Opinion ID: 1850677
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Count II: Rape

Text: ¶ 33. Wright next challenges his conviction under Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-65(4) (Rev.2006). The indictment charged him under subsection three, which is the statutory rape segment, although the victim was twenty years of age when the incident occurred. He contends that the state should not have been allowed thereafter to prosecute him under subsection four, dealing with forcible intercourse. ¶ 34. An indictment shall be a plain, concise and definite written statement of the essential facts constituting the offense charged and shall fully notify the defendant of the nature and cause of the accusation. Formal and technical words are not necessary in an indictment, if the offense can be substantially described without them. Uniform Rules of Circuit and County Court Practice Rule 7.06 (2006). Although a typographical error existed concerning the subsection number, the substance of the indictment read that Wright was charged with forcible rape. Specifically, it read that Wright did willfully, unlawfully, feloniously and knowingly have forcible sexual intercourse with [Ann Pope]. This was sufficient to provide notice of the crime charged. ¶ 35. Wright unpersuasively asserts that there was insufficient evidence to convict him for rape. He cites Mississippi Code Annotated § 97-3-69 for the proposition that, in a rape case, the testimony of the victim alone is not enough to support a conviction. The statute reads that [i]n the trial of all cases under the last preceding section, it shall be presumed that the female was previously of chaste character, and the burden shall be upon the defendant to show that she was not; but no person shall be convicted upon the uncorroborated testimony of the injured female. Miss.Code Ann. § 97-3-69 (Rev.2006)(emphasis added). The last preceding section deals with the statutory rape of a female between the ages of 12 and 18. It does not, and has never, applied to forcible rape. See McLaurin v. State, 129 Miss. 362, 364-65, 92 So. 289 (Miss.1922). As noted above, Wright was sufficiently charged with forcible rape to be convicted for such a crime; the subsection for statutory rape appeared merely as the result of a typographical error. ¶ 36. To further the validity of Wright's conviction, Pope's testimony was not the only evidence the prosecution presented in this case. Detectives Hall and Hampton both corroborated her story with additional testimony regarding her condition immediately after the incident; there was also evidence stipulated by the parties regarding Wright's semen being found in Pope's body. Thus, there was sufficient evidence for a reasonable jury to find Wright guilty of rape.