Opinion ID: 2208977
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Trial Court Questioning

Text: First, appellant argues that the evidence was insufficient to sustain the rape conviction as the Commonwealth failed to elicit evidence that the 12 year old victim was not appellant's wife. The contention is severally flawed. There was more than sufficient circumstantial evidence to sustain an inference beyond a reasonable doubt that the victim was not appellant's wife. Succinctly, the victim has testified that she was only 12 years old at the time of the attack, she did not know appellant prior to the attack, she never saw appellant prior to the attack, and she was only able to identify appellant as her attacker as the result of a photographic array supplied by the police. (N.T. 3/8/88 at 26-27, 32, 42-43). There could be no doubt that she was not appellant's wife. See Commonwealth v. Simpson, 316 Pa.Super. 115, 122, 462 A.2d 821, 824 (1983); Commonwealth v. Schilling, 288 Pa.Super. 359, 368, 431 A.2d 1088, 1092 (1981). Moreover, any defect in proof of this point was plainly cured when the trial court asked the victim directly whether she was appellant's wife and she responded that she was not. (N.T. 3/8/88 at 53). The trial court's abundant caution in that respect was commendable. See Commonwealth v. Tharp, 575 A.2d 557, 558-59 (Pa. 1990); Commonwealth v. Roldan, 524 Pa. 366, 368, 572 A.2d 1214, 1215 (1990); Commonwealth v. Rasheed, 392 Pa.Super. 280, 290, 572 A.2d 1232, 1239-40 & n. 4 (1990) (Kelly, J., concurring and dissenting); Commonwealth v. King, 378 Pa.Super. 553, 557-58, 549 A.2d 195, 197 (1988); Commonwealth v. Johnson, 355 Pa.Super. 123, 139-44, 512 A.2d 1242, 1251-52 (1986). The first contention is without merit.