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United States v. Rodriguez-Berrios

United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit

573 F.3d 55 (2009)

Facts

Eddie Samir Rodriguez-Berrios (Rodriguez) (defendant) was charged with committing a carjacking that resulted in the death of his ex-wife. At trial, the prosecution (plaintiff) introduced witnesses who provided hearsay statements made by the deceased ex-wife that described the abuse she underwent at the hands of Rodriguez. During Rodriguez’s direct examination, his counsel attempted to play tapes that were recordings of the ex-wife’s phone conversations before she died. According to Rodriguez, the tone of his ex-wife in the tapes shows that she was joking because she said “well, he might kill me” and was heard laughing. Rodriguez argued that his ex-wife’s tone impeaches the hearsay statements about his abuse of her. The trial court excluded the tapes, ruling that they were not impeachment evidence.

Rule of Law

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Issue

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Holding and Reasoning (Lipez, J.)

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A "yes" or "no" answer to the question framed in the issue section;
A summary of the majority or plurality opinion, using the CREAC method; and
The procedural disposition (e.g., reversed and remanded, affirmed, etc.).

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