Opinion ID: 2637387
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: [¶ 3] The appellant, Mr. Griswold, was tried before a jury in the district court of Campbell County. He was convicted of ten counts of second-degree sexual assault and two counts of indecent liberties involving two minors, and he appealed. The Supreme Court affirmed the convictions in Griswold v. State, 994 P.2d 920 (Wyo.1999). [¶ 4] While the appeal from his conviction was pending, Mr. Griswold filed a motion for new trial pursuant to W.R.Cr.P 33(c) asserting newly discovered evidence. The evidence at issue includes documents from the Department of Family Services (DFS) which relate to two witnesses who testified at trial regarding Mr. Griswold's prior bad acts pursuant to W.R.E. 404(b). The documents were discovered by Mr. Griswold as the result of a civil case pending in the United States District Court for the District of Wyoming. [¶ 5] Mr. Griswold further claims that two additional documents from DFS relating to the victims in the underlying case should be considered newly discovered evidence by this Court. He makes this argument even though the trial judge reviewed these documents in camera prior to the criminal trial pursuant to Gale v. State, 792 P.2d 570 (Wyo. 1990), and ruled that they were not relevant or exculpatory. [¶ 6] The trial court issued an order which directed the Weston County district court to deliver the juvenile court file of the W.R.E. 404(b) witnesses to the Campbell County district court. Upon in camera examination of the juvenile court file, the trial court found that nearly all of the alleged newly discovered evidence from the DFS files was duplicated in the court file. The trial court determined that Mr. Griswold failed to exercise due diligence to obtain the juvenile court file as he knew, as a foster parent for these children, that the file existed, but he never requested it. Further, the trial court found that much of the alleged newly discovered evidence only impeached the witnesses and contradicted evidence produced at trial. After review of the alleged newly discovered evidence, the trial court found that the grant of a new trial would not produce a different verdict and, on January 20, 2000, denied the Motion for New Trial. Mr. Griswold appeals to this Court.