Branch v. State

998 So. 2d 411, 2008 WL 4740019
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 30, 2008
Docket2007-KA-00579-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 998 So. 2d 411 (Branch v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Branch v. State, 998 So. 2d 411, 2008 WL 4740019 (Mich. 2008).

Opinion

998 So.2d 411 (2008)

Sylvester BRANCH
v.
STATE of Mississippi.

No. 2007-KA-00579-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

October 30, 2008.
Rehearing Denied January 22, 2009.

*412 Virginia L. Watkins, William R. Labarre, James Adam Powers, attorneys for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by W. Glenn Watts, attorney for appellee.

Before SMITH, C.J., DICKINSON and LAMAR, JJ.

LAMAR, Justice, for the Court.

¶ 1. This case is before the Court on appeal from the Circuit Court of the First Judicial District of Hinds County, where Sylvester Branch was convicted of statutory rape and gratification of lust. Branch argues that: (1) the trial court erred when it permitted expert testimony as to the credibility of the victim, claiming it to be irrelevant and inadmissable hearsay; and (2) it was reversible error to deny Branch's motion for a directed verdict on the gratification-of-lust charge, as the complained act was incorporated into the statutory-rape charge. Finding no error, this Court affirms the convictions of statutory rape and gratification of lust.

FACTS

*413 ¶ 2. C.V.[1] alleged that one morning, her father, Branch, entered her room and instructed her to come to his room. C.V. testified that she went to Branch's room, and Branch told her to remove her clothes and get into his bed. C.V. stated that Branch then removed his clothes, and he proceeded to penetrate her vagina with his finger for five or ten minutes. Following this act, C.V. stated that Branch penetrated her vagina with his penis for five or ten minutes. C.V. testified that, after these acts, Branch instructed her to take a shower in his bathroom and tell no one what had happened. C.V. stated that she told her mother about the incidents five days after they occurred. C.V. testified that her mother then called the police and took her to the hospital for an examination.

¶ 3. C.V. was referred to the Children's Advocacy Center ("CAC") by the Hinds County Department of Human Services. Bryan Irving, a forensic interviewer with CAC, interviewed C.V. to determine if C.V. needed a referral for further medical attention and to assess her credibility as to the abuse allegations. During the interview, C.V. disclosed details of the abuse and stated that her father, Branch, had raped her.

¶ 4. Over objection, Irving testified at trial that C.V. had identified Branch as her rapist. Irving also testified that throughout the interview: 1) C.V. was consistent in identifying Branch and reporting the events; 2) C.V. was consistent in telling him what she told others; and 3) C.V.'s demeanor was consistent with the facts she relayed to Irving. C.V. also used numerous contextual details to describe the fondling and rape. Because of C.V.'s consistent and detailed account, Irving stated that C.V.'s allegations were credible. Branch's counsel objected to Irving's statements regarding credibility, arguing that the statements invaded the province of the jury, but the judge overruled the objection.

¶ 5. At trial, C.V.'s mother, a law enforcement officer with the sex-crimes protection unit, and a physician each provided testimony consistent with the testimony of C.V. and Irving. C.V.'s mother relayed how she had become aware of the abuse and the actions she had taken to get C.V. medical attention. The officer testified that he had interviewed C.V., her mother, and the examining physician. The officer found that C.V. consistently had identified her father as the abuser and consistently had recounted the details of the abuse. The physician performed a sexual-assault examination, and testified that his "findings were suggestive of vaginal penetration."

PROCEDURAL HISTORY

¶ 6. Branch was indicted on charges of statutory rape and gratification of lust, and he was convicted on both counts on March 7, 2006. Branch was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment, with ten years suspended and five years of post-release supervision for statutory rape. For gratification of lust, Branch was sentenced to fifteen years, with five years suspended, to be served concurrently with the statutory-rape sentence. Branch appeals the two convictions and corresponding sentences, arguing that the trial court committed reversible error when it allowed Irving to testify and when it failed to grant the defendant's directed verdict.

ANALYSIS

I. WHETHER THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN PERMITTING IRVING TO TESTIFY AS TO THE *414 CREDIBILITY OF THE CHILD VICTIM.

¶ 7. This Court reviews evidentiary rulings for an abuse of discretion. Foley v. State, 914 So.2d 677, 682-83 (Miss.2005).

¶ 8. Branch contends that the trial court abused its discretion by allowing Irving to testify regarding C.V.'s credibility as to the allegations of abuse. Branch argues that Irving was never offered or qualified as an expert pursuant to Rule 702 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence.[2] Furthermore, Branch contends that Irving admitted he had no first-hand knowledge of the events C.V. related to him. Branch argues that such knowledge is a prerequisite for admission of evidence under Rule 701 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence.[3] Branch also claims that Irving's testimony usurped the duty of the jury to evaluate C.V.'s credibility. While the trial court permitted Irving's testimony under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 803(4),[4] Branch contends that the primary purpose of the interview was to assess C.V.'s credibility, not to provide medical treatment or a diagnosis.

¶ 9. In the court below, Branch failed to object to Irving's testimony pursuant to Rule 701 or Rule 702 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence. Therefore, Branch waived the right to appeal this issue. Haddox v. State, 636 So.2d 1229, 1240 (Miss.1994).

¶ 10. The record reflects that the trial court admitted Irving's testimony, which consisted of C.V. identifying her sexual assailant as her father, under Mississippi Rule of Evidence 803(4). In Jones v. State, this Court stated "[t]here is a two-part test for admitting hearsay statements under 803(4)." Jones v. State, 606 So.2d 1051, 1056 (Miss.1992). "First, the declarant's motive in making the statement must be consistent with the purposes of promoting treatment; and second, the content of the statement must be such as is reasonably relied on by a physician in treatment." Id. The Court further explained that statements "made by a child abuse victim that the abuser is a member of the immediate household are reasonably pertinent to treatment, as treatment encompasses treating emotional and psychological injuries and is relevant to prevention." Id. at 1056-57 (citation omitted) (ruling that court erred in allowing doctor's testimony of the abuser's identity when the abuser was not part of the immediate household).

*415 ¶ 11. This Court finds that the trial court did not err in allowing Irving to make statements regarding Branch's identity as the abuser. The purpose of Irving's interview was to ascertain if C.V. needed further medical attention and to judge whether her claims were credible. C.V. identified Branch as her abuser during the course of the interview, an interview clearly undertaken for the purpose of promoting medical treatment. Thus, prong one of the Jones v. State test is satisfied. Id. at 1056.

¶ 12. As for prong two, the Court in Jones ruled that a child abuse victim's statement, which identifies an abuser as an immediate household member, is reasonably pertinent to treatment. Id. at 1056-57. C.V.

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Bluebook (online)
998 So. 2d 411, 2008 WL 4740019, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/branch-v-state-miss-2008.