Blanton v. Commonwealth

429 S.W.2d 407, 1968 Ky. LEXIS 751
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976)
DecidedJune 21, 1968
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 429 S.W.2d 407 (Blanton v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976) primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Blanton v. Commonwealth, 429 S.W.2d 407, 1968 Ky. LEXIS 751 (Ky. 1968).

Opinion

WADDILL, Commissioner.

Appellant, twenty-three years of age, was convicted of the crime of rape and sentenced to serve fifteen years in the state penitentiary. KRS 435.090. The twelve-year-old victim of the crime testified that appellant forcibly made her submit to sexual intercourse with him on December 25, 1966, and that the crime was committed in the basement of a house located at 654 38th Street in Louisville, which was then occupied by a person who was described as a friend of both the appellant and the victim.

On this appeal it is contended that appellant was entitled to have the jury instructed on the lesser offense of detaining a female against her will with intent to have carnal knowledge. KRS 435.110. This contention is based on appellant’s view that the medical testimony showed there was no penetration of the victim, an essential element of rape.

In summary, the victim testified that while a Christmas party was in progress, appellant offered to show her the basement, took her down there, pulled her into a small room, threatened to strike her, removed her panties and forcibly had sexual intercourse with her. She specifically stated there had been penetration in accomplishing the act of sexual intercourse. It appears that, upon leaving the basement, the victim told her father what had occurred and that she was immediately sent to a physician for treatment. The victim’s testimony was in part corroborated by Patsy Wilson, who, upon observing appellant’s absence from the Christmas party, went to the basement to find him. Wilson testified unequivocally that upon reaching the basement he saw appellant having intercourse.

The following excerpts are from the testimony of the physician who treated the victim. This testimony, appellant claims, established no penetration and also entitled *409 him to an instruction on the lesser offense of detaining:

“Q. Now, if penetration had occurred would it necessarily leave bruises or trauma ?
“A. No, sir.
“Q. And you found no bruises in this young lady?
“A. No, sir. None.
“Q. Would you be in a position to say by that that she had not had sex relations or had not had penetration?
“A. Oh, no. No, you couldn’t state that. I think you sort of have to approach it from a positive point of view. If there had been bruises and there had been sperm, then you would say, ‘Well, I knew that she did have intercourse,’ but without the evidence of it all I can really say is, ‘I don’t know if she did or not,’ because it can occur without such evidence.
“Q. So then, can you tell this jury today for a positive fact that penetration had not been made with Brenda on the occasion that you examined her?
“A. No, sir. All I can say is that I don’t know whether it had or not.
“Q. She could have had penetration an hour or two hours before you examined her and you would not be able to tell whether or not she had ?
“A. That’s true.
“MR. CRUMLIN: That’s all. Thank you, Doctor. You may ask.
“CROSS EXAMINATION
“Q. Dr. Yussman, if a male forcibly caused penetration to a twelve-year-old girl who had not previously had sex relations and this would have lasted for five minutes, would the body show any signs ?
“A. Not necessarily. It could, of course, and in many cases it does in terms of lacerations or bruises, irritations and so on. It frequently does but it certainly can occur without such evidence, especially in a girl who has had intercourse.
“Q. No. Who has never had intercourse.
“A. Oh, I’m sorry. In a girl who has never had intercourse previously, it could occur without any such evidence. There would most likely be some evidence that it had been present.
“Q. You would say there would most likely?
“A. In a girl who had not previously had intercourse, a twelve-year-old specifically, there would most likely be some evidence.
“Q. But you say you examined Brenda ?
“A. Yes, sir.
“Q. And from your examination, could you tell whether or not Brenda had ever had sex relations before?
“A. I could not tell on her whether she had or not. I can only say that the only time that one can really tell in the majority of cases is whether a girl has had repeated intercourse. A girl who has one or two intercourses, infrequently, in most cases you can’t tell at all. So, that’s all I can say about it. In her case I don’t know. She probably had not had repeated intercourse.
“Q. And would you say that in Brenda’s case if penetration had occurred, she would have been bruised ?
“A. I can’t really answer that question because I don’t really know the answer to that.”

In his defense, appellant not only denied committing the crime, but he tried to establish an alibi that he had left the Christmas party and was enroute to a store to pur *410 chase cigarettes when the crime was allegedly committed. Appellant even denied that he went to the basement with the prosecutrix, and testified that the three witnesses who so stated were all mistaken.

It is our opinion that the foregoing testimony fails to support appellant’s contention.

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Bluebook (online)
429 S.W.2d 407, 1968 Ky. LEXIS 751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/blanton-v-commonwealth-kyctapphigh-1968.