Court Opinion

ID: 9764785
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 03:39:59.53354+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:30:01.580801
License: Public Domain

KAROHL, Judge,
dissenting.
The essential facts of this case are that a mother accused her son of rape and sodomy. He admitted sexual acts with his mother, but claimed she was the aggressor. She was an admitted active alcoholic and was drinking on the occasion in question. Her relatives, including her mother, testified she could not be trusted to tell the truth. Her version was supported by some evidence of injuries. The function of the jury was to decide who was guilty, the complaining witness of seducing her son into an incestuous relationship or the son of detestable crimes.
Before the trial began defendant testified in camera to satisfy § 491.015.3 RSMo 1978 and in opposition to the state’s motion in limine. The charged acts occurred on June 1,1984. The trial was held in December, 1984. Defendant was prepared to testify that in March, 1979, his mother seduced him in her home; that in 1981 she attempted to seduce him in an automobile; and, in June 1982 in her home she again attempted to seduce him. The first two occasions were connected with her drinking habit. By his testimony on each occasion she urged him to view her by a different identity-that of her second husband’s first wife. The elements of who was the aggressor, her use of alcohol and location were common to the charged acts. A further fact connected these prior matters to the charged acts. By defendant’s testimony Nancy Webb’s husband Bill Webb, openly accused her of engaging in sexual acts with defendant. At trial defendant testified part of the seduction was a statement by his mother that since they were accused of such acts they may as well indulge. The prior events explain this statement and made it relevant and important.
When this case was tried the holdings of our Supreme Court in State v. Brown, 636 S.W.2d 929 (Mo. banc 1982) and State v. Ray, 637 S.W.2d 708 (Mo. banc 1982) were the law of this state. These decisions determined that there were, in effect, five exceptions to the presumption against allowing evidence of specific instances of the complaining victim’s prior sexual acts within the “Rape Shield Law.” Four exceptions were described in § 491.015.1 and a fifth in § 491.015.2. This view has since been reconsidered. State v. Jones, 716 S.W.2d 799 (Mo. banc 1986), Blackmar and Welliver dissenting. In Jones, the court relied heavily on corroborating physical evidence in support of the complaining witness’s testimony and opined, “[i]f this case involved merely a swearing match between the complaining witness and the accused on the issue of consent [it would be] inclined to reverse and remand.” Id. 801. It held, “[in] these circumstances, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion *73and the appellant was deprived of a fair trial.”
On the present facts and in view of the discussion in Jones, the decision upon appellant’s first claim of error depends upon an inquiry as to whether there was a pure swearing match and whether exclusion of the proffered evidence was such an abuse of discretion as to deny defendant a fair trial.
The circumstances in this case are unusual if not unique. Even if sexual assaults are all too common the rape and sodomy by a son of his mother is not a common charge. The element of consent was therefore extraordinary and cast a like burden on defendant whose sole defense was consent by a mother, not mere consent. The charges and the circumstances are in themselves so outrageous, whether or not the defendant is innocent, or guilty. For this reason the determination of what is reasonably contemporaneous must be very carefully scrutinized in order that a fair trial on these special facts may be insured.
The trial court refused the evidence solely on the test of remoteness as provided in § 491.015.1(1). The relevant period is from March, 1979 to June, 1982, compared with June, 1984. What may be too remote in one case, as for example between strangers, is not necessarily too remote in another. We have no other cases to determine what is reasonably contemporaneous for these facts. The analysis must be more basic.
Under the circumstances of this case two years is not unreasonably contemporaneous. Applying the shield “should not deprive a defendant of an opportunity to prevent his whole defense.” State v. Jones, 716 S.W.2d at 804 (view of Judge Blackmar in dissent). How could the complaining witness have been prejudiced by defendant’s inquiry? Presumably she would have simply denied the prior events in the same manner that she denied consent for the present charges. If there was substance to the “story” the defendant has been denied a fair trial. He was not allowed to offer this testimony in his own defense. I find nothing in the rape shield statute which prohibits his testimony where there are coincidental facts and circumstances involving the alleged prior events and present facts which are directly relevant to his defense to the current charges. Further, this evidence was admissible under § 491.015.1(1) RSMo 1978 either in the form of cross-examination or his own testimony when considering the question of consent by a mother. No period of time, certainly not two years, would be not reasonably contemporaneous for purposes of applying the shield law. What was unreasonable in Jones would not be unreasonable in this case. Jones is not decisive.
Defendant’s third claim of error complains of restriction of cross-examination on the issue of the reputation of the complaining witness. On this claim of error I agree with the result reached by the majority. There is an alternative or additional reason to deny error on this claim. There was considerable evidence that the complaining witness was not a truthful person. Her mother and her sister so testified for the defendant. The possibility of prejudice in denying this testimony is too remote to find error.
Finally, there is defendant’s claim that he was denied an impartial jury. The court instructed the venire panel with MAI. CR 2d 2.20 as part of MAI-CR 2d 1.02 and asked whether or not the panel could follow those instructions. It directed both parties not to voir dire on presumption of innocence, burden of proof, reasonable doubt and proof beyond reasonable doubt. Defendant took exception and suggested two questions he wanted and “questions of like nature.” We need not decide the broad question of whether the court can pre-empt or conduct voir dire in a criminal case to the exclusion of the parties. The question here is whether the record establishes that the procedure utilized by the trial court in this case was sufficient to satisfy the rights of the parties. The two questions suggested by the defendant relate to the feeling of a prospective juror on whether defendant must offer evidence and whether a prejudgment had been made.
*74Both questions are proper and not fully covered by the instruction of the court. Even if a venire person promises to follow the instruction, the parties are to choose which persons are most likely to grant a fair trial and the procedure employed here is inadequate for that purpose. There is no record that present counsel would abuse the selection process in qualifying the jury. The state of mind of a venire person is distinctly different than a promise to follow the court’s instructions. This procedure was not followed in Williams v. State, 558 S.W.2d 671 (Mo.App.1977). In Williams, questions were permitted and the court refused to permit answers on matters already covered by the court. The trial court in the present case did not deny questions for that reason because it summarily denied all questions in these areas. In so doing it misapplied Williams and foreclosed any determination that a venire person held unyielding views on these matters. The basis of the holding in Williams was that counsel did not indicate his questions were directed toward developing whether an individual venire person “entertained unyielding views.” The court said, “[n]o question is raised as to any limitation on counsel’s individual questioning” Id. 674. Williams held only that the court could deny answers to questions which were repetitive. Neither of the questions proposed by defendant were repetitive. Neither question relates to a paraphrase statement of the law. For this reason State v. Smith, 422 S.W.2d 50, 67-68 (Mo. banc 1967) is inapposite. Smith dealt only with personal feelings on the merits of the rules of law contained in MAI-CR 2d 2.20. It did not approve prohibiting a question on the feelings of a venire person on the effect of a defendant who does not offer evidence or whether the case had been prejudged. On the contrary, these questions may evoke answers which may indicate an “unyielding view.” In this case no inquiry was allowed for any pujóse with the result that the defendant was denied information to which he was entitled in the selection process.
On all other matters I agree with the view of the majority opinion.
For the reasons expressed, I respectfully dissent.