Opinion ID: 1808191
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: necessity of an evidentiary hearing

Text: Recently, in State v. Martin, 232 Neb. 385, 440 N.W.2d 676 (1989), we considered an argument similar to Bunner's. In Martin, the defendant was convicted of, among other offenses, three counts of first degree sexual assault and, on appeal, also relied on State v. Country, supra , claiming that there must be a separate hearing to determine serious personal injury before imposition of sentence on a conviction for sexual assault. However, the Martin court noted: The defendant in the Country case entered a plea, and there was no trial or evidentiary hearing. The record was blank regarding the details of the crime. In this case, however, the court had received detailed descriptions from the victims of the assaults and descriptions by medical and law enforcement professionals, as well as by other witnesses, as to the emotional impact on the victims. Specific victim impact statements were also contained in the presentence report. Additionally, the court had observed the witnesses in their testimony, and any observations of emotional trauma could validly be used in determining the extent of serious personal injury to the victims. Therefore, an additional hearing to determine serious personal injury was not necessary. This record is replete with observations by others of the mental trauma experienced by the victims immediately after the assaults. The presentence report contains letters from the victims as well as letters from members of the victims' families detailing the mental anguish and trauma suffered by the victims. The testimony of each victim was that she feared for her life and offered no resistance because of her fear. 232 Neb. at 397, 440 N.W.2d at 685. Bunner hastens to point out that Martin involved a trial which led to a conviction for assault, but Bunner's convictions resulted from guilty pleas. Hence, according to Bunner, in the absence of a trial, an evidentiary hearing is required so that a sentencing court will be supplied with information necessary to determine whether a sexual assault victim has sustained serious bodily injury. However, on reading § 28-319(2), we find no requirement that before sentence is imposed on a defendant convicted of first degree sexual assault, there must be an evidentiary hearing to determine whether a sexual assault victim has sustained serious personal injury. Section 28-319(2) simply requires a sentencing judge to consider whether a defendant who has been convicted of first degree sexual assault inflicted serious personal injury on the sexual assault victim. For that reason, we hold that, in accordance with § 28-319(2), a sentencing judge, before imposition of a sentence on a defendant convicted of first degree sexual assault, is not required to conduct an evidentiary hearing to determine whether the victim has sustained serious personal injury as a result of the sexual assault by the defendant; rather, concerning the question of personal injury to the victim, the judge shall consider information appropriately before the court in the sentencing process. Consequently, insofar as the expression in State v. Country, 194 Neb. 570, 573, 234 N.W.2d 593, 595 (1975), namely, Probably, this determination can be made only by means of an evidentiary hearing unless serious personal injury is admitted, may be interpreted to require an evidentiary hearing relative to § 28-319(2), Country is disapproved. Thus, Bunner's argument is partially based on the fallacious premise that § 28-319(2) requires an evidentiary hearing before imposition of sentence on a defendant convicted of first degree sexual assault.