Curtis Ray Spurlock v. Commonwealth of Virginia

CourtCourt of Appeals of Virginia
DecidedJune 4, 2024
Docket0288233
StatusUnpublished

This text of Curtis Ray Spurlock v. Commonwealth of Virginia (Curtis Ray Spurlock v. Commonwealth of Virginia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Curtis Ray Spurlock v. Commonwealth of Virginia, (Va. Ct. App. 2024).

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS OF VIRGINIA

Present: Judges Causey, Lorish and White UNPUBLISHED

Argued at Salem, Virginia

CURTIS RAY SPURLOCK MEMORANDUM OPINION* BY v. Record No. 0288-23-3 JUDGE DORIS HENDERSON CAUSEY JUNE 4, 2024 COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA

FROM THE CIRCUIT COURT OF WYTHE COUNTY Josiah T. Showalter, Jr., Judge

Andrew J. Harman for appellant.

Lauren C. Campbell, Assistant Attorney General (Jason S. Miyares, Attorney General, on brief), for appellee.

Following a jury trial, the Circuit Court of Wythe County convicted Curtis Ray Spurlock of

2 counts of rape of a child under the age of 13, 2 counts of object sexual penetration of a child under

the age of 13 by someone 18 years of age or older, 2 counts of sodomy of a child under the age of

13 by someone 18 years of age or older, 2 counts of indecent liberties with a child by a custodian,

and 2 counts of aggravated sexual battery. Spurlock asserts on appeal that the trial court erred in

finding that the evidence was sufficient to support his convictions. For the reasons below, we hold

that the evidence is sufficient and affirm Spurlock’s convictions.

* This opinion is not designated for publication. See Code § 17.1-413(A). BACKGROUND1

From the age of seven years old to the age of nine years old, K.A.H.2 lived with Spurlock,

her biological father, in a trailer home in Barren Springs, Virginia. The trailer had two bedrooms.

K.A.H. shared a bedroom with her younger sister, A.H. Their two brothers also lived with them.

K.A.H. and A.H. testified at trial by closed circuit video. K.A.H. testified that while she was

living with Spurlock, he touched her and her sister inappropriately on their female body parts with

his hand and his “pecker.” She testified that he touched inside her and her sister’s “vajayjays” with

his “pecker.” Spurlock also made K.A.H. touch his penis with her hand. K.A.H. also testified that

Spurlock assaulted the girls in the shower and in the bedroom and that she had witnessed him

assaulting her sister, A.H. K.A.H. testified she experienced pain and fear when Spurlock put his

penis in her vagina. K.A.H. testified that these things happened at least twice a week and began

happening after Spurlock’s mother moved out of the home and continued until K.A.H. and A.H.

were removed from the home.

K.A.H. was eventually able to tell her adoptive mother, Kimberly LeeAnn Harris (LeeAnn),

about the assaults in May 2020. K.A.H. testified that she could not keep it back anymore and told

LeeAnn that Spurlock was sexually touching them.

A.H. testified at trial that Spurlock was her biological father and that she previously lived

with him. A.H. testified that Spurlock would whip them sometimes but denied anything happening

to her in the bathroom.

1 “In accordance with familiar principles of appellate review, the facts will be stated in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the prevailing party at trial.” Gerald v. Commonwealth, 295 Va. 469, 472 (2018) (quoting Scott v. Commonwealth, 292 Va. 380, 381 (2016)). On appeal, we discard any of appellant’s conflicting evidence, and regard as true all credible evidence favorable to the Commonwealth and all inferences that may reasonably be drawn from that evidence. Id. at 473. 2 We use initials, instead of the children’s names, in an attempt to better protect their privacy. -2- LeeAnn was K.A.H.’s and A.H.’s adoptive mother and had fostered the children. LeeAnn

knew that Spurlock was the children’s biological father and identified him at trial. When the sisters

came to live with her, LeeAnn became concerned about K.A.H. wetting the bed almost every night.

A.H. also often wet her pants. LeeAnn asked K.A.H. about it, and she told LeeAnn about the sexual

assaults. K.A.H. told LeeAnn that she and her sister were assaulted in the trailer; they were both

made to touch “his penis” with their hands “as well as have it in their mouth[s],” either in the

bedroom or the shower. LeeAnn did not ask A.H. any questions about the abuse because she

realized she needed to immediately report the incidents. LeeAnn reported the events to John

Mitchell, the children’s social worker. LeeAnn took both girls to be interviewed and examined by a

nurse practitioner.

Louise Ferguson was a supervisor with Child Protective Services (CPS) in Wythe County.

Ferguson was familiar with Spurlock from two separate investigations. Ferguson received a report

that two children in foster care had been sexually abused by their prior caretaker while they lived in

Wythe County. The address in Wythe County where the children lived at the time of the abuse was

on Crawford Road in Barren Springs. CPS investigated the incident and interviewed the children.

Sergeant Chris Terry with the Wythe County Sheriff’s Office investigated the offense. At

the time, Spurlock was living in Barren Springs and was 39 years old. Sergeant Terry testified that

the two victims lived with Spurlock at that address. Sergeant Terry received the original complaint,

spoke with LeeAnn, and eventually obtained charges on Spurlock after the victims were interviewed

by Denise Wallace.

Wallace was a forensic interviewer and counselor at the Children Advocacy Center of

Highlands Community Services. Wallace testified as an expert in forensic interviewing and

described her standard interviewing techniques and practices. Wallace interviewed K.A.H. and

A.H. on May 15, 2020, after they were referred to her by the Wythe County CPS. The interviews

-3- were recorded and admitted into evidence at trial as Commonwealth’s Exhibit 2 and played for the

jury. During A.H.’s interview, she stated that Spurlock, her father, used to beat the sisters. When

Wallace asked A.H. to tell her about living with Spurlock, A.H. responded, “oh you don’t want to

hear this.” A.H. said, “there was some nasty things,” that happened between her and her father.

A.H. appeared to nod and grimace when Wallace asked her if Spurlock touched parts of her

body. A.H. indicated that Spurlock had touched her private parts, specifically her “bad spot,” which

was her vagina on the drawing. A.H. said that Spurlock’s hand touched her vagina and moved, and

she demonstrated with the “fidgets” in her hands. A.H. said that Spurlock made her and her sister

shower with him and that he put A.H. on his lap with no clothes on and his penis went into her

vagina, and it felt like “a crab was pinching it.” A.H. said Spurlock made her touch his penis with

her hand. A.H. also said that Spurlock touched his penis to her bottom.

During K.A.H.’s interview with Wallace, she said she used to live with her biological father,

Spurlock, in a trailer between Hillsville and Pulaski, Virginia. K.A.H. indicated that Spurlock

touched her and her sister, A.H., on their private parts at Spurlock’s home. K.A.H. also indicated

through the drawings that Spurlock had forced K.A.H. to sit on his penis more than once. K.A.H.

said that Spurlock made her and her younger sister touch him and he would touch them, including

touching his penis, multiple times a week. K.A.H. said that Spurlock told her that if she told

anyone, he would hunt her down and she would regret it. K.A.H. also said that Spurlock made the

sisters take showers with him. K.A.H. saw Spurlock sit down and he would make A.H. sit on his

lap and A.H. repeatedly said, “ow.” K.A.H. indicated this happened more than one time and

conveyed with the drawings that Spurlock touched both A.H.’s butt and vagina with his penis.

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