Opinion ID: 1434221
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Strength of Prosecution's Case

Text: Without Lieutenant Wolter's testimony, the prosecution's case was substantial but not overwhelming. Jensen testified before the jury that he had been convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct and that he had done many other things of which the police were not aware. He admitted to Lieutenant Wolter at the time of the 1989 conviction that he had deep sexual feelings for young girls and had trouble controlling his behavior, that he was undergoing psychological treatment, and that he had an alcohol and drug problem. As the district court points out, however, these admissions were indicative of character traits in the past, not of guilt in the present case. Little physical evidence linked Jensen to A.M. Although it seems clear that Jensen had been in A.M.'s house on at least one occasion and opened an envelope of purple powder, no physical evidence linked Jensen to A.M. on the day of the alleged incident. Because no witnesses but Jensen and A.M. were present, the case was essentially a credibility contest between Jensen and A.M. Both Jensen and A.M. made statements to investigators that they either revised at trial or were shown to be false at trial. Although Jensen's own admissions and past criminal conduct conviction were certainly damaging, they do not necessarily provide a compelling case for the prosecution. The jury might have believed that A.M.'s family was retaliating against him because Jensen had served them with eviction papers shortly before the alleged incident. Without Lieutenant Wolter's testimony, the jury may have found A.M.'s testimony less credible. Though it is impossible to speculate how the trial may have played out under different circumstances, it is clear that the prosecution's case was materially weaker without Lieutenant Wolter's testimony.