Court Opinion

ID: 9628534
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:23:47.439924+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:07.093458
License: Public Domain

Pearson, J.
(concurring in part, dissenting in part) — I concur with the majority, except with respect to that part of the opinion which holds that the error was harmless as to the rape charge. I agree that the prior act by Jackson is irrelevant to show motive or absence of mistake and that such evidence was erroneously admitted. However, I would characterize the prior act as sexual in nature; thus, the issue is whether the erroneously admitted evidence of a prior sexual act prejudiced Jackson.
Evidentiary errors are prejudicial if, within reasonable probabilities, the error materially affected the outcome of the trial. State v. Robtoy, 98 Wn.2d 30, 44, 653 P.2d 284 (1982). Here, the error might have provided the impetus that caused the jury to convict Jackson of the rape; thus, the error cannot be brushed aside as harmless.
The rape issue in the present case is indistinguishable from that same issue in State v. Saltarelli, 98 Wn.2d 358, 655 P.2d 697 (1982). In Saltarelli, this court held that the admission of an irrelevant prior sexual act was prejudicial. Because the evidence of the prior sexual act might have *697been a determinative factor in the rape conviction, and the remaining evidence was not overwhelming, Saltarelli's conviction was reversed and a new trial was granted.
Here, as in Saltarelli, the evidence of the prior act by Jackson was sexual in character. The evidence consisted of the testimony of a teen-aged girl, stating that Jackson grabbed her from behind and dragged her into an alley. She screamed and he ran away. Jackson was convicted only of a simple assault, not a sexual assault, as a result of this incident. The jury, however, heard the young victim describe the attack and was not informed that no sexual conviction was obtained against Jackson. Moreover, the evidence of the prior act was colored by the remaining evidence against Jackson involving similar attacks on young girls that definitely were sexual in nature. Therefore, it is likely that the jury believed the prior attack by Jackson was a sexually motivated act.
Here, as in Saltarelli, the remaining evidence of the rape was far from overwhelming. The rape victim identified Jackson only by his eyes and his height. She saw only part of his face during the rape. No other witness identified Jackson as the rapist. Jackson was arrested 2 weeks after the rape; the jar of lubricant and the gauze found in the police car after his arrest may or may not have been the items used by the rapist a full 2 weeks earlier. Thus, it is reasonably probable that the evidence of the prior sexual attack materially affected the outcome of the rape verdict.
In sum, improper admission of prior sexual acts in sex cases is not harmless if, within reasonable probabilities, the jury relied on the irrelevant evidence to convict. The majority departs from the precedent set in Saltarelli by holding such error harmless. I would reverse and remand on the rape charge.