State v. Traynham

Summary

The court affirmed the defendant’s convictions, holding that the trial court properly admitted the accomplice’s statements to his girlfriend and a close family member under the statement against penal interest exception to the hearsay rule. Although the defendant challenged the statements’ trustworthiness and argued that the accomplice shifted blame, the statements were made shortly after the crimes, voluntarily to trusted individuals, corroborated by substantial evidence, and exposed the accomplice to liability for the same types of crimes. No separate opinions were filed.