Opinion ID: 1562529
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Testimony of Defendant's Niece by Marriage

Text: Just before the trial commenced, the trial justice ruled (over defendant's objection) that the testimony of eighteen-year-old Lisa, [9] alleging uncharged sexual assaults by defendant against her that she said had occurred between eight and twelve years earlier, would be admissible. In ruling that Lisa's testimony should not be precluded pursuant to Rule 404(b), the trial justice noted (1) that both Lisa and Betsy had alleged digital penetration; (2) that the ages of both girls at the time the alleged incidents occurred were similar (both being young girls above toddler age and below adolescence); (3) that both girls had a family relationship with defendant; and (4) that both had had unsupervised contact with defendant in his Cranston residence. In her ruling, the trial justice found that the evidence fell within recognized exceptions to the exclusionary provisions of Rule 404(b) in that it tended to show that the alleged assaults on Betsy were part of a common scheme or plan and were relevant to show motive, intent, and plan to abuse children of similar age in a somewhat similar manner. The trial justice also determined that Lisa's testimony was necessary to explain why Betsy disclosed her abuse allegations at the time that she did and also to explain the process and events leading up to her disclosure. Additionally, assessing the evidence pursuant to Rule 403 of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, the trial justice found that its probative value (for the purposes of establishing common scheme or plan, motive, and intent) was not substantially outweighed by its prejudicial effect so long as an appropriate cautionary instruction were to be given. [10] At the previously referenced pretrial hearing wherein the prosecutor sought leave to use Lisa's testimony as Rule 404(b) evidence, defense counsel sought permission to impeach Lisa, pursuant to Rule 608(b) of the Rhode Island Rules of Evidence, with information indicating that Lisa had stolen money from her aunt. In addition to seeking leave to impeach Lisa with the fact of the theft, defense counsel also sought to be allowed to seek to impeach her further by establishing that, instead of confessing to the crime, Lisa had allowed her own father to be charged and convicted of the theft. To determine the scope of what defense counsel might be allowed to use at trial for impeachment purposes pursuant to Rule 608(b), the trial justice permitted defense counsel to conduct a voir dire of Lisa. During this voir dire (in which Lisa admitted to stealing the above-referenced money), defense counsel attempted to elicit from Lisa testimony as to (1) the extent of the knowledge that Betsy had concerning Lisa's theft and (2) what benefit may have accrued to Betsy as a result of the theft. Following that voir dire, the trial justice ruled that Lisa's testimony would be limited to her own personal involvement in the theft; defense counsel would not be allowed to elicit testimony from her regarding her father's conviction for the theft. The trial justice also ruled that Lisa's testimony did not suggest a [Rule] 608(b) issue as to Betsy and that, therefore, defense counsel would not be allowed to question Betsy about the incident. [11] Appearing at trial as the state's very first witness, Lisa, who was eighteen at the time of trial, testified that defendant had molested her when she was between the ages of five and ten on occasions when she was alone with him in his home office. According to Lisa's testimony, defendant would sit her under a desk in the home office area and would touch her vagina under her clothing with his fingers going inside. Although defense counsel objected to the introduction of Lisa's testimony as Rule 404(b) evidence, he did not object to the order in which the state was presenting its case (i.e., that Lisa's Rule 404(b) testimony would be the very first evidence that the jury would hear). The trial justice offered to give an additional Rule 404(b) instruction during a break in Lisa's testimony concerning the uncharged alleged misconduct; but defense counsel instead requested that such an instruction be given at the conclusion of her entire testimony, and the trial justice complied with that request.