Commonwealth v. Kelly

102 A.3d 1025, 2014 Pa. Super. 243, 2014 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3939, 2014 WL 5408185
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedOctober 24, 2014
Docket3432 EDA 2012
StatusPublished
Cited by66 cases

This text of 102 A.3d 1025 (Commonwealth v. Kelly) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Commonwealth v. Kelly, 102 A.3d 1025, 2014 Pa. Super. 243, 2014 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3939, 2014 WL 5408185 (Pa. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

OPINION BY

BENDER, P.J.E.:

Appellant, Joseph Louis Kelly, appeals from the judgment of sentence of 30-72 months’ incarceration, and a consecutive term of 5 years’ probation, imposed following his conviction for corruption of minors and indecent assault. The question before us is whether the Commonwealth proved, by sufficient evidence, that Appellant engaged in a “course of conduct” as required under the felony grading of the offense of corruption of minors, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6301(a)(l)(ii). Because we conclude that Appellant did not engage in a “course of conduct” within the meaning of that provision, we vacate his judgment of sentence and remand for resentencing.

This case involved Appellant’s sexual abuse of Z.K., a minor with learning disabilities. During the summer of 2011, Z.K. lived with his mother, grandmother, and *1027 Appellant (his mother’s husband), at their home in Chester, Pennsylvania. Appellant was approximately ten years old at that time. 1 Prior to the abuse detailed below, Z.K. indicated that he and Appellant got along “okay[.]” N.T., 8/8/12, at 27.

Z.K. recalled that on a hot day during the summer of 2011, he wanted to visit his friend’s house; however, his mother told him that he could not go until he took a bath. 2 Following his mother’s instructions, Z.K. went to the upstairs bathroom accompanied by Appellant. This was not unusual, as Appellant “sometimes” helped to “wash [him] up.” Id. at 36. Appellant’s mother was in her bedroom at this time, which was also located on the second floor of the residence.

Z.K. and Appellant did not speak during Z.K.’s bath, and the door to the bathroom was closed. At one point, Appellant grabbed Z.K’s penis and began “playing with it.” Id. at 45. Z.K. tried to call out, but he could not because Appellant was using his other hand to cover Z.K.’s mouth. Appellant held his hand over Z.K’s mouth for “a long time, ‘cause I can’t — he held my nose, and I can’t even breath.... Probably like five minutes I keep on doing that, telling him to get off my — get off my face.” Id. at 49. Z.K. recalled that Appellant’s right hand covered his mouth while Appellant’s left hand played with his penis. Appellant did not speak to Z.K. while this happened.

Z.K. made several attempts to flee the bathroom and tell his mother, but Appellant held him in place and silenced his cries. This continued for about five minutes until Z.K’s mother came into the bathroom to check on his progress. When she opened the door, Appellant stopped groping and restraining Z.K. and left the bathroom. At that point, Z.K. exited the bathtub and put on his clothes.

Z.K. said that this was the only occasion when Appellant had molested him and that Appellant had previously washed him in the shower or bath without incident. However, on this occasion, Z.K. indicated that Appellant “didn’t really clean [his] body.” Id. at 42. Z.K. did not immediately report the abuse. However, once Appellant left the residence, approximately six weeks after this incident, Z.K. told his mother and grandmother what had happened.

Z.K’s mother testified that she was still married to Appellant at the time of trial. However Appellant moved out of their Chester residence, in November of 2011, following an argument with her that resulted in the involvement of police. Z.K. told his mother about the bathroom incident in January of 2012. Z.K. did not tell her sooner because Appellant had threatened to harm him, his mother, and his grandmother.

Z.K.’s mother suspected that something had happened between Appellant and Z.K. prior to Z.K’s disclosure. Her suspicions arose in September of 2011, because Z.K. “didn’t want to be around [Appellant] anymore. ... Like he wouldn’t go to the store with [Appellant] anymore. He wouldn’t do activities. Stopped going to the library. He wouldn’t be anywhere [Appellant] was at....” Id. at 63.

The Commonwealth filed a criminal complaint on January 24, 2012, charging Appellant with three counts of indecent assault, 18 Pa.C.S. § 3126(a)(1), (2) and (7), and one count of corruption of minors, 18 *1028 Pa.C.S. § 6301. Immediately prior to Appellant’s non-jury trial, the criminal information was amended to reflect the felony gradation of the corruption of minors offense, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6301(a)(l)(ii). The trial was held on August 8, 2012, and the court found Appellant guilty of all counts. The court sentenced Appellant on November 14, 2012, to 30-72 months’ incarceration for corruption of minors, and to a consecutive term of five years’ probation for indecent assault.

On December 13, 2012, Appellant filed a timely appeal from his judgment of sentence. He also complied in a timely fashion when the trial court ordered him to file a Pa.R.A.P. 1925(b) statement. The trial court filed its Rule 1925(a) opinion on June 13, 2013. Appellant now presents the following question for our review:

Whether the evidence was insufficient to sustain the conviction for [corruption of [mjinors since the Commonwealth failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that [Appellant], by any course of conduct in violation of Chapter 31 [of Title 18] (relating to sexual offenses), corrupted or tended to corrupt the morals of any minor?

Appellant’s Brief at 5.

Although Appellant directs his claim at the sufficiency of the evidence supporting his conviction for corruption of minors, his sufficiency claim actually addresses the grading of the offense of corruption of minors rather than the offense itself, as we will discuss in more detail infra. Nevertheless, our standard of review of sufficiency claims is well-settled:

A claim challenging the sufficiency of the evidence is a question of law. Evidence will be deemed sufficient to support the verdict when it establishes each material element of the crime charged and the commission thereof by the accused, beyond a reasonable doubt. Where the evidence offered to support the verdict is in contradiction to the physical facts, in contravention to human experience and the laws of nature, then the evidence is insufficient as a matter of law. When reviewing a sufficiency claim[,] the court is required to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict winner giving the prosecution the benefit of all reasonable inferences to be drawn from the evidence.

Commonwealth v. Widmer, 560 Pa. 308, 744 A.2d 745, 751 (2000) (internal citations omitted).

The statute defining the offense of corruption of minors reads, in pertinent part, as follows:

(a) Offense defined.—

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
102 A.3d 1025, 2014 Pa. Super. 243, 2014 Pa. Super. LEXIS 3939, 2014 WL 5408185, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-kelly-pasuperct-2014.