Beville v. State

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The State charged Defendant with dealing in marijuana and maintaining a common nuisance. At some point, the State informed Defendant that it had a video recording of a controlled buy between him and a confidential informant (CI). The State offered Defendant’s public defender the opportunity to review the recording but would not allow Defendant himself to see the video. After Defendant unsuccessfully requested a copy of the recording, his counsel filed a motion to compel, arguing that Defendant’s personal review of the video was fundamental to preparing a defense. In response, the State claimed that the informer’s privilege allowed withholding the identity of the CI. The trial court denied the motion to compel. The Supreme Court reversed, holding (1) the State failed to make the threshold showing that the informer’s privilege applied in the first instance because it was unclear whether the video would actually reveal the informant’s identity; and (2) even if the State had made the threshold showing, Defendant carried his burden of proving an exception to the privilege because his review of the video was “relevant and helpful to his defense or [was] necessary for a fair trial.” View "Beville v. State" on Justia Law