David Freeman v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)

CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 8, 2018
Docket49A02-1710-CR-2297
StatusPublished

This text of David Freeman v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) (David Freeman v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
David Freeman v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.), (Ind. Ct. App. 2018).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM DECISION Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), FILED this Memorandum Decision shall not be Aug 08 2018, 9:02 am regarded as precedent or cited before any CLERK court except for the purpose of establishing Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals the defense of res judicata, collateral and Tax Court

estoppel, or the law of the case.

ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Victoria Bailey Curtis T. Hill, Jr. Marion County Public Defender Agency Attorney General of Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana J.T. Whitehead Michael G. Moore Deputy Attorney General Indianapolis, Indiana Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

David Freeman, August 8, 2018 Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No. 49A02-1710-CR-2297 v. Appeal from the Marion Superior Court State of Indiana, The Honorable Appellee-Plaintiff. Mark D. Stoner, Judge Trial Court Cause No. 49G06-1604-F5-12303

Kirsch, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1710-CR-2297 | August 8, 2018 Page 1 of 17 [1] Following a bench trial, David Freeman (“Freeman”) was convicted of Level 5

felony child solicitation,1 Level 5 felony conspiracy to commit child

exploitation,2 and Level 6 felony dissemination of material harmful to minors. 3

Freeman appeals and raises the two following restated issues:

I. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support Freeman’s conviction for child solicitation; and

II. Whether the evidence was sufficient to support Freeman’s conviction for conspiracy to commit child exploitation.

[2] We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History [3] During the period of time between February 2015 and March 2016, A.G. was

eleven and twelve years old, and Freeman was eighteen and nineteen years old.

State’s Ex. 8. During this time, A.G. lived with her mother (“Mother”) and

exercised parenting time with her father (“Father”), sometimes splitting her

time equally between them. Tr. Vol. II at 9, 15. A.G. first became acquainted

with Freeman when A.G.’s step-sister (“Sister”), who was five years older than

A.G., was communicating with Freeman via FaceTime on Sister’s cell phone,

and A.G. was sitting nearby. Another time, Sister’s phone battery was dead, so

1 See Ind. Code § 35-42-4-6(b). 2 See Ind. Code §§ 35-42-4-4(b), 35-41-5-2. 3 See Ind. Code § 35-49-3-3(a)(1).

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1710-CR-2297 | August 8, 2018 Page 2 of 17 Sister used A.G.’s phone to communicate with Freeman, and it was by this

means that A.G. learned Freeman’s phone number. A.G. and Freeman began

communicating with each other on various phone apps and social media

platforms, including FaceTime, Snapchat, and Instagram. A.G. initially

believed Freeman was fifteen or sixteen years of age, but later learned he was

older. A.G. told Freeman her age in one of their first conversations. Id. at 21.

[4] The two communicated by text and developed what A.G. believed was a

romantic relationship. Freeman told A.G. that she was “pretty” and said things

to A.G. such as “I love you” and “I can’t wait until we can be together.” Id. at

24, 29. On one occasion, A.G. told Freeman that another boy was “asking

[her] out[,]” and Freeman told her to tell the boy that she already had a

boyfriend. Id. at 29. Freeman told A.G. that he was grateful for her, that he

was upset because he was not allowed to hold her and touch her, that he

wanted her to know he would always want her, and that he would always be

there for her. State’s Ex. 1A at 24. A.G. told Freeman that she knew “a lot of

older men are attracted to younger women,” and she hoped that Freeman did

not like her only because of her looks and her body, and he told her that he

liked her “a lot more than that.” Id. at 22.

[5] In the course of their ongoing conversations on social media, Freeman asked

A.G. to send him photographs of herself, and she “repeatedly told him no”

because she “was completely uncomfortable doing it.” Id. at 24-25. When she

would tell him no, “[h]e would get upset” and act in what she felt was a

“passive aggressive way” by blocking her or not answering her. Id. at 25, 26.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1710-CR-2297 | August 8, 2018 Page 3 of 17 A.G. eventually sent nude photos of herself “because [she] really liked

[Freeman]” and believed that “the only reason he would ever like me” is if she

sent the pictures. Id. at 27. A.G. estimated that she sent “more than fifteen”

nude photographs of herself to Freeman, and, although she saved some of their

text communications, she did not save any of the photographs. Id. at 28, 30,

31-34, 37; State’s Exs. 3, 4, 5, 6. Freeman sent “probably about the same”

number of pictures of his penis to A.G. Tr. Vol. II at 28, 51.

[6] Freeman and A.G. talked about meeting in person, although they never did,

other than seeing each other at church on a few occasions, and at those times

they either did not speak to each other or only said “hi.” Id. at 38. A.G.

testified that “[Freeman] would talk about meeting me and having sex.” Id. at

30, 50. Freeman wrote to A.G. stating, “I want to make love to you[,]” and for

their relationship to go where he already knew it was going, “and that is love”

and “after love, sex[.]” State’s Ex. 1A at 23; State’s Ex. 3 at 4.

[7] In March 2016, Father discovered some text messages on A.G.’s phone

between her and Freeman, including one or more requests from Freeman for

A.G. to send him nude photographs of herself. Father contacted Freeman,

telling Freeman that he was A.G.’s father. Freeman “volunteered that if this

was in regards to A.G., that he would stop communicating with her.” Tr. Vol.

II at 11. Father asked Freeman how old he was, and Freeman said he was

seventeen. Id. At some later date, Father discovered on A.G.’s phone more

“inappropriate messages” between her and Freeman, and through online

research, Father located a phone number for the Freeman household and

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1710-CR-2297 | August 8, 2018 Page 4 of 17 contacted Freeman’s father. Id. at 12. Father learned through Freeman’s father

that Freeman was not seventeen years old, as he had said he was. Father also

contacted Mother, the police, and the prosecutor’s office. Mother also

contacted and spoke with the police.

[8] Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (“IMPD”) Detective David

Miller (“Detective Miller”) made a police report, and he contacted cybercrimes

Detective Laura Smith (“Detective Smith”), who worked in the sex crimes

division. Father provided Detective Smith with a screenshot of some of the

communications with Freeman on A.G.’s phone. In a screenshot from July

2015, Freeman told A.G. that he was not jealous about her boyfriend anymore,

and A.G. replied, “Great. Have fun being a perv and trying to get other 12 year

olds to send you nudes.” State’s Ex. 7.

[9] Detective Smith interviewed A.G. and Father, and she collected various devices

that A.G. had used to communicate with Freeman, including her phone, iPad,

and a laptop. Father gave his consent to a forensic search, which was

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