Opinion ID: 803994
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: A.W.’s Testimony

Text: On direct examination, A.W. testified she had known K.A. “[a]bout a couple of days” prior to her encounter with Frost. R., Vol. 3, at 120. A.W. met K.A. on the evening of November 27 with the intention of drinking alcohol. The two girls met Frost at his residence and went to the Thriftway, where Frost purchased alcohol. They returned to Frost’s residence; Frost entered through the front door and, because Harris was home, he let A.W. and K.A. in through his bedroom window. A.W. and K.A. sat on Frost’s bed and drank while Frost played video games. Later, Frost put on a pornographic DVD at K.A.’s request. At some point, K.A. left the room to go to the bathroom. While she was gone, Frost placed his hand in A.W.’s hand. When K.A. returned, A.W. told her she needed to use the bathroom herself. K.A. had to help her to the bathroom because she was too drunk to get up by herself. In the bathroom, A.W. told K.A. she should not have left her alone with Frost and that she wanted to leave. The two returned to Frost’s room. K.A. and Frost whispered to each other, sometimes looking at A.W. Later, Harris, Frost’s mother, entered the room. She saw K.A. and ordered her to leave the room. Frost and K.A. had hidden A.W. under a blanket on Frost’s bed and told her to be quiet; apparently Harris did not see her. -4- After Harris left, Frost climbed into the bed with A.W. He touched her breasts under her shirt, removed her pants and underwear, and touched her vagina. A.W. told him to stop and unsuccessfully tried to push him away. Frost removed his shorts and penetrated A.W.’s vagina with his penis for two or three minutes. Frost then penetrated A.W.’s anus for about four minutes, which caused A.W. to cry out. At that point, Frost stopped, A.W. put her pants back on, and Harris reentered Frost’s room and told A.W. to get out of the house. A.W. put on her shoes and jacket, and Harris showed her out the front door. As soon as she left the house, at approximately 3:00 AM, A.W. used her cellphone to call her sister, Bridget W., and told her Frost had raped her. Bridget then met A.W. back at the Thriftway. Bridget brought A.W. home, where she told her mother and stepfather she had been raped. Her parents called the police. Officers Monica Medina and Jacob Steinhage arrived and questioned A.W. about the incident. A.W. was then driven to a nearby hospital, where she was interviewed and examined by Lynne Murison, a nurse practitioner and certified rape examiner. Finally, A.W. was interviewed at the hospital by John Wallace, an FBI agent. -5-
Defense counsel’s cross examination of A.W. covered much of the same ground as the government’s direct examination. Three portions of the cross examination are particularly relevant here. First, counsel questioned A.W. regarding how long she had known K.A. On direct, A.W. had said she had only known K.A. for a couple of days; on cross, however, she changed her answer to “[a]bout a couple of weeks.” R., Vol. 3, at 159. Second, counsel questioned A.W. about her statements to Agent Wallace regarding how she and K.A. had entered Frost’s residence: Q. Did you tell Agent Wallace that after the three of you left Thriftway and went back to Adam’s house that all three of you snuck through the bedroom window? A. No. Q. And if he said that, that would be incorrect? A. Yes. Id. at 212. Third, counsel pressed A.W. for more details regarding the point in her story when Harris entered Frost’s room and ordered K.A. to leave. A.W. reiterated that she had laid down on the bed and that Frost and K.A. covered her with a blanket and told her to be quiet. A.W. explained that although she was uncomfortable, she did not make any noise to notify Harris of her presence. Counsel again asked A.W. about her statements to Wallace: -6- Q. Did you also say to Agent Wallace that Ms. Harris looked at you and told you you would be okay in the bedroom? A. No. Q. And if he says that you said that, that would be incorrect? A. Yes. Id.