Opinion ID: 1383165
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: State's Failure to Prove Freeman's Age

Text: After the state had completed presenting its case-in-chief at the trial below, the defense moved for acquittal on the first five counts of the indictment, arguing that the state had failed to prove, as required under our statutory rape provision, [1] that Freeman was sixteen years of age, or over. The state conceded that it had not offered any direct evidence of Freeman's age, but maintained that the testimony of several of its witnesses was sufficient to allow an inference that Freeman was more than sixteen years old, and, further, that the jury could properly consider Freeman's physical appearance at trial to determine his age. The court denied the motion for acquittal, and the trial proceeded. Freeman eventually took the stand in his own defense, and, in response to questioning on cross-examination, stated that he was thirty eight years old. On appeal, Freeman reasserts his position below and argues that the trial court committed error in refusing to grant his motion for acquittal. The state contends, as it did at trial, that the testimony of its witnesses and the physical presence of Freeman provided a sufficient showing of age, despite the lack of any direct evidence. Both parties on appeal, however, have overlooked our recent ruling in Martin v. City of Fairbanks, [2] which we believe to be dispositive under the present circumstances. There, in ruling on a question of sufficiency of evidence, we specifically refused to limit our consideration of the trial court record to evidence adduced prior to the appellant's motion for acquittal. We held that after a motion for acquittal has been made and denied, [i]f the defendant proceeds to put on his case, he risks curing any defects which may have existed in the prosecution's case-in-chief. On appeal the record as a whole is viewed, not just the prosecution's case-in-chief, regardless of when a motion of acquittal is made. [3] Applying our ruling in Martin to the facts of the present case, we find no basis to Freeman's first claim of error. Assuming there was no proper showing of Freeman's age in the prosecution's case-in-chief, the evidentiary defect was corrected when Freeman testified that he was thirty eight years of age.