Opinion ID: 2051904
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sufficiency and Consistency of the Evidence

Text: Because a trial justice heard this case without a jury, our standard of review is different than if a jury had returned a guilty verdict on these charges. When passing on a motion for a judgment of acquittal in a jury trial of a criminal case, a trial justice must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the state, without weighing the evidence or assessing the credibility of the witnesses, and draw therefrom every reasonable inference consistent with guilt. State v. Mercado, 635 A.2d 260, 263 (R.I.1993). This standard, however, applies only to criminal charges tried before a jury. In a jury-waived criminal proceeding such as this one, a motion to dismiss  not a motion for judgment of acquittal  is the appropriate motion for a defendant to file when seeking to challenge the legal sufficiency of the evidence. Thus, in responding to such a dismissal motion presented after the close of all the evidence, the trial justice should: weigh and evaluate the trial evidence, pass upon the credibility of the trial witnesses, and engage in the inferential process, impartially, not being required to view the inferences in favor of the nonmoving party, and against the moving party. After so doing, if the trial justice in a criminal case setting concludes that the trial evidence is sufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, he or she denies the defendant's motion to dismiss and, if both sides have rested, enters decision and judgment of conviction thereon. If the evidence is not sufficient, he or she grants the motion and dismisses the case. State v. McKone, 673 A.2d 1068, 1072-73 (R.I.1996). Our review of the decision on a motion to dismiss is deferential, and we will not reverse the findings of a trial justice sitting without a jury unless it can be shown that he or she overlooked or misconceived relevant and material evidence or was otherwise clearly wrong. State v. Traficante, 636 A.2d 692, 694 (R.I.1994) (citing Cerilli v. Newport Offshore, Ltd., 612 A.2d 35, 39 (R.I.1992)). The defendant first argues that the trial justice could not have found him guilty of the lesser-included offense of second-degree child molestation because, in his view, the victim's statement that her grandfather put his pee-pee in my pee-pee referred only to penetration, and not to contact. This argument, we conclude, is most unpersuasive. Given the lack of physical and medical evidence to support the child's assertion of penetration, the trial justice found insufficient evidence to support defendant's conviction for first-degree child molestation. Nevertheless, he possessed the authority to find that the victim's testimony about her grandfather's sexual contact with her in the bedroom was sufficient to support a conclusion that enough sexual contact occurred between defendant and the victim to warrant his conviction for second-degree child molestation. Section 11-37-8.1 defines first-degree child molestation as sexual penetration with a person fourteen (14) years of age or under, whereas second-degree child molestation is defined in § 11-37-8.3 as sexual contact with another person fourteen (14) years of age or under. Furthermore, § 11-37-9, Joinder of offenses, states in relevant part, that when [a]ny person who is indicted for    first    degree child molestation    upon trial the jury [or trial justice] acquits that person of any of the charges of sexual assault and finds him or her guilty of any of the other [lesser-included] offenses [including second degree child molestation], judgment and sentence may be entered against him or her accordingly. We have held that [a] lesser included offense is an offense `that does not require proof of any additional element beyond those required by the greater offense.' State v. Godette, 751 A.2d 742, 747 (R.I.2000) (quoting State v. Rodriquez, 731 A.2d 726, 729 (R.I.1999)). Because the trial justice found, beyond a reasonable doubt, that defendant engaged in sexual contact with the victim when he removed his and her clothes and then lay on top of her, but that the evidence was insufficient to prove sexual penetration of the victim, the trial justice justifiably convicted defendant of the lesser-included offense of second-degree child molestation. We are not convinced by defendant's argument that because the victim only alleged sexual penetration, the trial justice could not find defendant guilty of any other lesser sexual contact. The defendant's next argument is that the trial justice erroneously found that the alleged sexual penetration occurred in the bathroom, when in fact it allegedly took place in the bedroom. This contention, however, is unsupported by the record. The trial justice clearly distinguished between the two separate instances of alleged sexual molestation. He found that defendant sexually molested the victim twice in one day  once in his bedroom and once in the bathroom. But the trial justice did not suggest that the alleged sexual-penetration incident occurred in the bathroom. [3] Therefore, we cannot say that the trial justice misconceived the evidence in this respect. The defendant further suggests that the trial justice erroneously found that he was sexually aroused while he was in the bathroom with the victim, and in finding that he was physically capable of sexual arousal at all. Section 11-37-1(7) defines the prerequisite sexual contact necessary for a conviction of second-degree child molestation, as the intentional touching of the victim's or accused's intimate parts    if that intentional touching can be reasonably construed as intended by the accused to be for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or assault.  (Emphasis added.) See also State v. Davis, 670 A.2d 786, 789-91 (R.I. 1996); State v. Tobin, 602 A.2d 528, 535 (R.I.1992) (both holding that sexual contact must occur for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or assault to support conviction for second-degree child molestation). The defendant apparently misapprehends this statutory language in arguing that, because he was supposedly sexually impotent, he could not commit these crimes. Although the defense presented conflicting and ambiguous testimony concerning defendant's physical ability to become sexually aroused, the trial justice found that defendant could become aroused. Because the record supports this conclusion, we have no basis to disturb this finding on appeal. Moreover, in relation to the bathroom incident, the trial justice found as a factual matter that defendant was sexually aroused and did this for his sexual gratification. Thus, the trial justice concluded that defendant engaged in this activity for his sexual gratification. Second-degree sexual molestation, however, can occur even if the acts do not produce physical arousal in the perpetrator, as long as the acts are committed for the purpose of his or her sexual arousal, gratification, or assault. In re David, 741 A.2d 863, 866 (R.I.1999) (mem.) (we do not read this statute so narrowly as to include a requirement of physical arousal). In other words, a second-degree sexual assault can occur regardless of whether defendant is capable of sexual arousal, provided defendant commits the acts in question for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification, or assault. Therefore, we cannot quarrel with the trial justice's finding that defendant perpetrated these acts for his own sexual gratification and arousal, irrespective of whether his actions actually caused such an arousal to occur or whether, given his asserted impotence, they were even capable of causing such an arousal. Finally, defendant argues that the trial justice overlooked contradictory evidence concerning the date that the sexual molestations occurred. He contends that the victim testified that the incidents occurred during the summer while she lived in Portsmouth, but also that they occurred when she attended school. The defendant suggests that the victim did not live in Portsmouth while she attended school. As a preliminary matter, we note that the law does not require the state to prove that the charged sexual molestations occurred on any specific date or dates, but only that these offenses took place on some particular but unspecified day or date(s) during the period named in the indictment. See State v. McKenna, 512 A.2d 113, 114-15 (R.I. 1986). In addition, the lack of evidence concerning any identified, specific date on which the incidents occurred did not prejudice defendant. See id. The trial justice, moreover, found as a factual matter that defendant committed the assaults during the period described in the indictment and that the y occurred while the victim lived in Portsmouth. Whether she was attending school when the molestations occurred and whether her testimony on this issue was consistent with other evidence about where she was residing at the time was immaterial. Thus, we will not disturb the trial justice's factual and credibility determinations on this point. In sum, we cannot say that the trial justice misconceived or overlooked relevant evidence, or was otherwise clearly wrong in his rulings. In fact, our conclusion is quite to the contrary. The trial justice carefully weighed all the evidence before him, fashioned appropriate findings concerning the facts of the case, evaluated the credibility of the witnesses, and properly drew reasonable inferences from the evidence. His evidentiary analysis satisfied him, beyond a reasonable doubt, of defendant's guilt in committing two counts of second-degree child molestation. The trial justice also articulated detailed findings of fact about both alleged incidents. He specifically found that defendant and the victim were alone together on at least one day during the period charged in the indictment. He further found that, on that day, defendant lay on top of the victim in contact with her intimate body parts for the purpose of his sexual gratification. He also found that sufficient evidence of sexual penetration during this bedroom assault was lacking. Furthermore, the trial justice found that, later that same day, defendant again engaged in sexual contact with the child by touching his lips to her breasts, for his own sexual gratification. Although the trial justice found the child to be a generally credible witness, he found defendant to be untrustworthy, especially concerning his ambiguous testimony regarding his ability to be sexually aroused and whether or not he was ever alone with his grandchildren   . We are convinced that the trial justice faithfully executed his duty to act as an impartial fact-finder. He did not, as defendant suggests, overlook or misconceive evidence. Rather, the trial justice's findings evince a careful consideration of all the relevant evidence, as well as the credibility of all the relevant witnesses. Indeed, he specifically stated that he discounted several of the victim's statements, specifically those involving the tape and chain. Moreover, he determined that the state presented insufficient evidence to convict defendant of first-degree child molestation. His conclusion that the state proved defendant's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt of two counts of second-degree child molestation was not clearly erroneous, and we therefore decline to vacate the convictions.