing that the victim’s cocaine habit “would obviously make a difference as to her ability to recall facts, that it’s something that the jury should consider in determining whether she is able to relate facts in an appropriate, truthful, factual manner.” The trial court granted both motions and excluded the evidence of both the victim’s sexual history and her prior drug use. However, Williams was allowed to question the victim about drug use at the time of the incident.

During the trial of the two defendants, the victim testified on cross-examination that she did not use cocaine on the day of the incident or on the day of the trial. At defense counsel’s request, the court conducted a hearing outside the presence of the jury regarding the exclusion of evidence of the victim’s prior drug use. Williams joined in Edmondson’s argument that the victim’s prior drug use was pertinent to her credibility. Williams specifically argued that she had “a poor recall of the facts because of her cocaine habit.” The trial court stood by its original decision to exclude the evidence. Thereafter, defense counsel made an offer of proof and the victim testified, outside the hearing of the jury, that she was previously addicted to cocaine and had received treatment.

Later during the trial, both Williams and Edmondson testified that the victim wanted the men to locate some cocaine for her and when they could not find any, the men agreed to give her money in exchange for sex. Williams requested that the trial court lift its proscription on testimony as to prior drug use because the victim’s prior drug use and alleged acts of prostitution were now at issue. The trial court denied the request. Defense counsel then made another offer of proof that a friend of the victim would testify that the victim had previously committed acts of prostitution in exchange for money or cocaine. This evidence was also excluded by the trial court. The jury found Williams guilty of one count of attempted deviate conduct and criminal confinement. 1

I. Evidence of the Victim’s Prior Drug Use

Williams argues that he is entitled to a new trial because the trial court erred by refusing to allow the defense to inquire into the victim’s prior drug use. The trial court allowed defense counsel to elicit testimony regarding the victim’s use of drugs on the day of the incident because it was relevant to her ability to perceive and recall the events in dispute. However, prior drug use was held irrelevant.

Relevant evidence means “evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the ef- *199 denee.” Ind. Evidence Rule 401. Before the adoption of the Indiana Rules of Evidence, Indiana courts consistently upheld decisions of trial courts excluding evidence of a -witness’ past drug use as irrelevant. Kimble v. State, 569 N.E.2d 653, 654 (Ind.1991) (victim’s wife could be questioned regarding her drug use on the night in question but any questions about her past drug use were irrelevant); Trice v. State, 519 N.E.2d 535, 537 (Ind.1988) (testimony of government witness’ alleged involvement in drug dealing was “totally irrelevant”); McKim v. State, 476 N.E.2d 503, 506 (Ind.1985) (extent of victim’s use of drugs and alcohol would be pertinent only to her ability to recall the events on the dates in question had she been using drugs or alcohol at that time, or if she were on drugs at trial, or if her drug and alcohol abuse was so extensive that her mind was impaired); Denney v. State, 524 N.E.2d 1301

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Bluebook (online)
681 N.E.2d 195, 1997 Ind. LEXIS 71, 1997 WL 302398, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/williams-v-state-ind-1997.