Court Opinion

ID: 9580226
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 22:03:18.929382+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:36:08.829691
License: Public Domain

Judge EAGLES
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion which holds that three separate convictions and punishments for second degree rape may be sustained on the evidence before us. The majority finds no merit in defendant’s claims that the double jeopardy clause of the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of North Carolina prevents all three convictions being upheld. I disagree with the majority and would vote to vacate one of the three second degree rape convictions.
Defendant argues that the sexual misconduct here consisted of one incident of forced oral sex and one second degree rape, the three vaginal penetrations constituting parts of one occurrence of forced vaginal sexual intercourse. In his brief defendant argues that withdrawal of his penis and his forcible removal of the victim from the living room to the adjoining bedroom where he again vaginally penetrated her twice more were all part of one transaction of sexual misconduct and could be punished only as one rape. Likewise defendant argues that his acts in the bedroom of forcibly vaginally penetrating the victim from the rear and upon her protest withdrawing and immediately re-penetrating her vaginally from the front was but part of a single continuing transaction begun in the living room.
Though defendant’s conduct is reprehensible and deserving of serious punishment, the question here is whether defendant *206has committed but one second degree rape, as he argues on appeal, or three separate second degree rapes as the majority finds. I agree with the majority that the forcible vaginal penetration of the victim in the living room constitutes a separate offense from the bedroom acts. It was separated from the bedroom acts both as to place (in another room, some 20 to 25 feet away) and as to time (several minutes, the time to walk the 20-25 feet from the living room to the bedroom). However, as to the last two penetrations, I believe that they constitute but one sexual act, and must be punished as one second degree rape.
Our law is clear that second degree rape is “vaginal intercourse with another by force and against the will of the other person.” G.S. 14-27.3(a)(l). Equally clear is the rule that to show vaginal intercourse in a rape prosecution there need be proof only of “the slightest penetration.” State v. Johnson, 317 N.C. 417, 435, 347 S.E. 2d 7, 18 (1986). Nevertheless, each re-penetration, when part of the same act of vaginal intercourse, should not be punished as a separate rape. Beasley v. State, 94 Okla. Cr. 353, 236 P. 2d 263 (1951). The majority opinion here would tend to establish a rule that in a rape case where a defendant makes more than one penetration, no matter how close in time and place, each re-penetration automatically would support a separate rape charge and punishment.
The law contemplates that for each act of forcible vaginal intercourse there should be criminal prosecution and imposition of a punishment within the legislatively approved maximum. In the absence of legislative action, punishment for a single act of forcible sexual intercourse should not be increased solely because the act involves re-penetration after the initial forcible penetration, so long as it is part of the same act or transaction and there is no intervening activity.
Harrell v. State, 88 Wis. 2d 546, 277 N.W. 2d 462 (1979), discusses some helpful criteria for determining when sexually assaultive conduct with multiple penetrations should constitute one or more punishable offenses for double jeopardy purposes. Among the factors considered by the Wisconsin court are:
(a) the nature of the act;
(b) time elapsed;
*207(c) place, meaning the site of the acts as well as “the intimate parts of the victim’s body invaded by the sexually as-saultive behavior”;
(d) intent and whether the lapse of time may indicate a newly formed intent to again seek sexual gratification or inflict abuse;
(e) cumulative punishment; and
(f) number of victims.
Id. at 572-574, 277 N.W. 2d at 472-474. They observed that: “[t]he presence and absence of a single factor or a combination of factors other than the nature of the act is not conclusive of the issue.” Id. at 572, 277 N.W. 2d at 473.
While there was a separation in time and place of the forcible penetration of the victim in the living room from the later acts in the bedroom, the two vaginal penetrations in the bedroom occurred in close proximity of time, at the same place and with the same intent, i.e. gratification of defendant’s sexual desires. In the bedroom, defendant withdrew from the penetration from the rear and after changing the victim’s position on the bed immediately re-penetrated her from the front and completed the act of intercourse.
In considering the two bedroom penetrations, the nature of the act was the same, the time elapsed between them was apparently negligible, and the place was the same in both respects. Likewise the intent, defendant’s sexual gratification, was the same in both penetrations and so little time elapsed as to negate the likelihood of any newly found intent. Utilizing the Harrell evaluation of factors, it is clear that there was but one punishable offense.
The majority relies on State v. Dudley, 319 N.C. 656, 356 S.E. 2d 361 (1987) to support the proposition that each act of forcible vaginal penetration constitutes a separate rape. In Dudley there were two completed acts of sexual intercourse with one victim. The two completed acts were separated by an unspecified period of time during which the defendant unsuccessfully attempted sexual intercourse with a second victim. Because there were two separate completed acts of intercourse which were separated in *208time and by intervening circumstances (the attempted forcible intercourse with the second victim), Dudley is distinguishable on its facts.
The majority also cites State v. Small, 31 N.C. App. 556, 230 S.E. 2d 425 (1976), disc. review denied, 291 N.C. 715, 232 S.E. 2d 207 (1977). In Small there were two separate incidents of forcible intercourse with the same victim on the same evening. The first occurred when defendant accosted the victim on the street, threw her on the ground into some bushes, and raped her. The second incident of forcible intercourse occurred between the same defendant and victim on the way from the scene of the first rape to the victim’s friend’s apartment. The victim was attempting to lure her attacker to her friend’s apartment after the first rape so she could get help. Unlike the instant case, the two rapes in Small were completed acts of forcible intercourse, substantially separated both in time and place.
Though the majority is correct that “generally rape is not a continuous offense,” citing 75 C.J.S., Rape section 4, the facts and circumstances of the two penetrations in the bedroom show they were very close in time, at the same place, pursuant to the same intent and constitute one offense of rape. Accordingly, I dissent and vote to vacate the third conviction of second degree rape. In all other respects, I concur fully with the majority opinion.