Commonwealth v. Zingarelli

839 A.2d 1064, 2003 Pa. Super. 424, 2003 Pa. Super. LEXIS 4021
CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedNovember 12, 2003
StatusPublished
Cited by55 cases

This text of 839 A.2d 1064 (Commonwealth v. Zingarelli) 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. Zingarelli, 839 A.2d 1064, 2003 Pa. Super. 424, 2003 Pa. Super. LEXIS 4021 (Pa. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

LALLY-GREEN, J.

¶ 1 Appellant, Joseph Zingarelli, Jr., appeals from the judgment of sentence entered on April 5, 2002, following his convictions for two counts of Criminal Attempt. 1 We affirm.

¶ 2 The trial court stated the facts as follows:

Appellant has filed this direct appeal to the judgment of sentence that followed a bench trial. In his Statement of Matters Complained Of he raises in general form the allegations of error relating to all this Court’s Orders that favored the Commonwealth. 1
While his stated issues are numerous, as they relate to the various Orders and procedural contexts from which the Orders arose, as a legal matter, Appellant contends that this Court erred in rejecting his proposition that his acts amounted only to preparation that falls short of the attempt crimes with which he was ultimately charged.
Procedural Posture
Appellant was charged with numerous offenses arising out of an internet sting operation. As a result of pretrial motions, this Court denied Appellant’s motion to suppress the internet transcripts and quashed all but Counts 1 and 4 of the Information, which charged Appellant respectively with Attempted Statutory Sexual Assault and Attempted Involuntary Deviate Sexual Intercourse. 2
Order dated June 18, 2001. Following a telephone conference with counsel, the Court accepted Appellant’s waiver of a jury trial in this matter, scheduled for October 16, 2001. Order dated September 14, 2001. Prior to the commencement of the trial, this Court ascertained that the Defendant had knowingly and voluntarily waived his right to a jury trial by giving the Defendant a full colloquy on the issue. N.T. 4-6. The Commonwealth moved for a continuance on October 11, 2001, citing health reasons prevented the arresting officer from testifying for a period of three *1067 months. Because Appellant’s expert witness was traveling from California, and the matter was to be heard without a jury, the District Attorney and counsel for Appellant agreed that the proceedings would take place out of sequence, with Appellant presenting his case on October 16, 2001. On that date, the Appellant’s expert witness, Dr. Walch, and Appellant testified. The Commonwealth’s portion of the case was scheduled for January 2002, but ultimately, and by stipulation, the Commonwealth presented its case by introducing into evidence an affidavit of the arresting officer and the transcripts of the internet communications between the officer and Appellant. The Commonwealth submitted a written closing argument; the Appellant submitted Proposed Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law and Motion for Judgment of Acquittal and a Motion to Dismiss. Appellant’s motions were denied by order dated March 5, 2002, and the Court rendered its verdict of guilty on both counts that day. Appellant was sentenced on April 5, 2002 to ten years probation, an administrative fee and costs.
On December 2, 2000, Trooper Richard A. Douthit, posing as a 15-year-old girl using the moniker “Kathy-PA,” met Appellant in an internet chat room named “Father and daughter Sex.” It is undisputed that the officer “entered” the chatroom and awaited a response. Appellant first approached the officer in a “private room” of the chat room. Affidavit of Tpr. Douthit 2:9-10; N.T. 131-32. Appellant chose to initiate a conversation with “Kathy-PA” because he “thought perhaps” that she was a Pennsylvania resident. N.T. 131. The officer determined that Appellant was using an internet service provider with a Pennsylvania address, judged Appellant likely to be a resident of Pennsylvania, and responded to Appellant. Affidavit at 2.
Four separate conversations ensued between the officer and Appellant. Their first, via internet communication in the “Father and Daughter Sex” chat room commenced at 7:35 p.m. and ended at 9:41 p.m., a period of two hours and six minutes. 3
The second communication consisted of a telephone call in which a woman trooper posing as “Kathy-PA” placed a brief telephone call to a number provided by Appellant in the first internet chat. The third communication consisted of a second internet conversation and occurred on Sunday, December 3rd from 3:23 p.m. to 3:50 p.m., lasting 27 minutes. The final communication, and the third internet conversation occurred later that day from 7:52 p.m. until 9:42 p.m., one hour and 50 minutes.
In these conversations, the officer posed as a 15-year-old girl looking for a man to teach her how to perform oral sex. Early in the first transcript, Appellant inquired: “do u still want to talk about sucking? It’s kind of sexy,” to which the officer replied “I am looking for a teacher not a pen pal.” Appellant immediately responded: “u want to meet, then?” Exhibit A 1/9. The officer sent Appellant a picture and the two discussed the purported appearance of “Kathy-PA.” Appellant changed the subject to inquire: “how far do u live *1068 from Pittsburgh?” When the officer estimated two hours, Appellant stated: “that’s not really far ... but do u really think you would let me teach u?” Exhibit A 2/9. They then discussed pragmatics of a meeting, with Appellant periodically interjecting comments about his state of arousal. After Appellant asked the officer if “she” will take her shirt off during their encounter, he stated: “wait. This is really risky ... can u telephone me? We should make sure that we are who we say we are.” In the course of ensuing conversation, the officer requested that Appellant bring a bottle of wine to their meeting. They discussed what “Kathy-Pa” would be wearing, the renting of a motel room, and the timing of their meeting. They also discussed the mechanics of “Kathy-PA” placing a telephone call to Appellant. Exhibit A 4/9 to 8/9. The officer then sent another more seductive picture to Appellant. Exhibit A 5/9.
During their second internet conversation, Appellant evidenced his concern about the illegality of their proposed meeting. Exhibit B 1/4 (“I could get into a lot of trouble if we get busted;” “but if I get into trouble I could go to jail;” “a man can be arrested for meeting a minor for the purpose of sex”). Appellant concocted a plan to meet for a “date” because “they can’t arrest me if I meet you for a date.” Appellant indicated “I’ll meet you there but I won’t have rented a room for us. We’ll go out .first.” Exhibit B 2/4.
The third internet conversation contained more of Appellant’s concern about being apprehended. Appellant stated: “I want the same thing that you do. I just want it to appear that it’s for something other than sex” and “my hesitance about getting the room is a practical precaution that’s all.” Exhibit C 2/9; Exhibit C 5/9.
On Sunday, December 4, 2000, at approximately 6:00 p.m., Appellant was apprehended in the parking lot of an ice cream stand in Tionesta, Forest County, Pennsylvania. Police found in his car a box of unopened condoms and in his pocket a key to an Eagle Rock Motel room.

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Bluebook (online)
839 A.2d 1064, 2003 Pa. Super. 424, 2003 Pa. Super. LEXIS 4021, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/commonwealth-v-zingarelli-pasuperct-2003.