Opinion ID: 2587760
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Impact of Smith's alleged acts on victim DH

Text: [¶ 14] Smith identifies the following instances of argument and testimony in this group: 1) To the prosecutor's question why she had not reported her allegations earlier, DH answered: I was scared, and I kind of knew it would tear my family apart. You know, I couldn't even imagine what kind of damage it would do, or if I'd ever be able to  you know, I know  too, I think I kind of also, I tried to ignore the fact that it happened as much as possible. But it didn't really work, because it changed me in a lot of ways. The prosecutor then asked, How did it change you, if you can articulate, if you can say? DH responded: My grades went down. I lost a lot of my friends. I lost my aunt, and she was like my best friend. After I told, I couldn't sleep alone by myself. I slept  I pretty much slept a lot of the day and stayed up a lot of the night. And whenever I did sleep in the night, early hours, I had to sleep upstairs in the living room, because I left the TV on and I had lights on, and so that way I could sleep with my dog because it made me feel safe. 2) In the prosecutor's closing argument, the prosecutor said: He put on a condom, and he penetrated her vagina with his penis. And you recall her saying that that was the worst day of her life.     Of course, [DH] further testified about  about the trouble she's had since these acts occurred, the trouble with sleeping. Of course, the worst part is the lost family relationships, particularly with Cindy. Her grades dropped. She testified she wouldn't sleep in the basement of her own house. She slept on the couch with the TV going. I think she said something about having the dog around all the time. Those were the kinds of things that [DH] testified to that bothered her, the kind of symptoms that she experienced since this has happened. Dr. Jakai Hassler testified as an expert. She testified that she's counseled  you heard her testimony  numerous children, victims of sexual assault. You heard her testify about the research. She talks about various symptoms and characteristics of sexual assault, her experience, the research. She talked about those things with teenaged, minor victims of sexual assault, and then she talked about the kinds of symptoms [DH] demonstrated and that those symptoms were consistent with symptoms of victims of sexual assault, both that she's seen in her practice and in the research. She testified to numerous symptoms: Fear on [DH]'s part, pain, stomachaches, headaches, fear, of course, that reporting would split up the family, general withdrawal, weepiness, clinginess to her mother, self-doubt, shame, guilt, a loss of sense of security, reduced interest in activities. She even testified to suicidal thoughts, sleep dysfunctions. [DH] testified about her sleep dysfunctions as well. So her symptoms were consistent with those of victims of sexual assault.     . . . [DH's mother] testified that [DH] no longer participates in family affairs. Her grades are down. She's moody. She's short-tempered with her brothers, depressed, sad. All these symptoms [DH] has demonstrated that are consistent with the story she told in court this week. 3) Smith asserts the testimony of prosecution witness Dr. Jakai Hassler, DH's counselor, served to reiterate and emphasize the post-crime effects on DH. Dr. Hassler identified and described the typical behavior patterns of adolescent victims of sexual assault and abuse and then compared those patterns with DH's behavior, as related by DH and DH's mother, finding DH's behavior was consistent with those patterns. Smith correctly recognizes that Dr. Hassler's testimony neither vouched for DH's credibility nor concluded that Smith had sexually assaulted and abused DH. [¶ 15] Because these instances are clearly revealed in the record, indeed the State does not argue to the contrary, the first part of the plain error standard of review is satisfied. The State and Smith part company, however, on the second part of that standard of review, namely, whether a clear and unequivocal rule of law was clearly violated. Broadly speaking, victim impact evidence is that evidence relating to the victim's personal characteristics and to the physical, emotional, or social impact of a crime on its victim and the victim's family. Olsen v. State, 2003 WY 46, ¶ 151, 67 P.3d 536, 592 (Wyo.2003); Harlow v. State, 2003 WY 47, ¶ 48, 70 P.3d 179, 196 (Wyo.2003). Smith argues that these instances of argument and testimony were irrelevant to the issues before the jury, relying on Justice v. State, 775 P.2d 1002, 1010-11 (Wyo.1989) (victim impact testimony inadmissible unless there is clear justification of relevance). The State counters that a clear justification of relevance was present in this case: DH's credibility. We agree. As the State explains, before trial Smith made it evident his defense would be based on his denial of DH's allegations and an attack upon her credibility. Six months before trial, he gave notice of his intent to introduce alibi witnesses in relation to a number of those allegations  a fact noted by the district court three months later when, in the course of explaining its ruling during a motion hearing, it concluded his denial of the allegations had put the credibility of DH at issue in the case. The tenor of that issue became clear during defense counsel's opening statement at trial. At that time, defense counsel posited his theory that, for unknown reasons, DH had fabricated all her allegations and, because of the turmoil they had caused in her family and her resulting repetition of them to a therapist, soon found it too late for her to withdraw them and tell the truth. Defense counsel then characterized those allegations as unbelievable in light of the fact DH repeatedly kept spending the night at Smith's home after he had allegedly assaulted her and, during that time, she never gave any sign to her aunt or her parents as to what was allegedly going on. [¶ 16] In order to counter that attack, the State introduced the evidence now challenged on appeal to convey to the jury: (1) the realistic pressures and fears which caused DH  in the absence of any overt threats by Smith, or his use of force or his position of authority as her uncle  to tolerate his assaults and delay reporting them; and (2) the countervailing pressures created by those assaults and her silence, which eventually caused that silence to be broken. Thus, DH testified that, while Appellant's conduct made her uncomfortable and scared, she did not report it for fear of the havoc such would cause in her family. She simply tried to forget it, but could not due to the deleterious effects it was having on her life. Then, after she broached the matter to her parents, her fears as to the effect such would have on her family were fully realized. [¶ 17] DH's testimony relating to the personality and behavioral changes she experienced prior to reporting Smith's assaults was briefly corroborated by DH's mother, as was her testimony concerning the effect such reporting had on her family. DH's testimony regarding the pressures she experienced because of the assaults and her failure to report them was corroborated by her therapist, Dr. Hassler, who first outlined the sort of anxieties and resulting symptoms commonly experienced by young sex assault victims. Dr. Hassler then noted the anxieties expressed to her by DH were among those commonly experienced by such victims and the observable symptoms of those pressures and fears DH was manifesting were likewise consistent with those observed in sexual assault victims. In particular, Dr. Hassler testified that the fear of adversely affecting one's family frequently causes such victims to delay reporting assaults for a considerable time, until they can't hold onto it any more. [¶ 18] Certainly, all such evidence was relevant to counter Smith's position at trial that DH should not be believed because, if her allegations were true, she would have reported them earlier. White v. State, 2003 WY 163, ¶¶ 17-20, 80 P.3d 642, 650-51 (Wyo.2003); Barnes v. State, 858 P.2d 522, 534-35 (Wyo.1993). Because the challenged argument and testimony were relevant to DH's credibility and to Dr. Hassler's testimony, we hold Smith has failed to demonstrate the clear violation of a clear rule of law.