Opinion ID: 2267917
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Woods v. State

Text: On November 5, 1995, Laura Woods called the police to report that her daughter, Rebecca [6] , had been sexually molested by her husband, Rebecca's father, John Woods. The same day, a police officer interviewed Rebecca and she recounted multiple molestations. As a result, John Woods was arrested and charged with 37 counts of unlawful sexual intercourse in the first degree, 32 counts of unlawful sexual contact in the second degree, and 3 counts of unlawful sexual penetration in the third degree. At trial, Rebecca testified to numerous instances of sexual abuse by her father. In her testimony, she stated that he occasionally would have intercourse with her in her bed, and occasionally would ejaculate outside her vagina and onto her stomach. Rebecca testified that, during the period of abuse, Woods prohibited her from having boyfriends, or even speaking to boys on the phone. The State introduced into evidence Rebecca's bedspread, and an expert testified that white stains on the bedspread contained a number of human sperm cells. In addition, Dr. Allan DeJong testified that he had examined Rebecca and found an enlargement of her vaginal opening, and damage to her hymen, both apparently the result of repeated sexual intercourse, and consistent with Rebecca being sexually active. At a hearing outside the presence of the jury, Woods elicited testimony from Kim Milnick, a friend of Rebecca's. Milnick testified that, during the period of alleged abuse, she had at least one conversation with Rebecca in which Rebecca stated that she had had sexual intercourse with a boyfriend. Rebecca testified and denied having had sex with a boyfriend during the time in question. Although Milnick's testimony, if believed, could explain the semen stain on Rebecca's bedspread and Dr. DeJong's medical findings, the trial court excluded the testimony under the rape shield statute because the evidence of Rebecca's prior sexual activity was not sufficiently strong. On February 27, 1998, Woods was convicted of six counts of unlawful sexual intercourse in the first degree, one count of unlawful sexual contact in the second degree, and three counts of unlawful sexual penetration in the third degree. He was acquitted of the remaining 62 charges against him. In June 2002, Woods filed a motion for post-conviction DNA testing of the semen stain from Rebecca's bedspread. The Superior Court denied the motion on the grounds that Woods failed to demonstrate that the requested testing was not available at the time of trial; failed to show that identity was an issue; and failed to establish that the testing would be materially relevant to his claim of actual innocence.