Court Opinion

ID: 9378237
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-03-09 19:07:26.066779+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:17:19.706024
License: Public Domain

J-S39019-22

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

 COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA             :   IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF
                                          :        PENNSYLVANIA
                                          :
              v.                          :
                                          :
                                          :
 WAYNE FRANKLIN BENSON, JR.               :
                                          :
                    Appellant             :   No. 468 MDA 2022

      Appeal from the Judgment of Sentence Entered October 11, 2021
   In the Court of Common Pleas of Lycoming County Criminal Division at
                     No(s): CP-41-CR-0000829-2020

BEFORE: PANELLA, P.J., BENDER, P.J.E., and NICHOLS, J.

MEMORANDUM BY BENDER, P.J.E.:                        FILED MARCH 09, 2023

      Appellant, Wayne Franklin Benson, Jr., appeals from the judgment of

sentence of 16 to 32 months of incarceration and a consecutive three-year

period of probation imposed following his convictions for a series of crimes all

arising out of his surreptitious photographing of his underage stepdaughter

while she used the bathroom. After careful review, we discharge Appellant’s

conviction for obscenity, affirm all other challenged convictions, and remand

for resentencing as our decision disrupts the sentencing scheme.

      The victim, G.B., lived with her mother, brother, and Appellant, who was

her stepfather. Appellant and G.B.’s mother married in 2008, when G.B. was

approximately three years old. At some unspecified time on the evening of

June 23, 2020, G.B. went to use the bathroom located across from her

bedroom. G.B., who was then 14 years old, was wearing pink shorts and a

gray top. She pulled her pants and underwear down, partially exposing her
J-S39019-22

vagina. While using the toilet, G.B. saw flashes of light coming from the linen

closet. G.B. saw that the closet door was open and discovered a phone, which

she recognized as Appellant’s. G.B. opened the phone’s camera application

and saw several photographs of her using the toilet. She then deleted the

pictures. As G.B. offered the only evidence regarding the photographs, we

quote her description of the events:

      Q. Okay, do you recall what you were wearing?

      A. Yes. I was wearing pajamas; pink shorts and a gray top.

      Q. So when you went into the bathroom that night, did you have
      to pull down your pants?

      A. Yes.

      Q. Did you remove anything else?

      A. I removed my underwear.

      Q. Okay, and then you proceeded to use the toilet?

      A. Yes.

      Q. Okay. When you removed your underwear and your pants,
      what part of your body, if at all, was exposed?

      A. My shirt covered most of it, but some of my vagina was
      showing.

      Q. Okay. When you went to the bathroom[,] did you notice
      anything in the – across from the toilet?

      A. I noticed flashing.

                                       ***

      Q. And when you picked up the phone did you see anything on the
      phone?

      A. Yes.

      Q. What did you see?

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       A. I saw about nine pictures of me going to the bathroom.

       Q. Okay. What did you do at that point?

       A. I went back to my room.

       Q. Did you do anything to the phone before you went back to your
       room?

       A. Yes, I deleted the pictures.

N.T., 6/23/21, at 31-33.

       G.B. immediately informed her maternal grandparents, who visited the

home shortly thereafter. Appellant acquiesced to G.B.’s grandfather’s demand

that Appellant turn over his cellphone. The phone was subsequently turned

over to the Pennsylvania State Police.

       Corporal Christopher Hill extracted the phone’s data and performed a

forensic search but could not recover the images deleted by G.B. Corporal Hill

determined that Appellant’s phone activated the camera application seventeen

times on June 23, 2020, with the last occurring at 10:00 p.m. Corporal Hill

recovered an image taken on the day of the incident, showing Appellant touch

his watch. Corporal Hill testified that an Apple iWatch can access the phone’s

camera application, and the image’s metadata showed that the image was

taken via Appellant’s iWatch.

       The Commonwealth also called Corporal Tyler Morse, who interviewed

Appellant while he and another trooper transported Appellant from a mental

health facility to a Pennsylvania State Police barracks.1 While riding in the

____________________________________________

1Appellant had been involuntary committed due to admissions that he had
attempted suicide.

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backseat with Appellant, Corporal Morse issued Miranda2 warnings, and

Appellant agreed to speak. Appellant admitted that he placed his phone in

the linen closet and used his iWatch to take pictures of G.B. while she used

the bathroom.       He stated that “this was the only time he ever tried to

photograph the victim when she did not have clothing on.” N.T., 6/23/21, at

81. The police vehicle recorded the conversation and an audio recording of

Appellant’s statements was played to the jury.

        The Commonwealth charged Appellant with six total counts, one of

which was withdrawn.         The jury convicted Appellant of the remaining five

counts.3

        On October 11, 2021, the trial court sentenced Appellant to an

aggregate term of 16 to 32 months of incarceration followed by three years

of probation. Appellant filed a timely post-sentence motion on October 20,

2021. The trial court did not issue an order during the 120-day period, which

expired on February 17, 2022. Pa.R.Crim.P. 720(B)(3)(a). Thus, the motion

should have been denied by operation of law on that date, as the docket does

not reflect that the court issued an order granting the permitted one-time

extension of thirty days.        Pa.R.Crim.P. 720(B)(3)(b-c).   Appellant filed a

____________________________________________

2   Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966).
3 Count one: 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312(b)(2) (photographing a minor performing a
sexual act); count two: 18 Pa.C.S. § 6312(d) (possession of child
pornography); count three: 18 Pa.C.S. § 7512 (criminal use of communication
facility); count four: 18 Pa.C.S. § 5903(a)(3)(ii) (creating obscene material);
count five: 18 Pa.C.S. § 7507.1(a)(1) (invasion of privacy).

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protective notice of appeal on March 17, 2021, and on April 1, 2022, the trial

judge signed an order purporting to deny the post-sentence motions.

Appellant thereafter filed a notice of appeal from that order.4

       Appellant filed a concise statement of matters complained of on appeal,

and the trial court issued its opinion in response. The Commonwealth filed a

letter stating it would not file a brief and chose to rest on the trial court

opinion. Appellant raises the following issues for our review.

       I. Whether the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to
       sustain [Appellant]’s two convictions for sexual abuse of children
       where the child was not engaged in any conduct constituting a
       prohibited sexual act or simulation where the evidence revealed
       only that the child was using the toilet and where no actual images
       were ever introduced into evidence?

       II. Whether the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to
       establish that [Appellant] used a communication facility in the
       commission of a felony, since the evidence in those felony counts
       (counts [one] and [two]) were insufficient to support those
       convictions?

       III. Whether the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to
       demonstrate beyond a reasonable doubt that the alleged
       photographs constituted obscene material as defined by the
       statute where the evidence revealed only that the child was briefly
       using the toilet and there was no evidence that her genitals were
       ever visible as she was seated and no actual images were
       introduced at trial?

       IV. Whether [Appellant] was denied his due process rights to a
       fair trial under both the United States and Pennsylvania
       constitutions where the Commonwealth improperly commented
____________________________________________

4We have deemed the failure to enter an order denying the post-sentence
motion by operation of law as an administrative breakdown that excuses the
untimely filing of the notice of appeal. See Commonwealth v. Patterson,
940 A.2d 493, 499 (Pa. Super. 2007). We therefore decline to quash the
appeal.

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      multiple times on his right to remain silent after Miranda
      warnings were provided?

Appellant’s Brief at 4 (unnecessary capitalization omitted).

      The first issue challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to convict

Appellant of counts one and two, which were graded as felonies. The second

issue turns on the first, as count three criminalizes the use of a communication

facility, which is defined to include a phone, to commit another felony. 75

Pa.C.S. § 7512.    Thus, Appellant’s second issue fails if the evidence was

sufficient at counts one and/or two. See Appellant’s Brief at 20 (“Here, the

basis for this … charge, as set forth by the trial court in its instructions, was

the commission of the felony crimes in [c]ounts [one] and [two.]”).

      Our standard of review is well-settled.      Whether the evidence was

sufficient to sustain the charge presents a question of law, and our standard

of review is de novo, and our scope of review is plenary. Commonwealth v.

Walls, 144 A.3d 926 (Pa. Super. 2016). We must determine:

      [W]hether the evidence at trial, and all reasonable inferences
      derived therefrom, when viewed in the light most favorable to the
      Commonwealth as verdict-winner, [is] sufficient to establish all
      elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt. We may not
      weigh the evidence or substitute our judgment for that of the fact-
      finder. Additionally, the evidence at trial need not preclude every
      possibility of innocence, and the fact-finder is free to resolve any
      doubts regarding a defendant’s guilt unless the evidence is so
      weak and inconclusive that as a matter of law no probability of
      fact may be drawn from the combined circumstances. When
      evaluating the credibility and weight of the evidence, the fact-
      finder is free to believe all, part or none of the evidence. For
      purposes of our review under these principles, we must review the
      entire record and consider all of the evidence introduced.

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Commonwealth v. McCoy, 199 A.3d 411, 414–15 (Pa. Super. 2018)

(quoting Commonwealth v. Trinidad, 96 A.3d 1031, 1038 (Pa. Super.

2014)).

      Appellant asserts that the Commonwealth failed to present sufficient

evidence concerning how the photographs depicted G.B.’s genitalia, thereby

precluding his convictions for violating the following two separate subsections

of Section 6312:

      (b) Photographing, videotaping, depicting on computer or
      filming sexual acts.--

                                     ....

          (2) Any person who knowingly photographs, videotapes,
          depicts on computer or films a child under the age of 18
          years engaging in a prohibited sexual act or in the
          simulation of such an act commits an offense.

                                     ....

      (d) Child pornography.--Any person who intentionally views or
      knowingly possesses or controls any book, magazine, pamphlet,
      slide, photograph, film, videotape, computer depiction or other
      material depicting a child under the age of 18 years engaging in a
      prohibited sexual act or in the simulation of such act commits
      an offense.

18 Pa.C.S. § 6312(b)(2), (d) (emphasis added).

      Thus, the sole element at issue here is whether the Commonwealth

presented sufficient evidence to satisfy the definition of “prohibited sexual

act.” That phrase is defined by subsection (g) as follows: “Sexual intercourse

as defined in section 3101 (relating to definitions), masturbation, sadism,

masochism, bestiality, fellatio, cunnilingus, lewd exhibition of the genitals or

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nudity if such nudity is depicted for the purpose of sexual stimulation or

gratification of any person who might view such depiction.”       18 Pa.C.S. §

6312(g).

      The first seven possibilities (sexual intercourse as separately defined,

masturbation, sadism, masochism, bestiality, fellatio, or cunnilingus) are

clearly not at issue.    Appellant limits his attack to the language “lewd

exhibition of the genitals.” Appellant submits that “mere child nudity is not

enough – because the phrase ‘exhibition of the genitals’ is qualified by the

word ‘lewd.’” Appellant’s Brief at 14. Thus, the Commonwealth was required

to show that the pictures captured a lewd exhibition of G.B.’s genitals in order

to sustain its convictions. Appellant points out that the evidence on what the

photographs depicted was limited to G.B.’s testimony that some of her vagina

was showing.     Relatedly, because G.B. deleted the photographs, it is

impossible to review what they depicted. Id. Based on G.B.’s testimony, the

pictures, at most, “showed her in the act of ‘going to the bathroom.’ However,

this much is unavoidable: the fact that G.B. may have even slightly appeared

nude and her pubic area was briefly visible at times does not mean that the

photos depicted her engaging in a prohibited sexual act[.]” Id. at 14-15.

      Appellant’s argument ignores the separate language concerning nudity.

The natural interpretation of “or” is that it serves to offset each separate

prohibited sexual act. See generally In re Paulmier, 937 A.2d 364, 373

(Pa. 2007) (“The word ‘or’ is defined as a conjunction ‘used to connect words,

phrases, or clauses representing alternatives.        In other words, ‘or’ is

                                     -8-
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disjunctive. It means one or the other of two or more alternatives.”) (citation

omitted). Here, the disjunctive “or” offsets “lewd exhibition of the genitals”

from “nudity if such nudity is depicted for the purpose of sexual stimulation

or gratification of any person who might view such depiction.”         Thus, the

Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence to convict Appellant of counts

one, two, and three if the material qualified as either a “lewd exhibition of the

genitals” or nudity as defined.          For the following reasons, we decline to

conclude that the Commonwealth presented sufficient evidence that the

photographs constituted a lewd exhibition of G.B.’s genitals for purposes of

this statute. We thus credit that aspect of Appellant’s argument. However,

as our review is de novo, we find that the Commonwealth presented sufficient

evidence that the depictions satisfied the nudity definition and therefore affirm

the convictions at counts one, two, and three.

       We briefly discuss some broad principles concerning the criminalization

of child pornography, as these concepts are relevant to Appellant’s conviction

for obscenity. As a general matter, depictions of pornography are protected

speech; it is only when the material is deemed “obscene” that a State may

criminalize it.5   “We have long held that obscene speech—sexually explicit

material that violates fundamental notions of decency—is not protected by the

First Amendment. But to protect explicit material that has social value, we
____________________________________________

5 We speak here, of course, only of statutes criminalizing pornography; the
surreptitious recording or photographing of a person using the bathroom is
also criminalized by other statutes, such as Appellant’s unchallenged
conviction for invasion of privacy.

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have limited the scope of the obscenity exception, and have overturned

convictions for the distribution of sexually graphic but nonobscene material.

See Miller v. California, 413 U.S. 15, 23–24 (1973).” United States v.

Williams, 553 U.S. 285, 288 (2008) (citation omitted).        The Miller Court

defined obscene material as “works which, taken as a whole, appeal to the

prurient interest in sex, which portray sexual conduct in a patently offensive

way, and which, taken as a whole, do not have serious literary, artistic,

political, or scientific value.”   Miller, 413 U.S. at 24.      Different First

Amendment principles apply to sexual material where children are concerned.

In New York v. Ferber, 458 U.S. 747 (1982), the United States Supreme

Court held that material showing children engaged in sexual conduct could be

criminalized even if that material was not obscene under the Miller standards.

“As a general rule, pornography can be banned only if obscene, but under

Ferber, pornography showing minors can be proscribed whether or not the

images are obscene under the definition set forth in Miller[.]” Ashcroft v.

Free Speech Coal., 535 U.S. 234, 240 (2002).

      It warrants mentioning that Ferber stated that there are “limits on the

category of child pornography which, like obscenity, is unprotected by the First

Amendment.” Ferber, 458 U.S. at 764. A statute must adequately define

the conduct to be prohibited, and “[t]he category of ‘sexual conduct’

proscribed must also be suitably limited and described.” Id. The specific law

at issue in Ferber was upheld because it

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       incorporates a definition of sexual conduct that comports with the
       above-stated principles. The forbidden acts to be depicted are
       listed with sufficient precision and represent the kind of conduct
       that, if it were the theme of a work, could render it legally
       obscene: “actual or simulated sexual intercourse, deviate sexual
       intercourse, sexual bestiality, masturbation, sado-masochistic
       abuse, or lewd exhibition of the genitals.” The term “lewd
       exhibition of the genitals” is not unknown in this area and, indeed,
       was given in Miller as an example of a permissible regulation.

Ferber, 458 U.S. at 765 (citation omitted).

       The Section 6312(g) definition of prohibited sexual conduct largely

tracks this approved list of “forbidden acts” that may be criminalized. And

most of the items specified within Section 6312(g) are self-evidently sexual

conduct that could be legally obscene. For example, fellatio or cunnilingus are

straightforwardly sexual and require no explication.           Determining what

qualifies as a “lewd exhibition of the genitals,” in contrast, is more difficult.

See, e.g., United States v. Villard, 885 F.2d 117, 121 (3d Cir. 1989)

(“Congress did not expressly define ‘lascivious exhibition of the genitals or

pubic area,’ one of the five types of prohibited ‘sexually explicit conduct’ listed

in 18 U.S.C. § 2256(2).           Whatever the exact parameters of ‘lascivious

exhibition,’ we find it less readily discernable than the other, more concrete

types of sexually explicit conduct listed in [S]ection 2256(2).”).6 Many courts

have adopted the multi-factor test set forth by United States v. Dost, 636

F. Supp. 828 (S.D. Cal. 1986), a case involving a child pornography

____________________________________________

6  For our purposes, the two terms are synonymous.         “A subsequent
amendment, the Child Protection Act of 1984, replaced ‘lewd’ with the word
‘lascivious,’ but the two words have nearly identical meanings.” United
States v. Knox, 32 F.3d 733, 748 (3d Cir. 1994).

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prosecution. Recognizing that “Congress intended that the standard be lower

than that for obscenity, in line with the Ferber holding,” the Dost Court

established a non-exclusive multi-factor test. Id. at 832.

      Here, we agree that the lack of detail regarding what the photographs

showed makes it difficult, if not impossible, to determine whether they were

lewd or lascivious, even putting aside the lack of a precedential definition of

the phrase.    “[W]hat constitutes a forbidden lascivious exhibition ‘is not

concrete,’ and for this reason it is necessary to determine the potentially

lascivious nature ‘with respect to the actual depictions themselves.’” United

States v. Holmes, 814 F.3d 1246, 1251 (11th Cir. 2016).            There, the

defendant “was charged with surreptitiously videotaping his teenage

stepdaughter performing her daily bathroom routine over a period of

approximately five months, and being in possession of videos and depictions

of her in the nude.” Id. at 1247. The Holmes Court determined that the

material constituted a lascivious exhibition of the genitals based on the

defendant’s actions in creating the pictures. The panel acknowledged that the

depictions might be “otherwise innocent” if made by the child, as its

precedents have “defined ‘lascivious exhibition’ as one that ‘excites sexual

desires or is salacious.’”   Id. at 1251 (citation omitted).     However, “a

lascivious exhibition may be created by an individual who surreptitiously

videos or photographs a minor and later captures or edits a depiction, even

when the original depiction is one of an innocent child acting innocently.” Id.

at 1252.      The defendant placed cameras “in the bathroom where his

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stepdaughter was most likely to be videoed while nude,” and he “extensive[ly]

focus[ed] on videoing and capturing images of her pubic area,” and “his

editing of the videos at issue … was sufficient to create a lascivious exhibition

of the genitals or pubic area.” Id.

       We are unprepared to say whether the depiction of G.B. using the toilet

would qualify as a lewd exhibition. First, the parties have not directed us to

any Pennsylvania case addressing the definition of “lewd” in this statutory

context, and we have not uncovered any. Second, even if we were inclined

to ascertain what the phrase “lewd exhibition of the genitals” means, Appellant

is surely correct that a “lewd exhibition” must mean more than a nude

depiction.    Otherwise, the “nudity” addition is superfluous.       The “General

Assembly intends the entire statute to be effective and certain.” 1 Pa.C.S. §

1922(2).     Accepting arguendo that a multi-factor test is appropriate, we

simply have nothing to assess as the photographs were deleted.

       Our conclusion in this regard does not vindicate Appellant, however, as

he ignores the nudity language.7          The definition of “prohibited sexual act”

includes “nudity if such nudity is depicted for the purpose of sexual stimulation

or gratification of any person who might view such depiction.” See 18 Pa.C.S.

§ 6312(g). In Commonwealth v. Savich, 716 A.2d 1251 (Pa. Super. 1998),

____________________________________________

7 We note that the trial court instructed the jury that, for purposes of this
case, “a prohibited sexual act means lewd exhibition of the genitals and/or
nudity, if the nudity is depicted for the purpose of ... sexual stimulation or
gratification of any person who might view” the material. N.T., 6/23/21, at
155.

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we explained that, when the theory of the case involves the production of the

material, it is proper to focus on the intent of the producer:

         It is the intent of the photographer with which we are
         concerned in this case.        The standard employed is a
         subjective one, pertaining to the actor’s state of mind and
         is therefore uniquely within the control of the potential
         offender. Such a standard provides an intrinsic element of
         notice, as the actor is also in a uniquely suitable position to
         know whether his purpose will coincide with that proscribed
         by the statute.

      [Missouri v. Helgoth, 691 S.W.2d 281, 283 (Mo. 1985)].
      Persuaded by Helgoth’s reasoning, we find that the videotaping
      of nude children for the purpose of one’s own sexual gratification
      or stimulation is a prohibited act under 18 Pa.C.S.[] § 6312(a)
      (“prohibited sexual act” means “nudity if such nudity is depicted
      for the purpose of sexual stimulation or gratification of any person
      who might view such depiction”).

Id. at 1256. Cf. Holmes, supra (adopting same intent test with respect to

lewd exhibition under federal child pornography statute).

      As in Savich, this case involves Appellant as the creator of the material,

and Appellant does not argue that the Commonwealth failed to present

sufficient evidence to conclude that his intent in photographing G.B. was for

his own sexual gratification. Along these same lines, we add that our Supreme

Court in Commonwealth v. Davidson, 938 A.2d 198, 213 (Pa. 2007),

examined a void-for-vagueness challenge to Section 6312 and its prohibition

of “nudity” in the context of possessing the materials. The Court explained

that when it comes to nude images, “[a]ll that the Commonwealth must prove

in a situation where a defendant is found in possession of nude images of

children not engaged in any other prohibited sexual act under Section

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6312(a), is that the nudity in the image is depicted for sexual stimulation or

gratification.” Id. Appellant concedes that the depictions constituted some

level of nudity, and he does not argue any other element of the crimes. We

therefore determine that there was sufficient evidence to sustain the

convictions at counts one and two on these grounds.              Consequently,

Appellant’s associated challenge to count three fails as well.

      That said, our foregoing analysis demonstrates that Appellant has

presented a compelling argument that the Commonwealth failed to produce

sufficient evidence to uphold his conviction for obscenity, which he raises in

his third issue. At count four, the Commonwealth charged Appellant with the

following violation:

      (a) Offenses defined.--No person, knowing the obscene
      character of the materials or performances involved, shall:

                                       …

         (3) … (ii) design, copy, draw, photograph, print, utter,
         publish or in any manner manufacture or prepare any
         obscene materials in which a minor is depicted….

18 Pa.C.S § 5903(a)(3)(ii).

      As indicated by the statutory language, the material must be “obscene,”

and the statute adopts the aforementioned Miller standard.          Material is

obscene if:

      (1) the average person applying contemporary community
      standards would find that the subject matter taken as a whole
      appeals to the prurient interest;

      (2) the subject matter depicts or describes in a patently offensive
      way, sexual conduct of a type described in this section; and

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      (3) the subject matter, taken as a whole, lacks serious literary,
      artistic, political, educational or scientific value.

18 Pa.C.S § 5903(b). “Sexual conduct” is separately defined as follows:

      Patently offensive representations or descriptions of ultimate
      sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated, including
      sexual intercourse, anal or oral sodomy and sexual bestiality; and
      patently    offensive   representations   or    descriptions    of
      masturbation, excretory functions, sadomasochistic abuse and
      lewd exhibition of the genitals.

Id.

      Because this statute incorporates the Miller obscenity test, Section

5903 does not refer to the child pornography exception established by Ferber.

Thus, the acts criminalized here are the production of obscene material within

the meaning of the Miller standard.      Accordingly, our previous discussion

regarding the uncertainty of what “lewd” means applies with even stronger

force here because the statute criminalizes the production of obscene

material, not material subject to the child pornography exception.

      We agree with Appellant that the Commonwealth failed to establish

sufficient evidence of lewd exhibition of G.B.’s genitals. The evidence, when

taken in the light most favorable to the fact-finder, warrants the inference that

the photographs depicted nudity. Nudity is not enough under the obscenity

statute.   Commonwealth v. Lebo, 795 A.2d 987 (Pa. Super. 2002).              In

Lebo, this Court discharged obscenity convictions. The appellant owned a

photography studio and hired young women as models for photos he hoped

to sell in calendars and magazines. Id. at 989. The police learned that some

of the models may have been underage, and pursuant to a search warrant,

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seized hundreds of photographs. The Lebo Court divided the material “into

three categories: those where the model is clothed; those where the model is

partially clothed, usually with the breasts exposed; and those where the model

is completely nude.” Id. at 992. None of the photographs depicted a lewd

exhibition of the genitals, as “the few nude photographs are simply standing

nudes.” Id. “The models are not posed in overtly sexual or lewd poses, their

legs are together, and their genitals are not visible.”          Id.    As the

Commonwealth in the case sub judice relies on the trial court opinion’s

treatment of this issue, we quote the trial court’s analysis of Lebo:

      While there are no allegations that the photographs of the victim
      depicted her in ultimate sexual acts or other representations
      defined by the statute, the victim testified that her vagina was
      visible when she was photographed as she sat down to use the
      toilet. This fact distinguishes the present case from that of
      [Lebo], wherein the [a]ppellant’s conviction for obscene and
      other sexual materials was reversed because the nude models
      were “not posed in overtly sexual or lewd poses, their legs [were]
      together, and their genitals [were] not visible.” The photos taken
      of the minor victim in a private moment where her vagina would
      necessarily be exposed met the definition of obscenity as
      contained in the statute and said photos lacked any serious
      literary, artistic, political, educational, or scientific value.

Trial Court Opinion, 6/2/22, at 5.

      We respectfully disagree. The Lebo Court’s reference to the absence of

visible genitalia was, in our view, little more than an acknowledgement that

the material was not even plausibly lewd. The display of genitals is surely a

necessary condition given the phrase itself requires a depiction of genitals but

it is not a sufficient one. Moreover, the Lebo Court’s discussion of specific

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qualities of the photographs, for example the manner in which the models

were posed, supports Appellant’s contention that the absence of the actual

photographs and the lack of testimony regarding the depictions makes this

task virtually impossible.    G.B.’s testimony establishes that the pictures

showed little more than G.B. using the toilet in a normal manner, which is a

setting not typically associated with sexual activity. We do not doubt that

certain arrangements or editing can transform an “innocent” nude depiction

into a lewd one. See, e.g., United States v. Horn, 187 F.3d 781, 790 (8th

Cir. 1999) (holding that depiction of nude children playing on a jungle gym

was lascivious because the appellant “freeze-framed at moments when their

pubic areas are most exposed, as, for instance, when they are doing

cartwheels; and these areas are at the center of the image and form the focus

of the depiction”). However, the evidence presented to the jury did not enable

a rational inference that the pictures qualified as a lewd exhibition as required

by Miller. The only firm description that we have of the photographs is that

they depicted parts of G.B.’s vagina/pubic area and showed her going to the

bathroom. Perhaps the result would be different if Appellant, for example,

zoomed in on the visible portion of G.B.’s genitals, but there is no evidence of

that here. We therefore discharge Appellant’s conviction at this count. As the

trial court sentenced Appellant at this count, our discharge disrupts the

sentencing scheme, and we must remand for resentencing.

      Appellant’s final claim concerns two purported references to Appellant’s

right to remain silent. As previously stated, Appellant was given Miranda

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warnings and did not file a motion to suppress the statements.        Appellant

elected to testify and was asked on cross-examination if he understood that

he did not have to answer the trooper’s questions. Appellant claims, with little

elaboration, that a question clarifying that he chose to give up his right to

remain silent violated his right to remain silent.    Appellant also does not

account for the fact that he chose to testify. See Commonwealth v. Molina,

104 A.3d 430, 447 (Pa. 2014) (explaining that “the prosecution may impeach

the testifying defendant with his prior statements, actions, or silence,

regardless of whether the statements, actions, or silence occurred prior to or

after the reading of Miranda rights or the defendant’s arrest, if the defendant

waives his right against self-incrimination by testifying”).       The second

reference came during closing argument, when the prosecutor argued that an

innocent person would not give incriminating statements.8

       Appellant failed to preserve these claims, as he acknowledges that

counsel failed to object. Appellant’s Brief at 27 (“At no time did trial counsel

object to this questioning on the basis that it violated [Appellant]’s Fifth

Amendment right to remain silent.”); id. at 28 (referencing closing argument;

“Once again, no objection was ever made by trial counsel.”). Because these

claims were not preserved, we decline to address them.        Pa.R.A.P. 302(a)

(“Issues not raised in the trial court are waived and cannot be raised for the

first time on appeal.”).
____________________________________________

8Appellant explained that he did not recall making the admissions, as he was
medicated from his involuntary commitment.

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      Appellant is discharged at count four.   All other convictions affirmed.

Judgment of sentence vacated. Case remanded for resentencing. Jurisdiction

relinquished.

Judgment Entered.

Joseph D. Seletyn, Esq.
Prothonotary

Date: 03/09/2023

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