Court Opinion

ID: 9659886
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 21:56:56.351245+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:14:12.414988
License: Public Domain

JOSEPH M. ELLIS, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I concur in that portion of the majority opinion reversing Appellant’s conviction for promoting child pornography. I must respectfully dissent, however, from that part of the majority opinion affirming Appellant’s remaining convictions.1 The majority offers no explanation as to why only the one conviction should be reversed and the others affirmed, and I can discern no reason or justification for doing so.2 Indeed, there is a very compelling reason to do otherwise.
“[T]he erroneous exclusion of evidence in a criminal case creates a presumption of prejudice which ‘can only be overcome by a showing that such erroneous exclusion was harmless error beyond any reasonable doubt.’ ” State v. Bowlin, 850 S.W.2d 116, 118 (Mo.App.S.D.1993) (quoting State v. Bashe, 657 S.W.2d 321, 325 (Mo.App.S.D.1983)). The burden of showing that the exclusion was harmless beyond any reasonable doubt rests with the State. Id.
In this case, the State fails to even address the issue of prejudice in its brief on appeal and relies entirely upon its argument that the evidence was not relevant. That argument is rejected by the majority opinion, and the exclusion of the evidence is found to be error. Maj. Op. at 23. Under these circumstances, it simply cannot be said that the State has borne its burden of showing that the exclusion of the evidence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt as to the sodomy counts.
Likewise, the majority has wholly failed to explain how the presumption of prejudice as to the sodomy counts has been rebutted on the record in the case or how the erroneous exclusion of this evidence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Clearly, as recognized by the majority, the evidence that Appellant sought to introduce, if believed, would have served to challenge the credibility of R.S.’s assertions that Appellant took the pornographic pictures of herself and her brother. The majority apparently ignores, however, the effect this evidence might have upon R.S.’s credibility in general and the effect that discrediting the photographic evidence, which the jury was allowed to consider in rendering its verdicts on the sodomy counts, might have upon the State’s case on those counts. The only evidence presented at trial establishing that Appellant committed acts of sodomy on R.S. came from statements made by R.S. Thus, the *27credibility of her statements was the paramount issue in the State’s case on the two counts of sodomy, and it is difficult to discern how the exclusion of evidence which might have called into question the credibility of R.S.’s statements could be viewed as harmless beyond a reasonable doubt.
To put this issue in perspective, it must be remembered that Appellant was convicted based exclusively on what would be inadmissible evidence but for § 491.075.3 In fact, even though the trial court granted the State’s motion to permit video recording of the child victim’s deposition with Appellant excluded, pursuant to § 491.680, and that deposition was taken, the State didn’t even present the videotaped deposition at trial. Rather, the State relied on video taped interviews of the child victim with counselors and DFS personnel as substantive evidence pursuant to § 491.075. Of course, Appellant was neither personally present nor represented by counsel during those interviews. Thus, in this case, more so than most, the evaluation of the credibility of the child victim, who was four and five years old at the time of most of the evidentiary interviews, was essentially the jury’s only function.
In this regard, it should be noted that child sexual abuse is a heinous crime and a serious societal problem in this country. In our zeal to address the issue, our legislatures and courts, by adoption of statutes such as §§ 491.075 and 491.680 and other procedural mechanisms, have opted to weaken evidentiary rules developed through centuries of case law permitting confrontation and the use of cross-examination, “ ‘the greatest legal engine ever invented for the discovery of truth.’ ” State v. Bobbitt, 242 Mo. 273, 146 S.W. 799, 805 (1912) (quoting 5 Wigmore on Evidence § 1367). In our desire to prevent subjecting children to emotional trauma or other harm, we must be ever mindful that these are extremely serious offenses, often permitting sentences of up to life imprisonment, as was the case in the instant appeal. So it is that in cases such as this, it is imperative that the jury evaluate even more critically than normal the child victim’s credibility, and the presumption of prejudice resulting from the erroneous exclusion of any evidence bearing on that *28credibility should be stronger and harder to overcome than in virtually any other type of case.
In the case sub judice, Appellant’s theory of defense on both the sodomy counts and the promoting child pornography count was that he had been “set up” by his ex-wife’s planting of evidence and that R.S.’s testimony had been coached and was not credible. As noted in the majority opinion, the excluded evidence “had substantial probative value in helping establish appellant’s defense that he was framed by Michelle,” Maj. Op. at 22, and without the evidence excluded by the trial court, appellant’s theory of defense “was, for all practical purposes, eviscerated.” Id. at 24. The majority concludes that the exclusion of the evidence “did prevent the introduction of evidence pertinent to the defense, thus denying appellant a meaningful opportunity to submit to the jury in his defense all of the relevant, material facts bearing upon the issue of his guilt or innocence.” Id. at 24-25. These statements hold true with regard to his defense to the sodomy counts as well as the promoting child pornography count.
On the record in this case, I simply cannot conclude that the erroneous exclusion of this evidence was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt with regard to the sodomy counts, and neither the State nor the majority has shown otherwise. I believe that Appellant’s conviction should be reversed as to all counts and the entire cause should be remanded for a new trial.

. Since I would grant Appellant’s Point II as to all charges, requiring reversal and remand for a new trial on all charges, it is my view that the majority’s discussion, analysis and disposition of Appellant’s Point I, albeit scholarly and well written, is unnecessary, of no force or effect, and at best, obiter dictum.

. The majority, in setting forth Appellant’s Point II, states that his argument goes to "his conviction on the promoting child pornography charge,” Maj. Op. at 19, but I see nothing in Appellant’s point relied on that limits it only to that charge.

. This writer’s research has failed to disclose any reported Missouri case where all the evidence necessary to sustain the conviction was inadmissible but for § 491.075. In all cases found, at least some admissible evidence of the offense was presented in addition to the § 491.075 evidence. See e.g., State v. Tringl, 848 S.W.2d 29 (Mo.App. E.D.1993) (court admitted testimony as to out-of-court statements made by alleged rape and sodomy victim under age 12; victim also testified at trial and defense had opportunity to cross-examine her); State v. Benwire, 98 S.W.3d 618 (Mo.App. W.D.2003) (court admitted alleged child victim’s out-of-court statements; victim also testified at trial and denied having made the statements); State v. Werneke, 958 S.W.2d 314 (Mo.App. W.D.1997) (six-year-old child’s out-of-court statements describing defendant's sexual assault upon her were admissible; child victim testified at trial); State v. Foster, 854 S.W.2d 1 (Mo.App.1993) (admitting hearsay testimony of witness as to what alleged victim of sodomy said to her, as well as alleged victim’s out-of-court written statement to police officer; victim testified at trial and was subject to cross-examination); State v. Silvey, 894 S.W.2d 662 (Mo. banc 1995) (admitting out-of-court statements of alleged child sexual abuse victim; victim testified at trial and was subject to cross-examination); State v. White, 873 S.W.2d 874 (Mo.App. E.D.1994) (out-of-court statements by alleged child sodomy victim held admissible as substantive evidence if the victim testifies at trial); State v. Phelps, 816 S.W.2d 227 (Mo.App. S.D.1991) (admitting statements alleged child victim made to juvenile officer; victim testified at trial and defendant had opportunity to cross-examine her); State v. Boyer, 803 S.W.2d 132 (Mo.App. S.D.1991) (admitting out-of-court statements of alleged child sodomy victim; victim testified at trial and was subjected to cross-examination).