Com. v. Malcolm, R.

J-A17043-23

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
: PENNSYLVANIA
Appellee :
:
v. :
:
RASHEED MALCOLM :
:
Appellant : No. 954 EDA 2022

Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered March 28, 2022
In the Court of Common Pleas of Philadelphia County
Criminal Division at No(s): CP-51-CR-0001309-2020

BEFORE: KING, J., SULLIVAN, J., and PELLEGRINI, J.*

MEMORANDUM BY KING, J.: FILED NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Appellant, Rasheed Malcolm, appeals from the judgment of sentence

entered in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas, following his jury

trial convictions for first-degree murder, firearms not to be carried without a

license, carrying firearms on public streets in Philadelphia, and possessing

instruments of crime.1 We affirm.

In its opinion, the trial court set forth the relevant facts of this case as

follows:

This case stems from the murder of Kevin Harris on
December 22, 2018.

Police Officer Ankur Rana testified that on the evening of
December 22, 2018, while on patrol around 62nd and Arch
____________________________________________

* Retired Senior Judge assigned to the Superior Court.

1 18 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 2502(a); 6106; 6108; and 907, respectively.
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Street, Philadelphia, Pa., he heard multiple gunshots and
saw people running. When Officer Rana arrived at the
scene, he observed a male, later identified as Kevin Harris
(the “decedent”), laying non-responsive on the ground on
62nd and Market Street. He and his partner, Officer Garced,
placed the decedent into Officer Garced’s SUV, and
transported him to Presbyterian Hospital, where he was
pronounced dead.

Police Officer Roodly Phanor testified that upon arriving at
the scene, he observed a male, later identified as Donny
Williams, hunched over with a gunshot wound in his
midsection. Officer Phanor quickly drove Mr. Williams to
Presbyterian Hospital. Williams survived his injuries.

Detective Thorsten Lucke, of the Philadelphia Police
Homicide Unit, testified that he assisted in recovering
surveillance footage and cell phone data for the
investigation. Detective Lucke presented a video
compilation of the surveillance footage recovered from the
scene which consisted of two (2) systems from Kif’s Bar at
6142 Market Street and one (1) system from Peerless Pest
Control at 61[50] Market Street. The video footage depicts
[Appellant] wearing a gray zipper hoodie, black boots, black
pants, and wired white earbuds. [Appellant] was first seen
on the footage circling the block multiple times, on which
the incident occurred, ten (10) minutes before decedent was
shot. The video footage then shows [Appellant] walking
through a crowd that had exited a bar, coming up behind
decedent, shooting him twice at close range, and then
fleeing. As [Appellant] is running away, a gun can be seen
in his right hand.

Ramona Harris, decedent’s aunt, testified that on December
21, 2018, she was with a group of friends at Kif’s [B]ar
located at 6142 Market Street to celebrate her birthday and
that of her twin sister. The decedent arrived with friends,
and joined their party. When Kif’s bar closed, the group
formed a circle near the bar on the sidewalk, and were
“saying their goodbyes,” when [Ms.] Harris heard gunshots
and ducked. When the shooting stopped, she checked
everyone and discovered decedent was nonresponsive. She
recalled seeing two shooters during the incident; one was
wearing a black outfit and had black dreads, and the other

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was tall, skinny and in a gray hoodie.

Police Officer Robert Lamanna testified to being assigned to
the 18th Police District from July of 2015, up until the time
of the incident. As a patrol officer, he became familiar with
the area and its residents. Officer Lamanna knew
[Appellant] from 2015 or 2016, from seeing him in the 18th
District and on social media. The surveillance video of the
incident was played for Officer Lamanna, after which he
identified [Appellant] as the perpetrator of the murder,
stating, “[y]es, I believe that to be [Appellant] in the gray
hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, black Timberland-style
boots.” His identification was “[b]ased on some of the facial
features, the beard you can observe, the way he walks, his
height, especially.” Officer Lamanna explained that
[Appellant] had a distinct gait and was tall, standing about
six feet seven inches.

Police Officer Lamont Fox, from the Crime Scene Unit,
testified that on December 22, 2018, the day of the incident,
he processed the crime scene. Officer Fox recovered eleven
fired cartridge casings (“FCCs”) from the crime scene: six
FCCs were .380 and five were (9) nine millimeter. A wallet
and jacket were also recovered from the crime scene.

Police Officer Robert Stott, from the Philadelphia Firearms
Identification Unit, testified that he performed an analysis
on the FCCs. Officer Stott concluded that the FCCs were
fired from two different guns.

Dr. Eric Little, from the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s
Office, testified that he reviewed the photographs and
autopsy report written by Dr. Brown, who examined
decedent. The autopsy revealed that the decedent had been
shot two times, once in the head and once in the chest. No
bullets were recovered from decedent. Dr. Little opined that
the decedent’s cause of death was multiple gunshot
wounds, and the manner of death was homicide.

Detective James Burns, Philadelphia Homicide Unit, testified
to being assigned to the instant case. Directly after the
homicide, he was unable to find anyone identifying
decedent’s shooter. Detective Burns initially spoke to the
surviving shooting victim, Donny Williams, at the hospital,

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but has since been unable to locate or talk to Mr. Williams.
Detective Burns had trouble locating witnesses or having
them cooperate with the investigation, and one [witness],
Tyreek Camp, was murdered in the Fall of 2019. After
recovering all of the surveillance video of the incident,
Detective Burns sent out a patrol alert, that included a
screen shot from the video of the individual suspected of the
homicide. Officer Lamanna recognized the suspect as
[Appellant] from this patrol alert.

Select portions of [Appellant’s] videotaped interrogation
were played for the jury, where Detective Burns, with a
partner, interviewed him. [Appellant] expressed his
innocence.

During the interrogation, [Appellant] gave permission to
Detective Burns to search his bedroom at 5915 Race Street,
for items relating to the incident. Recovered from the
search of the bedroom was a gray hoodie, black boots, and
a pair of white iPhone corded headphones. The gray hoodie
and black boots were consistent with the sweatshirt and
boots depicted in the surveillance video. During the
interrogation, [Appellant] denied that the hoodie was his,
rather a friend’s, but [Appellant] never revealed its owner.

Forensic Scientist, Hung Le, testified that gunshot residue
was discovered on the right sleeve of the gray hoodie taken
from [Appellant’s] bedroom.

Forensic Scientist, Jane Hess, testified that the gray hoodie
contained DNA of three individuals, at least one of whom
was male. However, the test was inconclusive regarding
whether the DNA belonged to [Appellant]. Dr. Hess took
DNA samples from a pair of boots and earbuds recovered in
[Appellant’s] room, which also resulted in inconclusive
findings.

Counsel stipulated to the fact that if recalled to the stand,
Detective Thorsten Lucke, who is an expert in cellphone
extraction and analysis, would testify that the two phone
numbers given by [Appellant] during the interrogation, were
not in use before 2019. [Appellant] also provided Detective
Burns with an iCloud account to review, but the account was
inaccessible due to it being previously deactivated.

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(Trial Court Opinion, filed 8/17/22, at 5-8) (internal record citations omitted).

Procedurally, a jury convicted Appellant on March 28, 2022, of the

above-mentioned crimes. The court sentenced Appellant that day to life

imprisonment without the possibility of parole for murder and imposed no

further penalty for the remaining crimes. Appellant timely filed a notice of

appeal that same day. On April 25, 2022, the court ordered Appellant to file

a concise statement of errors complained of on appeal per Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b).

Following an extension of time, Appellant filed his Rule 1925(b) statement on

June 12, 2022.

Appellant raises four issues for our review:

Did not the [trial] court err and abuse its discretion in
overruling counsel’s objection to the prosecutor’s burden-
shifting argument and improper reference to trial counsel’s
mindset, in violation of Pennsylvania law, and the Fifth,
Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution?

Did not the [trial] court err and abuse its discretion in
refusing trial counsel’s request for a Kloiber[2] charge,
where the [trial] court itself acknowledged that the video
from which the identification was made was “not clear,” was
so grainy at the point of the shooting that “no one [could]
make an identification,” and that the alleged perpetrator’s
face is “hidden” for the remainder of the video, thus
satisfying Kloiber’s requirement that the jury could have
inferred that the witness did not “clearly observe” the
assailant.

Did not the [trial] court err and abuse its discretion by
overruling trial counsel’s objection to the detectives’
____________________________________________

2 Commonwealth v. Kloiber, 378 Pa. 412, 106 A.2d 820 (1954), cert.
denied, 348 U.S. 875, 75 S.Ct. 112, 99 L.Ed. 688 (1954).

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opinions expressed on the surveillance video that
[Appellant] was guilty, and thus his protestations of
innocence false.

Did not the [trial] court err and abuse its discretion by
permitting lay opinion testimony of a police officer,
identifying [Appellant] as the alleged perpetrator in a
surveillance video, based on factors the jurors could easily
see for themselves, or that are so common to the population
at large as to render them far less probative than
prejudicial, rendering the testimony unhelpful to the
determination of a fact at issue, in violation of Pa.R.E. 701.

(Appellant’s Brief at 5-6).

In his first issue, Appellant argues that the prosecutor stated during

closing arguments that defense counsel chose not to show the jury the

surveillance video because defense counsel did not want the jury to “keep

looking at the picture of [Appellant]” because “the more you see it, the more

sure you are that [Appellant] shot [Decedent].” (Id. at 36) (citing N.T. Trial,

3/25/22, at 117-18). Appellant claims that this statement by the prosecutor

shifted the burden of proof in violation of Appellant’s constitutional rights.

Appellant insists the prosecutor’s statement served only one purpose—to

demonstrate that counsel’s decision not to show the video was probative of

Appellant’s guilt. Appellant contends that “[s]uch a direct condemnation of a

defendant’s decision not to present certain evidence violates the due process

clause and compels reversal.” (Id.) Appellant emphasizes that he objected

to the improper comment, but the court overruled his objection. Appellant

maintains that the video evidence was of paramount importance in this case,

particularly where there were no eyewitnesses who testified. Appellant

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submits that “[f]or this reason, prosecution commentary highlighting the

defense ‘failure’ to prove its case with the video—which can be no failure at

all since the defense has no obligation to prove its case—is uniquely damaging

when the video was the main event at the trial.” (Id. at 39).

Further, Appellant claims the prosecutor’s comment suggested to the

jury that defense counsel believed Appellant was guilty. Appellant avers the

prosecutor’s statement not only suggested defense counsel’s state of mind

regarding Appellant’s guilt, but also suggested that defense counsel sought to

deceive the jury by limiting its access to the video. Appellant insists that the

prosecutor’s comment encouraged the jury to evaluate the non-record

considerations of defense counsel’s mindset and motives in determining

Appellant’s guilt or innocence. Appellant maintains the prosecutor’s comment

was prejudicial and cannot be considered harmless. Because the prosecutor

also highlighted that Appellant had repeatedly objected to the video evidence

during the Commonwealth’s case-in-chief, Appellant contends the prosecutor

improperly commented on defense counsel’s failure to present evidence.

(Appellant’s Reply Brief at 3). Appellant concludes the prosecutor committed

misconduct, and this Court must grant relief. We disagree.

With respect to a claim of prosecutorial misconduct, this Court has

explained:

Our standard of review for a claim of prosecutorial
misconduct is limited to whether the trial court abused its
discretion.

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In considering this claim, our attention is focused on
whether the defendant was deprived of a fair trial, not a
perfect one.

Not every unwise remark on a prosecutor’s part constitutes
reversible error. Indeed, the test is a relatively stringent
one. Generally speaking, a prosecutor’s comments do not
constitute reversible error unless the unavoidable effect of
such comments would be to prejudice the jury, forming in
their minds fixed bias and hostility toward [Appellant] so
that they could not weigh the evidence objectively and
render a true verdict. Prosecutorial misconduct, however,
will not be found where comments were based on evidence
or proper inferences therefrom or were only oratorical flair.
In order to evaluate whether comments were improper, we
must look to the context in which they were made. Finally,
when a trial court finds that a prosecutor’s comments were
inappropriate, they may be appropriately cured by a
cautionary instruction to the jury.

* * *

In cases where an appellant alleges that his Fifth
Amendment right to remain silent was improperly
referenced at trial, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court has
emphasized the mere revelation of silence does not
establish innate prejudice.

Commonwealth v. Harris, 884 A.2d 920, 927 (Pa.Super. 2005), appeal

denied, 593 Pa. 726, 928 A.2d 1289 (2007) (internal citations and quotation

marks omitted).

Further:

Not every unwise, intemperate, or improper remark made
by a prosecutor mandates the grant of a new trial.
Reversible error occurs only when the unavoidable effect of
the challenged comments would prejudice the jurors and
form in their minds a fixed bias and hostility toward the
defendant such that the jurors could not weigh the evidence
and render a true verdict.

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Commonwealth v. Eilliott, 622 Pa. 236, 282, 80 A.3d 415, 443 (2013), cert.

denied, 574 U.S. 828, 135 S.Ct. 50, 190 L.Ed.2d 54 (2014) (internal citation

omitted).

Instantly, during the prosecutor’s closing argument, she emphasized the

importance of the surveillance video evidence depicting Appellant as the

shooter. Defense counsel objected to the prosecutor’s remarks as follows:

[THE PROSECUTOR:] What you can see, [Appellant] is
significantly taller than everybody else. This video gives you
everything. But it’s not everything, because there’s
substantial corroboration in this particular case, and that
comes from the physical evidence. Silent witnesses, things
that can’t lie. And let me be clear; video is physical
evidence. The video doesn’t lie. You determine what
happens in the video. That is what it is.

Why do you think [defense counsel] didn’t actually show you
the video? He could have showed you the video. He chose
not to. Why? He doesn’t want you to keep looking at the
picture of [Appellant] up on the screen. How many times
has he objected to a picture of [Appellant]?

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] I object to that.

[THE COURT:] Overruled. Its argument.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] He doesn’t want you to see
[Appellant’s] face because the more you see it, the more
sure you are that [Appellant] shot [Decedent].

(N.T. Trial, 3/25/22, at 117-18). Defense counsel made no further objection

to the remainder of the prosecutor’s closing argument.

Initially, Appellant did not object following the prosecutor’s statement:

“He doesn’t want you to see [Appellant’s] face because the more you see it,

the more sure you are that [Appellant] shot [Decedent].” Thus, Appellant’s

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claim that the prosecutor’s comment improperly suggested defense counsel’s

state of mind and that defense counsel believed Appellant was guilty, is waived

on appeal. See Commonwealth v. Tucker, 143 A.3d 955 (Pa.Super. 2016),

appeal denied, 641 Pa. 63, 165 A.3d 895 (2017) (explaining that failure to

make timely and specific objection before trial court at appropriate stage of

proceedings will result in waiver of issue on appeal). Consequently, we are

left to consider only the impact of the prosecutor’s allegedly improper remarks

stating: “Why do you think [defense counsel] didn’t actually show you the

video? He could have showed you the video. He chose not to. Why? He

doesn’t want you to keep looking at the picture of [Appellant] up on the

screen. How many times has he objected to a picture of [Appellant]?” (N.T.

Trial, 3/25/22, at 117).

The trial court evaluated this claim as follows:

During closing argument, Defense counsel asserted that a
proper identification could not be made from the
surveillance video, stating: “…the video that they compiled,
and edited and put it together, no matter how many times
its been shown and how many times attempted to show that
one still picture, the ultimate factor is that none of them,
none of the video shows the face of or in any way shows
anything at all that is [Appellant]. Not that he resembles
somebody; that it is [Appellant].” N.T., 3/25/22, [61-62].

The statement [Appellant] claims to be prosecutorial
misconduct was made in fair response to impress upon the
jury that the video evidence did establish the identification
of [Appellant] as the perpetrator of the murder. The
Commonwealth stated[:] “[W]hy do you think [defense
counsel] didn’t actually show you the video? He could have
showed you the video. He chose not to. Why? He doesn’t
want you to keep looking at the picture of [Appellant] up on

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the screen. How many times has he objected to a picture
of [Appellant]?” N.T., 3/25/22, 117.

Defense counsel’s closing argument attempted to diminish
the identification of [Appellant] by Officer Lamanna made
from the surveillance video. In fair response, the
Commonwealth countered that the identification from the
video was powerful evidence that the defense was
downplaying. The prosecutor is permitted to use oratorical
flair, which she did, by stating that the defense would have
made use of the video if it depicted a shooter who was not
[Appellant]. This is not burden shifting or commenting on
silence, it is simply fair rebuttal to defense argument.

The court did not abuse its discretion in overruling the
objection, nor did the Commonwealth commit prosecutorial
misconduct.

(Trial Court Opinion at 15-16).

The record supports the court’s analysis. Throughout trial, Appellant

argued that the video evidence was not inculpatory because the video quality

was too poor to yield an identification of the shooter. In closing arguments,

the defense insisted that the video was not inculpatory. In fair response, the

prosecutor used a bit of “oratorical flair” to suggest to the jury that if Appellant

was not on the video as he claimed, defense counsel would not have objected

to presentation of the video evidence. Given the theories of the case during

trial and the arguments from both parties in closing, we see no abuse of

discretion in the court’s ruling on Appellant’s objection to the prosecutor’s

remarks. Notably, the prosecutor’s closing argument spanned 40 pages.

(See N.T. Trial, 3/25/22, at 90-130). On this record, we cannot say that the

challenged portion of the prosecutor’s remarks, when read in context of the

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entire closing argument, prejudiced the jurors and formed in their minds a

fixed bias and hostility toward Appellant such that the jurors could not weigh

the evidence and render a true verdict. See Elliott, supra; Harris, supra.

Moreover, any prejudicial effect from the prosecutor’s statement was

cured by the trial court’s general instructions to the jury following closing

arguments that their determination should not be based on “which attorney

you think makes the better speech”; that the jury is not “bound by the

recollection of counsel in their arguments”; and that “it is the Commonwealth

that always has the burden of proving each and every element of the crimes

charged[.]” (See N.T. Trial, 3/25/22, at 133-35). See also Commonwealth

v. Hawkins, 549 Pa. 352, 388, 701 A.2d 492, 510 (1997), cert. denied, 523

U.S. 1083, 118 S.Ct. 1535, 140 L.Ed.2d 685 (1998) (stating any prejudicial

effect from prosecutor’s statement was cured by trial court’s general

cautionary instruction to jury that closing arguments were not evidence and

that Commonwealth always bore burden of proof because defendant did not

have to prove he is not guilty; law presumes juries follow court’s instructions

as to applicable law). Therefore, Appellant’s first issue on appeal merits no

relief.

In his second issue, Appellant argues that trial counsel requested a

charge on identification that “incorporated” the considerations in Kloiber.

(Appellant’s Brief at 46). Appellant asserts that defense counsel noted the

“degraded” quality of the surveillance video and that “the issue of

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identification” was in play. (Id.) Appellant claims the court denied the

requested charge because Kloiber does not apply in scenarios where the

identifying witness knows the person identified; here, Officer Lammana

claimed he knew Appellant from prior interactions. Appellant posits that the

law requires a Kloiber charge when the witness did not clearly observe the

suspect, regardless of whether the witness might have been acquainted with

the suspect. Appellant contends the court also denied the charge because the

court characterized defense counsel’s strategy as claiming the officer was

lying, and not that the officer had misidentified Appellant. Further, Appellant

insists the court admitted that the video was grainy, and that no one could

make an identification from the actual shooting part of the video. Appellant

emphasizes that the only identification witness at trial was Officer Lamanna.

Appellant maintains it was crucial for the court to give a Kloiber instruction,

telling the jury that if it found the video did not offer the viewer the opportunity

to “clearly observe” the perpetrator, then the identification should be received

with caution.

Appellant highlights that the jury struggled with identification in this

case, based on the jury’s request to see a side-by-side still of the video and

Appellant, after which the jury still could not reach a verdict. Appellant

emphasizes that the jury then asked to resume deliberations after the

weekend. Absent a Kloiber instruction, Appellant insists the jury was free to

consider the officer’s more confident opinion, unencumbered by the “caution”

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the court should have directed them to exercise. Given the lack of evidence

against Appellant in this case, Appellant claims the court’s failure to give the

Kloiber instruction could not have been harmless. Appellant concludes the

court erred by denying his requested Kloiber charge, and this Court must

grant relief. We disagree.

Preliminarily, “to preserve a claim that a jury instruction was

erroneously given, the [a]ppellant must have objected to the charge at trial.”

Commonwealth v. Parker, 104 A.3d 17, 29 (Pa.Super. 2014), appeal

denied, 632 Pa. 669, 117 A.3d 296 (2015). Our Supreme Court has explained:

The pertinent rules [of criminal procedure] require a specific
objection to the [jury] charge or an exception to the trial
court’s ruling on a proposed point to preserve an issue
involving a jury instruction. Although obligating counsel to
take this additional step where a specific point for charge
has been rejected may appear counterintuitive, as the
requested instruction can be viewed as alerting the trial
court to a defendant’s substantive legal position, it serves
the salutary purpose of affording the court an
opportunity to avoid or remediate potential error,
thereby eliminating the need for appellate review of
an otherwise correctable issue. This is particularly so
where a judge believes that the charge adequately covered
the proposed points.

Commonwealth v. Pressley, 584 Pa. 624, 630-31, 887 A.2d 220, 224

(2005) (internal citations and footnotes omitted) (emphasis added). See also

Pa.R.Crim.P. 647(c) (explaining that no portions of jury charge nor omissions

from charge may be assigned error, unless specific objections are made

thereto before jury retires to deliberate); Parker, supra (holding appellant

waived challenge to jury instruction where he failed to object after court read

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jury charge; although appellant expressly objected to flight charge at charging

conference, defense counsel responded negatively when court asked if any

additions or corrections to jury charge needed to be made after court issued

jury instructions); Commonwealth v. Melton, No. 849 EDA 2018 (Pa.Super.

filed Apr. 27, 2020) (unpublished memorandum),3 appeal denied, 662 Pa.

489, 240 A.3d 109 (2020) (holding appellant waived challenge to court’s

failure to give requested corpus delicti instruction; although appellant

submitted proposed point for charge regarding corpus delicti instruction and

initially objected to jury instructions, appellant failed to object to court’s

supplemental instructions which had inadvertently omitted requested

instruction; appellant’s failure to object to supplemental instruction deprived

court of opportunity to correct its error at appropriate stage of proceedings

and to alleviate appellate issues).

Instantly, after the court issued its jury instructions, defense counsel

had the following exchange with the court:

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] …[I]s there any charge on
identification here.

[THE COURT:] You didn’t ask for a charge on
identification; but what type of charge are you asking for?

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Well, I mean, the identification
charge certainly lays out all of the factors. Maybe they have
the standard charge. Not put together, you have sort of a

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3 See Pa.R.A.P. 126(b) (stating we may rely on unpublished decisions of this

Court filed after May 1, 2019 for their persuasive value).

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Kloiber charge incorporated in identification.[4]

[THE COURT:] That’s if someone doesn’t know
the individual. This police officer testified that [he] know[s]
the individual, so that’s why I didn’t give a Kloiber charge.
That’s for an unknown identification; stranger on stranger
identification.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Your Honor, I would suggest that
generally speaking with the video there has to be some
explanation.

[THE COURT:] I actually said something to them
at the time of the video that the officer made the
identification, but it’s up to them, you know. I will reiterate
that. That’s about it.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] I said that in my closing, too. I
don’t think they need to hear it.

[THE COURT:] Different than me.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] That’s true. They already heard
numerous times. They already heard it numerous times.
It’s not a difficult jury charge.

[THE COURT:] They have to decide whether
they believe the police officer or not; not because of the
lighting or any conditions. I mean, he says “I know him.
That’s him.” They have to decide whether he’s telling the
____________________________________________

4 In Kloiber, our Supreme Court held:

[W]here the witness is not in a position to clearly observe
the assailant or he is not positive as to identity, or his
positive statements as to identity are weakened by
qualification, or by the failure to identify the defendant on
one or more prior occasions, the accuracy of the
identifications is so doubtful that the [c]ourt should warn
the jury that the testimony as to identity must be received
with caution.

Kloiber, supra at 424, 106 A.2d at 826-27.

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truth or not.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] The video, the degrading part, all
of that was talked about during the course of the closing. I
think there’s an issue as to identification. At least let the
jury know.

[THE COURT:] If I did a Kloiber charge, the
officers made an identification of [Appellant] in the video,
and then it would basically say you have to take a look at
the lighting, you know, all of these other things. You list it.
You know, prior experience with him, that they have to
scrutinize that identification testimony. If there’s this whole
issue of some concern about identification. We are talking
about the comparison that was made, even though…[y]our
claim was never that the police officer misidentified. Your
claim was, isn’t it, sort of that the police officer lied.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Well, that is another issue.

[THE COURT:] Is it a misidentification?

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Seems to me, Judge. Some
information has to be given about—

[THE COURT:] I will just read it. I am not saying
I am giving it. All it does is outline the lighting, the—

[THE PROSECUTOR:] Doesn’t really make sense for
the—it’s also for a stranger, isn’t it?

[THE COURT:] He recognized him because he
knows him.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] I will defer to the charge,
obviously.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] I think as you know they have—
there has been alteration on the identification charge where
they mixed it all with Kloiber and—

[THE COURT:] That’s the stranger identification.
In other words, they’re saying identification evidence is
unreliable, and, so, if you—certain cases allow an expert to

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testify. Regarding the cross-facial identification, things of
the sort. But when you recognize someone, because you
know them, you say, “I know them,” that doesn’t apply
when they know the person. It doesn’t.

The thing is now it’s whether do you believe the police officer
that he knows him.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] Right.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] I can’t disagree with that.

I think the other factors involved here that creates the issue
of identification; cause they’re looking at the video, put
aside the officer at the moment, the video is what is key for
the Commonwealth’s case.

[THE COURT:] Maybe I will give some kind of
instruction.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] I strenuously object. The
instruction is not necessary. Not only is it not necessary,
there are no jury instructions that would apply to this
particular circumstance. He’s asking for a jury instruction
unrelated type of circumstance. He want[s] to reargue his
own closing.

[THE COURT:] I understand it doesn’t apply, but
I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Remind them you
have to judge the identification by the police officer.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] I would object. We argued. I
said it in my closing. It’s not the same. You did give the
instruction.

[THE COURT:] I will reiterate it. How is this—I
am not going to go through lighting and everything. It’s a
video. They know it’s a video.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] Okay.

[THE COURT:] Stated obvious.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] You’re mentioning the police

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officer. Are you—

[THE COURT:] I don’t have to say that is the
identification. He’s the only witness to identify. You have
to say there was an identification by the police officer. And,
you know, even though he identified him, it’s up to you to
decide.

[THE PROSECUTOR:] I don’t think that is—they can
use him to help judge credibility and they judge—I don’t
think to give that instruction is—

[THE COURT:] It’s not a Kloiber case.

[DEFENSE COUNSEL:] We can back off of that for a
moment.

The other part sitting we have to re-emphasize that the jury,
they have to determine what’s on that video, not those
markers or whatever else.

[THE COURT:] I told them; some emphasis on
that. I will agree to that. We are good.

(N.T. Trial, 3/25/22, at 159-165). After this exchange, the sidebar discussion

concluded. The court then issued a supplemental jury charge as follows:

[THE COURT:] One other thing I will add in.

During the trial you saw a video in this matter. Sometimes
there was narration by the detective in the case. What you
see in the video. You are the judge of the facts, so you
make that determination. That is it.

(Id. at 165-66). After the court’s supplemental instruction, Appellant posed

no objection or requested any additional instruction for the jury. (See id.)

Here, the record makes clear that following the initial jury instructions,

defense counsel requested a Kloiber charge. After a lengthy discussion with

the parties concerning the propriety of the requested charge, the court

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declined to give the specific Kloiber instruction, but the court agreed to re-

emphasize to the jurors that they are to determine what the video evidence

shows. Defense counsel made no objection to the court’s statement that it

would not issue the requested Kloiber instruction, and defense counsel also

did not object following the court’s supplemental instruction. Therefore,

Appellant’s second issue is waived on appeal.5 See Pressley, supra; Melton,

supra.

In his third issue, Appellant argues that the court improperly overruled

his objection to the detectives’ expressions of their disbelief in Appellant’s

account of events as well as their disbelief in Appellant’s assertion of

innocence. Appellant claims the prosecutor sought to introduce the detectives’

statements from his videotaped interrogation6 that “we believe it’s you in the

____________________________________________

5 In his reply brief, Appellant cites to mostly civil cases which purportedly
stand for the proposition that this Court can overlook waiver where the trial
court addressed the issue on the merits in its Rule 1925(a) opinion. (See
Appellant’s Reply Brief at 4-6). As these cases are not specific to the criminal
context addressing the failure to object to a jury charge, they do not afford
Appellant relief. We further note that in Pressley, our Supreme Court
distinguished the rules governing issue preservation concerning a jury charge
in the criminal and civil arenas. See Pressley, supra at 632 n.10, 887 A.2d
at 225 n.10.

6 The videotaped interrogation played for the jury is included in the certified

record. On July 3, 2023, this Court granted Appellant’s unopposed motion
seeking to supplement his brief with transcribed excerpts of the videotaped
interrogation. We made clear in our order, however, that we accepted the
transcribed excerpts only for the purpose of aiding this Court’s review of the
videotaped interrogation, and to the extent that there are any inconsistencies
between the transcript references and the video, the video controls.

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[surveillance] video, we believe we have the right person, we believe it’s you

in the video.” (Appellant’s Brief at 53) (citing N.T. Trial, 3/24/22, at 35).

Appellant claims the court admitted such evidence over defense counsel’s

objections, which “unleashed a torrent of impermissible opinion evidence from

law enforcement, including direct accusations that [Appellant’s] repeated

insistence of innocence was nothing more than fabrication.” (Id. at 53).

Relying on Commonwealth v. Kitchen, 730 A.2d 513 (Pa.Super. 1999),

Appellant insists that “[t]he detectives’ repeated accusations in the face of

[Appellant’s] denials, delivered with such certitude, coupled with their

expressions of incredulity, are the very type of statements that this Court has

held must be excluded from a defendant’s trial.” (Appellant’s Brief at 56).

Appellant highlights that there were 14 accusations by police “repudiating

[Appellant’s] exculpatory statements by reaffirming their unshakable

conclusion that he was guilty, and his story untrue.” (Id.) Appellant

maintains that “[i]n a close case like this one, where the single identification

witness is viewing the same obstructed images that the jury is viewing,

lobbing fourteen accusations of fabrication could never be deemed harmless.”

(Id. at 57). Appellant concludes the court’s evidentiary ruling was improper,

and this Court must grant relief. We disagree.

Our standard of review of a trial court’s admission or exclusion of

evidence is well established and very narrow:

Admission of evidence is a matter within the sound
discretion of the trial court, and will not be reversed absent

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a showing that the trial court clearly abused its discretion.
Not merely an error in judgment, an abuse of discretion
occurs when the law is overridden or misapplied, or the
judgment exercised is manifestly unreasonable, or the
result of partiality, prejudice, bias, or ill-will, as shown by
the evidence on record.

Commonwealth v. Montalvo, 604 Pa. 386, 403, 986 A.2d 84, 94 (2009),

cert. denied, 562 U.S. 857, 131 S.Ct. 127, 178 L.Ed.2d 77 (2010) (internal

citations and quotation marks omitted). Further, our scope of review in cases

where the trial court explains the basis for its evidentiary ruling is limited to

an examination of the stated reason. Commonwealth v. Stephens, 74 A.3d

1034, 1037 (Pa.Super. 2013). “We must also be mindful that a discretionary

ruling cannot be overturned simply because a reviewing court disagrees with

the trial court’s conclusion.” Commonwealth v. O’Brien, 836 A.2d 966, 968

(Pa.Super. 2003), appeal denied, 577 Pa. 695, 845 A.2d 817 (2004).

In Kitchen, supra, this Court considered the Commonwealth’s appeal

from an order granting in part the appellee’s motion in limine to exclude at

trial a videotape of her interrogation by police. In her motion in limine, the

appellee had argued the videotape evidence “contained hearsay statements

by police interrogators and that the police questioning of her contained

‘inflammatory’ information and involved an ‘accusatory nature.’” Id. at 517.

The trial court granted the motion in part, ruling that portions of the videotape

evidence were inadmissible as part of the Commonwealth’s case-in-chief,

because they contained hearsay and inflammatory and prejudicial remarks by

the police interrogators. Id. at 517-18. The Commonwealth declined the

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court’s invitation to redact the videotaped evidence. Id. at 517. Thus, the

court barred portions of the video regarding police officers’ statements to the

appellee that “(a) she is going to be arrested for murder; (b) witnesses will

connect [the a]ppellee to the murder; (c) [the appellee’s co-defendant] was

in police custody; (d) [the a]ppellee is lying to police and she is aware that

she is lying; and (e) the police would not be accusing [the a]ppellee of murder

and conspiracy if they did not have a solid case against her.” Id. at 518. The

court further excluded portions of the video where the appellee did not

respond to the accusatory police questions concerning the appellee’s

participation in the crimes. Id.

On appeal, this Court affirmed in part and reversed in part the trial

court’s ruling. Relevant to our analysis of Appellant’s issue, this Court agreed

with the trial court’s exclusion of several instances where the police, “either

directly or indirectly, accused [the a]ppellee of lying.” Id. This Court

explained: “When the troopers stated to [the a]ppellee, ‘You’re lying,’ or ‘We

know that you’re lying,’ or phrases to that effect, their statements were akin

to a prosecutor offering his or her opinion of the truth or falsity of the evidence

presented by a criminal defendant, and such opinions are inadmissible at

trial.” Id. Thus, this Court held that the twelve accusations of lying and

untruthfulness must be redacted from the videotaped evidence prior to their

submission to a jury. Id. at 522.

This Court noted that there were also several instances when the

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troopers asked the appellee whether she had lied about a particular fact and

she responded; those inquiries did not need to be redacted because they were

in question form, did not involve an opinion as to the truth or falsity of the

appellee’s statements or an opinion as to the appellee’s guilt, and the appellee

offered responses. Id. This Court further agreed with the trial court’s

exclusion of several instances of police questioning coupled with a lack of

responses by the appellee, because those instances would constitute an

improper reference to the appellee’s pre-arrest silence. Id. In so holding,

this Court explained:

Evidence of a defendant’s silence in refusing to deny guilt
after an accusation of guilt has been made (often referred
to as a tacit admission) is generally not admissible where
the silence occurred while the defendant is in police custody
because a contrary policy would effectively vitiate a
defendant’s constitutionally guaranteed Fifth Amendment
right against self-incrimination. However, this [principle] of
not allowing evidence of a tacit admission by the defendant
does not extend to instances where the defendant does not
choose to remain silent but instead volunteers responses to
police questioning.

Once a defendant chooses to make a response, that
response, and the circumstances surrounding the response,
are properly made available for the jury’s consideration in
evaluating the credibility of the verbal denial based on a
contemporaneous non-verbal act.

Id. (quoting Hawkins, supra at 385-86, 701 A.2d at 509).

Thus, this Court made clear “that any accusatory statement made or

question posed by police to [the a]ppellee, and [the a]ppellee’s reaction

and/or response to the statement or question, need not be redacted from the

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J-A17043-23

videotape if [the a]ppellee responded, even if after a silent pause, to the

statement or question.” Kitchen, supra at 523 (citing Hawkins, supra).

Even where the admission of police accusatory statements is improper,

relief is unwarranted where the error is harmless. See Commonwealth v.

Kratz, No. 150 EDA 2020 (filed April 30, 2021) (unpublished memorandum),

appeal denied, ___ Pa. ___, 266 A.3d 451 (2021) (holding admission of

detectives’ accusatory statements was harmless error). An error is harmless

where:

(1) the error did not prejudice the defendant or the
prejudice was de minimis; or (2) the erroneously admitted
evidence was merely cumulative of other, untainted
evidence which was substantially similar to the erroneously
admitted evidence; or (3) the properly admitted and
uncontradicted evidence of guilt was so overwhelming and
the prejudicial effect of the error was so insignificant by
comparison that the error could not have contributed to the
verdict.

Commonwealth v. Williams, 274 A.3d 722, 735 (Pa.Super. 2022), appeal

denied, ___ Pa. ___, 290 A.3d 647 (2023) (internal citation omitted).7

Instantly, Appellant objects to the following 14 statements by police

made during the videotaped interrogation:

1. Detective Burns: “You were picked up on surveillance
footage.”

2. Detective Burns: “I don’t believe that we [have the wrong
____________________________________________

7 The Commonwealth agrees with Appellant that the challenged portions of
the videotaped interrogation were inadmissible under Kitchen but insists that
Appellant suffered no prejudice to warrant a new trial. (See Commonwealth’s
Brief at 14).

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J-A17043-23

guy].”

3. Detective Burns: “I’m telling you that I know that this …
is you, that’s what I’m telling you [Appellant].”

4. Detective Burns: … “You were right on 62nd Street at this
time.”

5. Detective Burns: “I showed you the photo and you looked
and you said no, that’s not me, and I said it is you.”

6. Detective Harkins: “We checked the cameras on 62 nd
Street …, and you were out there.”

7. Detective Burns: …“I know that you were right there.”

8. Detective Harkins: (in response to [Appellant’s]
statement that he does not wear hats) “Do you know how
absurd that sounds?”

9. Detective Burns: … “[you are not] building a lot of points
on your behalf” …

10. [Detective Burns:] … “You’re a 25-year-old kid, I find it
awfully suspicious that you wouldn’t have a cell phone at
some point.”

11. Detective Burns: “Your story keeps evolving, changing,
and everything else with your [phone] numbers.”

12. Detective Burns: “Another reason why you would have
something on your head – to cover up that thing on your
head. That’s exactly what I’m thinking.”

13. Detective Harkins: “Do you remember the photograph
that we showed you this morning of what we said was you,
and you said I don’t even own those clothes?” … “You
couldn’t possibly make the argument that these [clothes
recovered from Appellant’s home] are not the exact same
clothes depicted in that video.”

14. Detective Burns: “We’re quite confident we have the
right person here.”

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J-A17043-23

(Appellant’s Brief at 54-56) (reformatted from brief; record citations omitted).

Our review of Appellant’s interrogation confirms that the statements

posed by the police in Appellant’s interrogation were different than those

deemed inadmissible in Kitchen. Unlike in Kitchen, the challenged portions

of the police statements at issue here did not state “[y]ou’re lying,” or “[w]e

know that you’re lying,” or phrases to that effect. Compare Kitchen, supra

at 521-22 (discussing specific accusations of lying or untruthfulness that were

inadmissible).8 Rather, the police informed Appellant repeatedly that they

believed Appellant was the person on the video surveillance (based on police

identification of Appellant) and made statements confirming their position that

Appellant was on the video in an effort to obtain an admission of guilt.

Although Appellant maintains that the officers’ repeated accusations implied

____________________________________________

8 Specifically:

[T]he troopers stated four times on Tape 1 that [the
a]ppellee was “lying”. On Tape 1A there were three
instances, one at the beginning and two at the end of the
tape. At the beginning of Tape 1A Trooper Schreiber stated,
regarding Tape 1, “There were a lot of things we know were
not true.” At the end of Tape 1A the troopers stated, “This
is not the story we’ve been getting from other people” and
“This is something different from what you’ve said before.”
On Tape 2 there were five accusations of lying or
untruthfulness: three were direct accusations and two
involved indirect accusations. All of the aforementioned
twelve accusations of lying and untruthfulness must be
redacted from the videotapes prior to their submission to a
jury.

Kitchen, supra.

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J-A17043-23

that Appellant must be lying in his assertion of innocence, none of the

challenged statements directly accused Appellant of lying or untruthfulness

similar to the statements made in Kitchen.

Additionally, we note that Appellant did not remain silent when faced

with any of the challenged police statements; instead, he repeatedly

maintained his innocence. Thus, once Appellant chose to respond, his

responses and the circumstances surrounding his responses were properly

before the jury for consideration in evaluating Appellant’s credibility. See id.

Further, any challenged questions posed by police (as opposed to alleged

accusatory statements) would not be inadmissible under Kitchen. Id.

To the extent the police indirectly commented on Appellant’s

truthfulness, we agree with the Commonwealth that such error was harmless.

Here, the interrogating officers’ protestations that Appellant was on the video

were based on Officer Lamanna’s identification of Appellant in the video.

Officer Lamanna identified Appellant in the video at trial and was available for

cross-examination.9 Further, the court informed the jury multiple times

throughout trial that they were the finders of fact, “so it doesn’t matter what

the detective believes he sees in the picture.” (N.T. Trial, 3/24/22, at 138).

(See also N.T. 3/25/22, at 165-66) (stating: “What you see in the video. You

are the judge of the facts, so you make that determination. That is it”). We

____________________________________________

9 We discuss the propriety of Officer Lamanna’s identification of Appellant in

our discussion of Appellant’s fourth issue, infra.

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will presume the jury followed the court’s instructions. See Hawkins, supra.

Under these circumstances, any error in playing the videotaped interrogation

for the jury was harmless. See Williams, supra; Kratz, supra. Therefore,

Appellant’s third issue on appeal merits no relief.

In his final issue, Appellant argues that the court improperly permitted

Officer Lamanna to identify Appellant from the video surveillance evidence.

Appellant asserts that Officer Lamanna did not base his opinion upon any

sensory or experiential observations particular to his acquaintance with

Appellant that distinguished Appellant from others in the population at large.

Rather, Appellant claims Officer Lamanna made observations of widely

applicable, common features, and had no insight to offer the jurors. Appellant

insists that Officer Lamanna imparted nothing to the jurors that they could not

see and fairly consider themselves. As such, Appellant maintains the officer’s

testimony was not helpful to the jury in determining the critical fact in issue.

Appellant suggests that the officer’s description of the person in the

video’s long arms would be representative of any individual of great height.

Appellant further submits that the perpetrator did not even take short strides,

in contrast to the officer’s testimony of Appellant’s particular gait. Even if the

perpetrator did take short strides, allegedly similar to Appellant’s gait,

Appellant posits “the fact of a short stride is a thin reed upon which to allow a

police officer to tell the jury that the person in the video is the defendant.”

(Appellant’s Brief at 63). Appellant concludes the court’s admission of Officer

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Lamanna’s identification testimony was improper, and this Court must grant

relief. We disagree.

Initially, we reiterate that the failure to make a timely and specific

objection before the trial court at the appropriate stage of the proceedings will

result in waiver of the issue on appeal. See Tucker, supra. See also

Commonwealth v. Cash, 635 Pa. 451, 137 A.3d 1262 (2016), cert. denied,

580 U.S. 1161, 137 S.Ct. 1202, 197 L.Ed.2d 249 (2017) (explaining that

appellant waives claim on appeal where objection raised at trial was different

ground for relief than that raised on appeal).

Instantly, Appellant objected to any police identification of Appellant

from the surveillance video prior to trial. (See N.T. Pre-Trial Hearing,

3/17/22, at 17). Specifically, defense counsel argued:

The second issue we have is the testimony of police officers
as to attempts to make identification. That is a little more
crucial than what we are speaking about now, although both
of them are extremely crucial, and that is the testimony of
police officers.

They have a limited purpose, nothing more. Remember,
there is no layman identification of my client from any
source, not even the information concerning the height and
weight of the individual, any type of description.

It doesn’t even match my client and then the police officers
come in and they look at the video and they say he is
running that way. I saw this and, therefore, that must be
him. I am objecting to all of that, Your Honor.

(Id.) Following argument from counsel and the court’s viewing of the

surveillance video, the court decided the identification testimony was

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admissible. The court stated:

Under the case law, [the prosecution] can do that because
the video isn’t clear. If he would have looked right up in the
video, that would be different but the video isn’t clear and
this is a neighborhood that he hangs in and they are patrol
officers. It will not be prejudicial in the sense they just know
who hangs out in the neighborhood. They will not talk about
prior crime or anything like that.

* * *

They patrol and they can just say that they think it is him
and then I can give a cautionary instruction but they have
to have a basis for it. He is very tall.

(Id. at 46-47). During trial, the court revisited Appellant’s continued objection

to the police identification testimony. (See N.T. Trial, 3/23/22, at 2).

Specifically, Appellant argued:

As I informed the [c]ourt and the Commonwealth, Your
Honor, I object to this police officer [Officer Lamanna]
making an identification and indicating during the course of
this video, the location of my client and where he is walking
and as a result, Your Honor, that is for the jurors’
determination, not this particular officer, not because
he is offering an opinion but because the best
evidence is this video and, more importantly, the features
are going to be designated and shown on this particular
video, so the jury can make its own determination.

(Id. at 2-3) (emphasis added). The court overruled Appellant’s objection.

(See id. at 3-5).

Instantly, the Commonwealth argues that Appellant waived this issue,

where defense counsel confirmed he was not objecting because the officer

was offering an opinion, but because the video is the best evidence in this

case. (See Commonwealth’s Brief at 16) (citing N.T. Trial, 3/23/22, at 2-3).

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J-A17043-23

Although the highlighted statement above might suggest that Appellant was

abandoning any earlier objection in favor of limiting his objection to a violation

of the “best evidence rule,”10 in light of Appellant’s earlier pre-trial hearing

objection and the court’s on-the-record discussion of same, we decline the

Commonwealth’s invitation to deem this issue waived on appeal.

Turning to the merits of this issue, Pennsylvania Rule of Evidence 701

provides:

Rule 701. Opinion Testimony by Lay Witnesses

If a witness is not testifying as an expert, the testimony in
the form of an opinion is limited to one that is:

(a) rationally based on the witness’s perception;

(b) helpful to clearly understanding the witness’s testimony
or to determining a fact in issue; and

(c) not based on scientific, technical, or other specialized
knowledge within the scope of Rule 702.

Pa.R.E. 701. “Generally, lay witnesses may express personal opinions related

to their observations on a range of subject areas based on their personal

experiences that are helpful to the factfinder.” Commonwealth v. Berry,

172 A.3d 1, 3-4 (Pa.Super. 2017).

Under appropriate circumstances, this Court has upheld decisions to

____________________________________________

10 See Pa.R.E. 1002 (stating: “An original writing, recording, or photograph is

required in order to prove its content unless these rules, other rules prescribed
by the Supreme Court, or a statute provides otherwise”). The comment to
the Rule explains that this rule of evidence corresponds to the common law
“best evidence rule.” Pa.R.E. 1002, Comment.

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J-A17043-23

allow police to offer lay opinion testimony. See, e.g., Commonwealth v.

Palmer, 192 A.3d 85 (Pa.Super. 2018), appeal denied, 651 Pa. 339, 204 A.3d

924 (2019) (holding admission of detective’s lay opinion testimony identifying

appellant as shooter in surveillance videos was proper because it was based

on his perceptions and was helpful in allowing jury to reach clear

understanding); Commonwealth v. Spencer, 639 A.2d 820 (Pa.Super.

1994) (holding that admission of witness’s opinion that gait of robber and gait

of appellant were similar was proper); Commonwealth v. Hassinger, No.

168 MDA 2020 (Pa.Super. filed July 9, 2021) (unpublished memorandum),

appeal denied, ___ Pa. ___, 270 A.3d 431 (2021) (holding trial court did not

abuse its discretion in permitting lay opinion testimony by law enforcement

that defendant was person on surveillance video based on their interactions

with him over years; lay opinion testimony is more likely to be admissible

where surveillance evidence is of poor or grainy quality or where it shows only

partial view of subject).

Here, Officer Lamanna testified that he has seen Appellant in the area

of the 18th District “[i]n person, more than ten times; on social media,

hundreds.” (N.T. Trial, 3/23/22, at 20). The Commonwealth then played the

surveillance video in front of the jury. The officer stated: “I believe that to be

[Appellant] in the gray hooded sweatshirt, dark pants, black Timberland-style

boots.” (Id. at 26). Officer Lamanna testified that he identified the person in

the video as Appellant “[b]ased on some of the facial features, the beard you

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can observe, the way he walks, his height, especially.” (Id. at 27). The officer

also indicated that Appellant’s arms hang low, below his waist. (Id. at 28).

In discussing the way that Appellant walks, the officer stated: “He seems to

take shorter strides given his height than you normally would expect and he

kind of mills about, walks slowly for what you would expect [for a tall person].”

(Id. at 29). The Commonwealth asked the officer: “[W]hat, if anything, about

this particular clip reinforces your belief that the person we have been

watching is [Appellant]?” (Id. at 33). The officer responded: “The same

stride, the same length of arms, they way his arms hang low to the side.”

(Id.) The officer characterized Appellant’s stride as “unique” to Appellant,

given his height of six feet, seven inches tall. (Id. at 38-39). The officer also

indicated that Appellant has a Superman logo on his forehead.11 (Id. at 39).

The officer also confirmed that he has previously spoken face-to-face with

Appellant, where the officer was able to observe Appellant’s facial features

and “things like that[.]” (Id. at 40).

The trial court evaluated this claim as follows:

In the instant matter, Officer Lamanna, who identified
[Appellant] as the perpetrator in the surveillance video,
knew him prior to the incident for a few years, and observed
him many times in person on social media.

In the context of this case, police officers were the only
identification witnesses since the civilian witnesses were
uncooperative. The court allowed Officer Lamanna to make
____________________________________________

11A tattoo is not visible in the surveillance video due to the presence of a
hooded covering on the shooter’s head.

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the identification based on his prior familiarity with
[Appellant], since he was a patrol officer in the area and in
the footage the perpetrator had his head covered with a
hoodie. Upon identifying [Appellant], Officer Lamanna
stated the basis for his identification as follows: “it was
based on some of the facial features, the beard you can
observe, the way he walks, his height, especially.” N.T.,
3/23/22, 25-27. The officer additionally identified
[Appellant] by his gait, stating: “he takes shorter strides,
walking slowly for what you expect, due to his height with
his arms hanging below his waist.”5 N.T., 3/23/22, 28-29.

5 [Appellant] is six feet seven inches tall.

Officer Lamanna’s identification testimony was admissible
because the testimony was based on a prior knowledge of
[Appellant], and the officer stated the basis of his
identification which was [Appellant’s] facial features, arm
length, gait, and height. This identification was helpful in
allowing the jury to reach a clear understanding. It bears
noting that the jury was viewing the exact video from which
the identification was made. Therefore, the jury was free to
believe or disbelieve the testimony, and the officer was
subject to cross-examination on his identification of
[Appellant].

The court did not abuse its discretion by overruling trial
counsel’s objection to allowing a police officer to identify
[Appellant] from a surveillance video.

(Trial Court Opinion at 24-25) (some internal citations omitted).

We agree with the court’s analysis. Here, Officer Lamanna’s

identification of Appellant from the surveillance video was rationally based on

his perception of Appellant from prior interactions; was helpful to the jury

concerning the identification issue in the case, particularly where the video

was not totally clear at times; and was not based on scientific, technical, or

other specialized knowledge. See Pa.R.E. 701; Hassinger, supra. Upon our

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review, we see no abuse of discretion concerning the court’s evidentiary

ruling. See Montalvo, supra. Accordingly, we affirm.

Judgment of sentence affirmed.

Date: 11/14/2023

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