Smith's Criminal Case Compendium
Table of Contents
State v. Avent, 222 N.C. App. 147 (Aug. 7, 2012)
In a murder case, the trial court did not abuse its discretion by allowing the State to impeach two witnesses with their prior inconsistent statements to the police. Both witnesses testified that they were at the scene but did not see the defendant. The State then impeached them with their prior statements to the police putting the defendant at the scene, with one identifying the defendant as the shooter. Both of the witnesses’ statements to the police were material and both witnesses admitted having made them. Use of the inconsistent statements did not constitute subterfuge on the State’s part to present otherwise inadmissible evidence, where there was no evidence indicating that the State was not genuinely surprised by the witnesses’ testimony.