Opinion ID: 2996038
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Young’s Trial

Text: During the trial, the government called Patrick as a witness. As is not entirely uncommon with victims of doNo. 02-1294 7 mestic abuse, she denied most of the allegations against Young and recanted her story about the kidnaping and abuse. Patrick testified that she still loved Young and specifically denied that he threatened her before taking her to Indiana, that he forced her to go with him to Indiana, and that he had a gun. The government then treated Patrick as a hostile witness and introduced her grand jury testimony, in which she affirmed the details recited above about the trip to Indiana, the abuse, and Young’s gun. Patrick’s grand jury testimony tracked a written statement prepared during a lengthy meeting with government prosecutors. Before the grand jury, she testified that she had an opportunity to review and correct the statement, which she utilized. The government questioned her from the statement, and following her testimony she affirmed that all of her answers were correct. Patrick also affirmed that her testimony was entirely consistent with her statements to the police, the FBI agents, the medical personnel, the 911 operators, and her aunt. The government also called Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess, a psychiatric mental health nurse specializing in crime victims, as an expert to explain Patrick’s recantation. Dr. Burgess has more than forty years of nursing experience and holds a doctorate in nursing science as well as both master and bachelor of science degrees. She is a Professor of Nursing at Boston College and has written, among other things, over 114 articles in various professional journals and publications on topics including forensic nursing, rape, and domestic violence. Dr. Burgess was also the chair of a group from the National Research Council Institute of Medicine that prepared a book at Congress’ request entitled Understanding Violence Against Women. 8 No. 02-1294 Young objected to Dr. Burgess’ testimony, but following a full Daubert hearing, the court ruled that Dr. Burgess could testify. The doctor stated that victims of domestic violence commonly recant their accusations and that victims of such abuse have a limited ability to perceive means of escape. She also testified that Patrick exhibited this not uncommon behavior pattern. In forming her opinion, Dr. Burgess had reviewed FBI reports, Chicago Police Department reports detailing various confrontations between Patrick and Young, Patrick’s grand jury testimony, the Order of Protection Patrick obtained against Young, the criminal history report on Young, letters between Young and Patrick, the defense counsel’s notes of an interview with Patrick, and recordings of telephone conversations between Young and Patrick while Young was in pre-trial detention. Dr. Burgess also spent over an hour interviewing Patrick personally. During deliberations, the jury sent a question to the district judge asking for clarification on the meaning of “during” with respect to count 3’s charge of unlawfully using or carrying a firearm during and in relation to the commission of a crime of violence on or about January 14, 2001, in contravention of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c)(1)(A). With respect to this count, the court originally instructed the jury that the government must prove the following beyond a reasonable doubt: 1) that Young committed the crime of kidnaping as charged in count 1 or the crime of interstate domestic violence as charged in count 2; and 2) that on or about January 14, 2001, Young knowingly used or carried a firearm during and in relation to the offense charged in counts 1 or 2. The jury sent the following question to the district judge during deliberations: Dear Judge Pallmeyer: We, the jury, would like fur- ther clarification of the terms “during” and “in relation No. 02-1294 9 to,” the second part of Count 3. We, the jury, agree on the first part of Count 3. However, there has been much discussion on when “during” begins and ends. Question: If a person is convicted of interstate domestic violence, does the “during” begin when the defendant crosses state lines or does that time frame begin when the violence first occurs in Michigan City, Indiana? Thus, when does it end? Young asked that the jury be referred to the already given instructions, while the government and district judge felt a clarification was necessary. The court, accordingly, sent the following written clarification to the jury: “Dear Jurors: ‘During and in relation to the offense charged in Counts 1 or 2’ means at any point within the offense conduct charged in Counts 1 or 2.” The jury ultimately acquitted Young of the kidnaping charge in count 1 but convicted him of the charges in counts 2 and 3. In a special interrogatory on count 2, the jury stated that it did not find beyond a reasonable doubt that Young “used” a dangerous weapon in connection with the interstate domestic violence charge.1 The district court, thus, sentenced Young to consecutive, fiveyear prison terms, for a total of ten years. Young appeals the district court’s decision to admit the expert testimony of Dr. Burgess as well as Patrick’s grand jury testimony. Young further appeals the sufficiency of the evidence on his conviction for use of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence and the district court’s supplemental instruction in response to the question from the jury. 1 The court submitted this special interrogatory to the jury pursuant to Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466 (2000), because an affirmative answer to the special interrogatory could have increased Young’s maximum sentence from five to ten years under 18 U.S.C. § 2261(b)(3), (4). 10 No. 02-1294