Opinion ID: 804510
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Suppression Hearing, Trial, & Sentencing

Text: On March 30, 1998, Parms appeared in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County to face charges of rape, aggravated indecent assault, and corruption of a minor under 18 Pa. Cons. Stat. Ann. §§ 3121, 3125, and 6301. Parms, who had by then disavowed his confession, moved to suppress his post-arrest statement on the ground that it had been coerced. 1 Following a hearing at which both Parms and the arresting officer testified, the motion was denied. Parms then elected to waive his right to a jury trial and immediately proceed with a bench trial. At the one-day bench trial, the prosecution first called the girl, who testified that Parms “did sexes on me.” Specifically, she testified that Parms “put my clothes off,” “[t]ouched my privates,” and “put some grease on me.” (Id. at 131, 123-25.) She stated that he then “pulled his pants down” and “put [his] private on my private,” and that “[i]t was hurting” when he did so. (Id. at 125, 135, 138.) The prosecution also called 1 At the suppression hearing, Parms testified that he initially denied any sexual contact with the girl and only decided to admit his involvement after the police “put a lot of pressure on me.” (J.A. at 101.) Specifically, he asserted that the police “asked me the same questions over and over and over again” and that the repeated questioning “made me tired and I felt I had to sign [the statement] . . . to make them stop asking me questions over and over again.” (Id. at 107-08.) We note that the police began questioning Parms 3 Detective Dennis Ostrowski, who testified that after receiving a report of the assault, he went to Lewis’s apartment, found Parms hiding behind a door, and placed him under arrest. He explained that although Parms initially denied any wrongdoing, he soon confessed to the assault. Finally, Parms himself testified. Although he professed his innocence of the charges, he acknowledged being in the bathroom with the girl and admitted that “something happen[ed] inside the bathroom.” (Id. at 170.) He claimed, however, that the entire episode had been “an accident.” (Id. at 106-07.) Specifically, he testified that he had been masturbating in the bathroom with the assistance of some oil when the girl unexpectedly walked in: And I had my eyes closed and . . . [the girl] walked in and I felt her brush me; so I put my hands out and wait -- wait. Excuse me. She had her hands out and oil got on her, like and I said, what are you doing here? So I stood up to leave and I left; and she went . . . to go to the bathroom. So I just saw her, like, for a minute. (Id. at 171.) Parms was found not guilty of rape, but guilty of attempted rape, aggravated indecent assault, and corruption of minors. At the subsequent sentencing hearing, he was sentenced to five to fifteen years’ imprisonment to be followed by ten years’ probation. On direct appeal, the Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed the judgment of sentence, and the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania denied his Petition for Allowance of Appeal. at 1:52 a.m. and that Parms signed the confession less than one hour later, at approximately 2:40 a.m. (Id. at 81, 108.) 4