Opinion ID: 2098691
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Adjudication of Defendant as Guilty and Denial of the Motion for a New Trial

Text: Before she found defendant guilty of all charges, the trial justice made a number of factual findings. She described the incidents that Jennifer testified about and how Jennifer eventually came forward with the allegations against defendant. She found it clear beyond any doubt that Jennifer's testimony was believable and completely truthful. Accordingly, the trial justice found that the defendant has been proven guilty based on [Jennifer's] testimony and all of the other evidence beyond a reasonable doubt. During the hearing on the motion for a new trial, defense counsel urged that the trial justice erred when she found defendant guilty because it appeared that [the trial justice] really did not digest or pay attention to any defense witnesses or any defense exhibits and rather based her decision on Jennifer's testimony, which she found to be credible. He also argued that the trial justice improperly considered documents that were not in evidence. When she ruled on defendant's motion for a new trial, the trial justice incorporated her findings concerning the adjudication of guilt and the assessment of credibility of witnesses. She acknowledged that the documents that defendant objected to were not included as evidence and conceded that she had reviewed them, but she explained that she did not rely on the documents in any fashion. Additionally, the trial justice discussed the testimony of defendant's mother and concluded that her testimony did not impact the trial justice's assessment of Jennifer's credibility. Finally, she assured defendant's counsel that she had indeed read the DCYF records and Jennifer's hand-written letters in which she claimed that defendant had never harmed her in the context of the trial, and in no way do they undermine this Court's eventual and final assessment of [Jennifer's] testimony, which I stand by. She then denied defendant's motion for a new trial and proceeded to sentence him. 1