Opinion ID: 1094701
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: did the trial court err in overruling defendant's objection to hearsay testimony?

Text: Johnson asserts as error the fact that three of the State's witnesses, Dr. Glenn Campbell, Angie Ruffin, and Joyce Wilkins, were allowed to testify concerning hearsay statements made to them by Terri in which she identified Bill Johnson as the person who sexually assaulted her. Johnson objected to the hearsay testimony offered by each of these witnesses at trial, and the court overruled the objections. Rule 801 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence defines hearsay as a statement, other than one made by the declarant while testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter asserted. Rule 803 delineates certain exceptions to the hearsay rule. Pertinent to the present case are the exceptions found in subsections (4) and (25). Rule 803(4) provides that: [s]tatements made for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment and describing medical history, or past or present symptoms, pain, or sensations, or the inception or general character of the cause or external source thereof insofar as reasonably pertinent to diagnosis or treatment, regardless of to whom the statements are made, or when the statements are made, if the court, in its discretion, affirmatively finds that the proffered statements were made under circumstances substantially indicating their trustworthiness. Rule 803(25) provides that: [a] statement made by a child of tender years describing any act of sexual contact performed with or on the child by another is admissible in evidence if: (a) the court finds, in a hearing conducted outside the presence of the jury, that the time, content, and circumstances of the statement provide substantial indicia of reliability; and (b) the child either (1) testifies at the proceedings; or (2) is unavailable as a witness: provided, that when the child is unavailable as a witness, such statement may be admitted only if there is corroborative evidence of the act. Under Rule 803(4), statements by a child victim relied upon by a treating physician identifying the perpetrator as a member of the child's household are admissible in child abuse cases. Doe v. Doe, 644 So.2d 1199, 1206 (Miss. 1994). Where the child is sexually assaulted by a member of the child's immediate household, an important part of treatment is the prevention of further sexual abuse as well as the treatment of emotional and psychological injuries. Jones v. State, 606 So.2d 1051, 1056-57 (Miss. 1992). Where the perpetrator is not a member of the child's immediate household, it is error to admit statements identifying the perpetrator made by the child to a treating physician. However, such admission will be harmless if the testimony is merely cumulative. Jones, 606 So.2d at 1057. To be admissible under 803(4), `the declarant's motive in making the statement must be consistent with the purposes of promoting treatment; and ... the content of the statement must be such as is reasonably relied on by a physician in treatment.' Doe, 644 So.2d at 1205-06 (quoting Jones, 606 So.2d at 1056)). During his direct examination of Dr. Campbell, the district attorney asked, Did you also try to make a determination pursuant to your medical diagnosis and treatment as to the source of that venereal disease? The defendant objected, and the court dismissed the jury in order to consider the objection. Primarily, the defendant objected because Terri made the statement to the doctor two weeks after the alleged incident. The judge held that he was of the opinion that the statement fell within the parameters of Rule 803(4) and case law. When the jurors returned to the courtroom, the examination of Dr. Campbell continued, Dr. Campbell testified that Terri told him that Bill was the one who had sexual intercourse with her. Johnson's objection to the hearsay statements on the basis that the statements were made two weeks after the alleged incident occurred is groundless. Rule 803(4) provides that statements falling within the exception may be admitted regardless of ... when the statements are made. Under Rule 803(25), a determination of whether the hearsay statements made by the child victim exhibit trustworthiness and reliability includes looking at such factors as spontaneity and consistent repetition, the mental state of the child, the use of terminology unexpected of a child of similar age, and lack of motive to fabricate. Doe, 644 So.2d at 1206. These factors are not, however, exclusive, and the court must make an overall determination of whether the child declarant was particularly likely to be telling the truth when the statement was made. Griffith v. State, 584 So.2d 383, 388 (Miss. 1991) (quoting Idaho v. Wright, 497 U.S. 805, 822, 110 S.Ct. 3139, 3150, 111 L.Ed.2d 638 (1990)). Other corroborating evidence of the defendant's guilt cannot be taken into consideration by the court when making the determination. Id. The child's identification of Bill Johnson as the perpetrator and other hearsay statements were also offered through Joyce Wilkes and Angie Ruffin. Joyce Wilkes talked to Terri on the day Terri was first examined by Dr. Campbell. She testified that Terri did not appear to be lying, that nobody heard Terri make the statement to her, and that Terri talked to her after she had asked Terri a couple of questions, because Terri had opened up to her on previous occasions. She also said she did not believe a five or six-year-old child would know the things that Terri told her in order to be making it up. Angie Ruffin talked to Terri on May 15. Ruffin and Terri were the only persons present at the time. Terri described what had happened to her in explicit detail. The child volunteered the information, and Ruffin found no motive on the part of the child to lie. Johnson objected to the testimony of both of these witnesses, and the court, after hearing proffers of the witnesses' testimony, made on-the-record findings that the testimony of both witnesses would be admissible under Rule 803(25). The court took into consideration the factors of whether there is an apparent motive on the declarant's part to lie, the general character of the declarant, that one person heard the statements, whether the statements were made spontaneously, the timing of the declaration, the relationship between the declarant and the witness, the possibility of the declarant's faulty recollection is remote, the certainty that the statements were made, the credibility of the person testifying about the statement, the age or maturity of the declarant, whether suggestive techniques were used in eliciting the statement, and whether the declarant's age, knowledge and experience make it unlikely that the declarant fabricated the matters. Taking all of these factors into consideration, the court felt the testimony of each witness qualified as an exception under Rule 803(25). Again, Johnson bases his objection to this testimony, in part, on the fact that the child told the two witnesses what happened 12 days and 23 days after the alleged incident. However, as long as the court makes an overall determination that the child declarant was particularly likely to be telling the truth when the statement was made, time is only one of the factors to consider. In this case, the court listened to the proffered testimony and made a determination, based upon the stated factors, that the testimony was admissible under Rule 803(25). Based on the testimony proffered by Wilkins and Ruffin, the court's ruling on the admissibility of the testimony cannot be said to be error. Since this testimony included the identification by Terri of Bill Johnson as the perpetrator and since Terri testified at trial and indicated that Johnson was the person who sexually assaulted her, admission of the hearsay statements offered through Dr. Campbell is harmless error.