Commonwealth v. Hall

952 N.E.2d 951, 80 Mass. App. Ct. 317, 2011 Mass. App. LEXIS 1152
CourtMassachusetts Appeals Court
DecidedSeptember 1, 2011
DocketNo. 09-P-1030
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 952 N.E.2d 951 (Commonwealth v. Hall) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Massachusetts Appeals Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Hall, 952 N.E.2d 951, 80 Mass. App. Ct. 317, 2011 Mass. App. LEXIS 1152 (Mass. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Fecteau, J.

The defendant appeals from convictions, after a jury trial in Superior Court, of enticement of a child, G. L. c. 265, § 26C; posing a child in a state of nudity, G. L. c. 272, § 29A; and possession of child pornography, G. L. c. 272, § 29C.2 *He complains that the judge erred in denying his motion for a required finding of not guilty on the indictment charging enticement of a child because the evidence was insufficient that the defendant, with the intent to commit one of the enumerated offenses, had enticed the child to enter or exit or remain within a vehicle, building, dwelling, or other outdoor space. In the alternative, he contends that the crime of enticement of a child under the provisions of G. L. c. 265, § 26C, in connection with the specific intent with which he was charged in the indictment (to violate G. L. c. 272, § 29A) is duplicative of the offense of posing a child in a state of nudity. Secondly, he complains that the evidence was insufficient to prove that he possessed child pornography because the statute, G. L. c. 272, § 29A, does not specifically prohibit images taken on a cellular telephone (cell phone) camera and that the evidence was insufficient to prove that he actually possessed the images. He also contends that he was prejudiced by the introduction of a video-graphic image of the victim at about the time of the events in question,3 and that the introduction of a certificate of drug analysis without having the opportunity for cross-examination of the analyst who created it was a violation of his right of confrontation under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution.4 ***We affirm in part and reverse in part.

[319]*3191. Background. The Commonwealth’s evidence included the following facts. During the summer of 2003, the defendant met the victim, an eleven year old girl whom we shall call Mary,5 while she walked towards Spencer Street in the Dorchester section of Boston with her cousin; the defendant was across the street walking his dog. The defendant lived on Spencer Street with his wife. The defendant told Mary that his dog was pregnant and would be having puppies. Later, Mary again saw the defendant, who told her that the dog had had the puppies, whereupon Mary asked if she could have one. After learning that Mary’s mother did not want her to bring a dog home, the defendant said that she could pick out one of the puppies at his house but that the puppy would stay at the defendant’s house and the victim could visit it there. Thereafter, the victim went to the defendant’s house and picked out a puppy.

Throughout the summer of 2003 and into February, 2004, Mary went to the defendant’s house to visit the puppy and spent time with the defendant, sometimes alone and sometimes with her brother or her niece.

When the defendant and Mary were alone together in his room,6 the defendant would ask her if he could see her underwear and if he could touch her. She did not immediately assent, and the defendant would say “please” and offered to buy her things, like clothes and shoes. Additionally, the defendant showed Mary underwear that belonged to another girl whom she knew. Eventually, Mary agreed to show the defendant her underwear, and she pulled down her pants. The defendant also asked to see her buttocks and “private,” which she showed him by pulling down her pants and taking her underwear partly off.

The defendant gave Mary a total of three cell phones (she had lost one and broken another), a television, and a DVD player. He bought two of the cell phones while the victim lived with her mother and then another after she was placed in foster care beginning in February, 2004.7

[320]*320A Department of Social Services8 (DSS) social worker assigned to the victim and her siblings supervised the visits between Mary and her mother at the DSS office. On at least four occasions, the defendant also attended these visits, until DSS determined that he should no longer be allowed to do so. Thereafter, the social worker told the defendant and Mary’s mother that the defendant would no longer be allowed to visit, but he still came to the DSS office on at least two or three more occasions. The mother did not accept this decision well, arguing with the social worker and telling her, in effect, that the defendant provided her much needed assistance.

During another visit, Mary saw the defendant outside the DSS office seated in his car. By this point, she had broken her second cell phone, and the defendant had told her that he was going to give her a new telephone. He showed her the cell phone, held it in his hand, and told her that she would get this cell phone in a Burger King bag, which Mary’s mother gave her during their later visit inside the DSS office.

Once the victim received the new cell phone, the defendant called and sent text messages to her from his cell phone. The defendant asked the victim to send him pictures of her body — specifically, pictures of her “butt and private” — and the defendant offered to get her clothes, shoes, and “stuff.” The victim took pictures of her buttocks and vagina and sent them to the defendant’s cell phone. The defendant asked the victim for a picture of her underwear, and she complied. The defendant also asked the victim to send him pictures of a foster sister; although she took one such picture, that foster sister refused to allow Mary to send it, and she did not. The victim did not tell anyone about the pictures, as she was scared and she did not want anyone to know, describing it as “nasty.”

Between June 9 and July 6, 2004, she took twenty-eight pictures of herself with the cell phone camera and sent them to the defendant’s cell phone. After four such pictures were sent on June 9, 2004, the defendant responded with a text message that said, “You are killing me, send one more til later.” During this period, the defendant sent pictures to Mary, via cell phone, of “your dog.” A few weeks before July 6, another of her foster [321]*321sisters saw Mary with a cell phone and told her that her mom did not allow the foster children to have cell phones, whereupon Mary gave the telephone to the other girl.

The defendant called and sent text messages to Mary’s cell phone (now in the possession of the foster sister), which came at all hours, including late at night (from 2:00 a.m. to 4:00 a.m.), all being sent from the same telephone number. Mary’s foster sister also saw text messages about buying things. Ultimately, this foster sister confronted Mary over the content of the text messages, and her foster mother learned what the victim had been doing at the defendant’s request and reported it to police, who began their investigation. Among the text messages seen by the foster mother on Mary’s cell phone was one asking Mary to send photographs of her underwear and “butt.” Boston police Detective Munroe took the victim’s cell phone. Among items seized by police during the execution of a search warrant at the defendant’s residence was a Nokia cell phone from the bed in the defendant’s room. In addition, a small bag of marijuana was seized from a nightstand in that room.

2. Discussion. A. Sufficiency of evidence of child enticement.

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Bluebook (online)
952 N.E.2d 951, 80 Mass. App. Ct. 317, 2011 Mass. App. LEXIS 1152, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-hall-massappct-2011.