KRE 804A: Hearsay exceptions: testimony by child victim declarant not reasonably

obtainable

(a) An out -of-court statement made by a child with a physical, mental, emotional, or

developmental age of twelve (12) years or less at the time of trial or hear ing

describing any sexual act performed by, with, or on the child or describing any act

of physical violence directed against the child is not excluded as hearsay under KRE

802 if all of the following apply:

(1) The court finds that the totality of the cir cumstances surrounding the making

of the statement provides particularized guarantees of trustworthiness. In

making its determination of the reliability of the statement, the court shall

consider all of the circumstances surrounding the making of the state ment,

including but not limited to spontaneity, the internal consistency of the

statement, the mental state of the child, the child's motive or lack of motive to

fabricate, the child's use of terminology unexpected of a child of similar age,

the means by which the statement was elicited, and the lapse of time between

the act and the statement;

(2) Either:

(A) The child testifies but his or her testimony does not include information

contained in the out-of-court statement; or

(B) The child's testimony is not reasonably obtainable by the proponent of

the statement and there is corroborative evidence of the act that is the

subject of the statement;

(3) The primary purpose of the child's statement was not to create an out -of-court

substitute for trial testimony; and

(4) At least ten (10) days before the trial or hearing, a proponent of the statement

has notified all other parties in writing of the content of the statement, the time

and place at which the statement was made, the identity of the witness who is

to testify about the statement, and the circumstances surrounding the

statement that are claimed to indicate its trustworthiness.

(b) (1) The child's testimony is "not reasonably obtainable by the proponent of the

statement" under subsection (a)(2)(B) of this rule if one (1) or more of the

following apply:

(A) The child claims a lack of memory of the subject matter of the

statement;

(B) The court finds:

(i) The child is absent from the trial or hearing;

(ii) The proponent of the statement has been unable to procure the

child's attendance or testimony by process or other reasonable

means despite a good-faith effort to do so; and

(iii) It is probable that the proponent would be unable to procure the

child's testimony or attendance if the trial or hearing were delayed

for a reasonable time; or

(C) The court finds:

(i) The child is unable to testify at the trial or hearing because of:

a. Death;

b. Physical or mental illness; or

c. Infirmity, including the child's inability to communicate

about the offense because of fear or a similar reason; and

(ii) The illness or infirmity would not improve sufficiently to permit

the child to testify if the trial or hearing were delayed for a

reasonable time.

(2) The proponent of the statement has not established that the child's testimony

or attendance is not reasonably obtainable if the child's claim of lack of

memory, absence, or inability is due to the procurement or wrongdoing of the

proponent of the statement for the purpose of preventing the child from

attending or testifying.

(c) The court shall make the findings required by this rule on the basis of a hearing

conducted outside the presence of the jury and shall make findings of fact, on the

record, as to the bases for its ruling.

(d) If any provision of this rule should conflict with Article VIII of these rules, this rule

shall prevail.