WASHINGTON, March 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday in a Washington state case using a recording at trial undermined the right of a defendant to confront witnesses.
Michael Crawford stabbed Kenneth Lee to death in 1999 for allegedly trying to rape Crawford's wife, Sylvia.
Sylvia did not testify at Crawford's trial because of Washington's marital privilege -- a spouse does not have to testify against his or her partner -- but the prosecution used a recorded statement made during interrogation.
Crawford's lawyers objected the tape violated his Sixth Amendment right to confront witnesses, but lost in court and on appeal.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday the use of the tape violated the Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause because, where statements from unavailable witnesses are at issue, the only indicator of reliability that satisfies constitutional demands is confrontation itself.
