Court Opinion

ID: 9750378
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-28 14:55:14.185081+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:08:07.341467
License: Public Domain

POPOVICH, Judge,
concurring and dissenting:
I respectfully dissent from Judge Donald E. Wieand’s opinion because I am convinced the verdict was against the weight of the evidence and the trial court abused its discretion in not awarding a new trial to appellant. However, I concur with Judge Wieand in all other respects.
As correctly stated by Judge Wieand, “The determination whether to grant a new trial on the ground that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence rests within the discretion of the trial court, and we will not disturb that decision absent an abuse of discretion.” Commonwealth v. Hunter, 381 Pa.Super. 606, 617, 554 A.2d 550, 555 (1989). “A trial court should award a new trial on the ground that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence only when the jury’s verdict is so contrary to the evidence as to shock one’s sense of justice and the award of a new trial is imperative so that right may be given another opportunity to prevail.” Commonwealth v. Whitney, 511 Pa. 232, 239, 512 A.2d 1152, 1155-1156 (1986).” Majority Opinion, p. 348 of 403 Pa.Super., p. 220 of 589 A.2d.
After a thorough review of the record, I am convinced that the verdict is so contrary to the evidence as to shock one’s sense of justice. Mr. Purcell was acquitted of rape, statutory rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and *379incest. Clearly, the jury determined that the evidence was insufficient to find Mr. Purcell had sexual intercourse with his daughter. Thus, the jury found the testimony of Barbara Purcell lacked credibility in regard to her most important allegation. I must question then how could the jury thereafter believe any of Barbara Purcell’s testimony, especially in light of the defense’s evidence.1
Mr. Purcell was convicted of indecent assault and corruption of a minor by a jury which had been hopelessly deadlocked.2 However, the record is void of any evidence which corroborates the victim’s story with the sole exception of the testimony of Michelle Keller, a friend of the victim, who stated that, on one occasion approximately six years before Barbara Purcell reported the abuse to her teacher, the victim told Michelle that Mr. Purcell “fondled” her. At the time of this conversation, Michelle was approximately 9 to 11 years old and Barbara was approximately 11 to 13 years old. N.T., p. 235.
Juxtapose Barbara’s and Michelle’s testimony, against the wealth of evidence in Mr. Purcell’s favor. Although Barbara alleged her father had sexually abused her over a period of six and one-half years, she was only able to outline two events — the first and the last episode of alleged abuse — with any degree of specificity. The victim’s mother and brother testified that they had never witnessed anything which would lead them to have suspected that Mr. Purcell was physically or sexually abusing his daughter. This is remarkable considering the victim alleged Mr. Purcell sexually abused her since she was eleven years old and on an average of three or four times per week from age fifteen to age seventeen and one-half. N.T., pp. 74, 101. *380Also, the accused vehemently denied the allegation of abuse.
The testimony of Barbara Purcell and John Purcell concerning their relationship is also enlightening. Over a period of almost two years, John and Barbara were romantically involved. During that time, Barbara wrote John an average of five “love letters” a week. N.T., pp. 119, 134. Therein, Barbara intimately discussed subjects running the entire gamut of her life, ranging from school to her sexual experience to her parents’ marital problems. In fact, Barbara outlined her first sexual experience in the letters: "... It hurt so bad the first time and it was such a mess because I bled pretty bad. After that night I swore I would never let another guy touch me. Shortly after that the guy broke-up with me and I felt horrible. At first I though that I did something wrong and then I began to think that I wasn’t good enough for him----” N.T., p. 185. In her letters, she also discussed her and John’s sexual relationship, writing: “... I imagine it’s going to take a while because of how tight I am. Oh well, would you rather have me this way knowing that there was only one disaster for me or would you want me differently and wonder how many guys that I went through. In my opinion, I prefer the first____” N.T., p. 187. Significantly, John testified that Barbara never once even hinted that her father was sexually abusing her. It is incredible to this jurist that Barbara never confided in John, especially when one considers that she told John everything about herself, loved him passionately and planned to marry him.
When one considers the events surrounding the weekend of May 17, 1986, the injustice of the jury’s verdict becomes abundantly apparent. John and Barbara attended her Senior Prom and returned home at approximately 6:00 a.m., Saturday morning, May 17,1986. The entire Purcell family had breakfast together after which Barbara, her mother and her brother went to bed. John remained at the Purcell residence until approximately 8:00 a.m. Barbara alleges that sometime between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., her father *381entered her room and forced her to engage in sexual intercourse.3 Later that day, John and Barbara were together, yet she did not inform him of the abuse.
On May 18, 1986, John and Barbara visited Great Adventure, an amusement park, and Barbara bought a present for her father. Later that evening, John and Barbara’s sexual relations in the Purcell home were unexpectedly interrupted by Mr. Purcell. Reacting to the intimacy of his daughter and her cousin, Mr. Purcell punched John, threw him out of the house and ordered him never to return. Mr. Purcell testified that an argument with his daughter ensued and that Barbara told him if John was not allowed to return, “I’ll tell ’em you raped me. Who do you think they’ll believe, you or me?” N.T., p. 598. The next morning, Barbara told a teacher at school that her father was sexually abusing her. Certainly, it can not be mere coincidence that the accusation of abuse occurred immediately after Mr. Purcell forbid John and Barbara from seeing one another.
It is true that Barbara’s testimony alone is sufficient to sustain the verdict. Commonwealth v. McIlvaine, 385 Pa.Super. 38, 560 A.2d 155 (1989). However, that is not the question we are asked to address. We must decide whether the trial court abused its discretion in deciding if the verdict was against the weight of the evidence, whether the verdict was so contrary to the evidence as to shock one’s sense of justice. I submit the verdict is against the weight of the evidence. My review of the record leads to the conclusion that Barbara Purcell was extremely resentful of her father for two reasons: First, she resented her father because of her parent’s marital difficulties for which she blamed him; and second, she resented her father because he would not permit her to be with the man she loved, her cousin, John Purcell Thus, she fabricated this story of sexual abuse in a misplaced effort to hurt her father. Viewing the record *382as a whole, the verdict of the jury must shock one’s sense of justice and Mr. Purcell must be permitted another opportunity for justice to prevail. Accordingly, I would grant Mr. Purcell a new trial on the charges of indecent assault and corruption of minors.

. Instantly, the record is void of any evidence which corroborates the victim’s story with the exception of the testimony of Michelle Keller, a friend of the victim, who stated that, on one occasion approximately six years before Barbara Purcell reported the abuse to her teacher, the victim told Michelle that Mr. Purcell fondled her.

. The jury sent the following note to the trial judge, “Your Honor, after extensive deliberations we are unable to reach a decision. The jury is evenly divided and has shown no tendency to change their respective views since we began our deliberations.”

. I note that all the family bedrooms are proximate to one another, that Barbara had at least one dog, and possible several dogs, in her room at the time of the alleged abuse, and that it is possible to hear what is happening in one bedroom from another due to their proximity-