Opinion ID: 870427
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Kamani Trees House

Text: As noted before, Count 1 covered the period when Petitioner, complainant, and sister lived at the Kamani Trees house with other members of complainant's family. Complainant testified that at the time that she, sister, and Petitioner moved back to Hawai'i and lived in the Kamani Trees house with complainant's parents, she had a close [f]riendship with Petitioner. She confided in Petitioner, he bought her presents, and he was always sticking up for [her], like he was there for [her]. Manifestly, then, their relationship was one of trust, support, and confidence, positioning Petitioner as someone who was the central figure in her life. Complainant's failure to cry out or report the first time Petitioner sexually assaulted her in Hawai'i while sleeping in the same bed with sister was understandable when viewed in the context of how she felt towards Petitioner at that time. Complainant emphasized her need for Petitioner's affection, his help in coping with her troubled relationship with her parents, as well as his role as a supportive friend. The jury could easily infer from their close physical proximity of sleeping in the same bed and living in the same house, and their close personal relationship that she would submit to his advances and not inform others of their relationship. Moreover, the strained relationships she had with her sister and parents made her unwillingness to report such conduct entirely comprehensible under the circumstances. The other instances of Petitioner's sexual relations with complainant were more surreptitious. Complainant testified that she had sexual relations with Petitioner approximately three to five times per month while living in the Kamani Trees house in either the bedroom or the bathroom while others were not present.