Opinion ID: 2601981
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Roman's Testimony

Text: Roman testified that he and Mother had been boyfriend/girlfriend since 1995 and that he treated Minor like a step son. Roman explained that he moved in with [Mother] in 1995, this was in Ainaloa, uh, I owned my own home and we decided that after I was through with the problems I had with my ex-wife, that it was time for us to move in back to my home and we moved back in 1996, I believe it was, about a year later, uh, took care of [Minor] just like [he] was my own kid[.] According to Roman, [i]t was Mother's Day.... I don't have a lot of money and it was Mother's Day and I know that [Mother], one of her favorite foods, is tacos[M]exican tacos so I decided to make a taco dinner for her as Mother's Day dinner. .... Okay, there's aif I may say this, I had already gone to the store and returned before this incident even occurred. I had gone to the store, I had purchased what was necessary, I came back, after which I had to leave again but not until I had asked [Minor] if he could please grate the cheese and shred some lettuce that I had asked him before I left the second time but I had done all my shopping as of that point already. .... Well, heI bought him one of those walkman things and he was laying down in front of the television with his walkman just blaring and I didn't talk to [Minor] when I returned. I walked into the house and I walked over to the refrigerator and I looked into the ice box and I seen that the lettuce nor the cheese or any of that had even been touched. It was still in the original containers. I started calling [Minor]. .... He did not respond because the stereo on his head was so loud. .... He was laying down, facing the TV, and I walked maybe from here to that desk away from him and I said, [Minor], and he turned and he looked at me and .... You know, I said, [Minor], what about the cheese and he just kept staring at me, just staring, he just kept looking at me. .... I walked up to him, I kicked him in his okole. .... He spun around, he spun to his feet, uh, I had no idea what was on his mind.... .... ... [and he stood there with a] clenched fist. Um, honestly, I felt at that point that I had fully lost all control of [Minor] as far as being a friend and a member of the family. .... I started yelling at him and he kept looking at me, he kept looking at me and I finally said, [Minor], hey, what is this, I mean, you want to hit me, go ahead and hit me, and he stepped forward towards me and I slapped him. Your Honor, I slapped him across the cheek. .... I found myselfwell, he kepthe still would not respond. There was absolutely no response from him and at first, I was going to call his father and have the father come and pick the boy up and take him to his home. And at that point, I said, no, I think this should be recorded so I made a phone call to the ... [p]olice [d]epartment and I told them of the incident that had happened and if they could send some officers up as soon as possible at which time I went downstairs and sat in the patio until ... the officers arrived. Roman further testified that he wanted to be noticed as the head of the household which has never happened with [Minor] for many, many years, which is why I never did physically, let me restate this, slap, hit, I have never even punished [Minor] in all the years that he was with me. Defense counsel also inquired of Roman whether he had problems in the past with Minor; the prosecution objected, and the family court sustained the objection. Defense counsel, thereafter, asked Roman whether, [i]n the past, when [he] had problems with [Minor, he] took [Minor] to therapy, to which the prosecution again objected. The family court indicated that, with respect to therapy, the [c]ourt accept[ed] the fact that [Minor was] in therapy and, uh, did not find the fact that he's in therapy will provide an excuse or justification for [Roman's] conduct on that day. [6] On cross-examination, Roman conceded that he drank a six pack between 2:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on the day of the incident. The prosecution, thereafter, asked Roman: Q. [By the Prosecution:] ... You testified that [you] kicked the victim to get his attention? A. [By Roman:] I kicked him in his okole, yes. Q. And you slapped him in his face? A. And I slapped him in his face. Q. Isn't it true you attempted to choke him? A. I held him back at one point because I wasn't sure exactly what was on his mind[.] Q.... [I]sn't it true that [Minor's] mother had to intervene and pull you off of [Minor]? A. No. Q. Isn't it true that you called the police and you said, I just hit my girlfriend and my stepson? A. Yes. Q. And you said you did it because you, you were going to diffuse the situation? A. I was trying to so Q. You were trying to diffuse the situation by kicking and slapping [Minor]? A. No, no, no. I diffused the situation of the entire incident that happened.... Q. Isn't it true that [Minor] attempted to grate the cheese and you went and told him that he wasn't doing it right and you told him to go and sit down? A. Absolutely not. Q. Isn't it true that [Minor] did exactly what you told him to and he went and sat down? A. He never was grating the cheese so why should I tell him to sit down? On redirect examination, defense counsel asked Roman why did [he] make the statement that [he] had just hit [his] wife or [his] girlfriend and [Minor], to which Roman responded: `Cause in my heart of hearts, I wanted this ended and I wanted it ended with the police and I wanted them to be there as witnesses for me of what I am trying to do in this situation that I believe it's time he leave the house and go live with his father, which is what the boy wanted to do for yearabout a year before this because there is no discipline at the father's house.