Derksen v. State

845 P.2d 1383, 1993 Wyo. LEXIS 25, 1993 WL 23607
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 5, 1993
Docket91-1126
StatusPublished
Cited by34 cases

This text of 845 P.2d 1383 (Derksen v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Derksen v. State, 845 P.2d 1383, 1993 Wyo. LEXIS 25, 1993 WL 23607 (Wyo. 1993).

Opinions

URBIGKIT, Justice.

An issue of first impression is presented in this appeal asking whether the offense of taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties with a child is a lesser included offense of second-degree sexual assault. Appellant, Frank W. Derksen (Derksen), contends it was plain error to permit the lesser included offense instruction from which his conviction resulted. We agree.

I. ISSUES

Appellant states multiple issues for this court’s consideration:

ISSUE I
Was it plain error to allow jury instruction no. 12 which stated that taking immodest, immoral, or indecent liberties with a minor is a lesser-included offense of second degree sexual assault?
ISSUE II
Did the trial judge abuse his discretion by failing to afford the defendant his constitutionally protected right of allocution and by relying on improper information when sentencing the defendant?
ISSUE III
Was it plain error to allow a ten-year-old “borderline” mentally retarded child to [1385]*1385testify absent a determination of her competency?
ISSUE IV
Did the prosecutor repeatedly overstep and ignore rules prohibiting him from asserting as fact his own personal beliefs relating to matters in issue so as to adversely affect the defendant’s substantial right to a fair trial?
ISSUE V
Was [the grandmother’s] testimony concerning the “yellow mess” in the child’s underpants improperly admitted?
ISSUE VI
Was there sufficient evidence to convict appellant of taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties with a minor?
ISSUE VII
Was the Victims Compensation assessment made in violation of law?
ISSUE VIII
Should Appellant’s conviction be reversed pursuant to the doctrine of cumulative error?

The State, in response, summarizes the issues as:

I. Was appellant properly convicted of taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties with a minor?
II. Was the prosecutor’s argument proper comment upon the evidence admitted at trial?
III. Did the district court properly use the pre-sentence investigation report during sentencing and did it afford appellant all constitutional rights?
IV. Is the doctrine of cumulative error inapplicable to appellant’s conviction since no error appears in the record?

II. FACTS

In the summer and early fall of 1988, the victim was ten years old. The victim lived with her paternal grandparents, but was allowed to visit her stepfather, Derksen, and her natural mother at their home near Wheatland, Wyoming under terms of a custody decree. During one of those visits, Derksen allegedly tied the victim’s hands so he could remove her clothes and fondle her. Later, Derksen disrobed, according to the victim, and forced her to touch his penis and put it in her mouth. Derksen also reportedly displayed to the victim lewd pictures of himself and the victim’s mother.

More than two years after this incident reportedly took place, by information, Derksen was charged with second-degree sexual assault. During the instruction conference at Derksen’s jury trial, the defense initially objected to a state offered instruction for taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties with a child as a lesser included offense. However, the objection was withdrawn after an unreported conference was held between the judge, prosecutor and defense lawyer.

The jury convicted Derksen of the “lesser” offense, taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties, and he was sentenced to not less than nine years nor more than ten years in the Wyoming State Penitentiary and assessed $500 for the Wyoming Victim’s Compensation Fund. Additional relevant facts will be included in the discussion as necessary.

III. DISCUSSION

Without a preserved objection, at trial, the disputed lesser included offense instruction requires analysis under the plain error doctrine.

Our standard of review under plain error is well established.
“ ‘First, the record must be clear as to the incident which is alleged as error. Second, the party claiming that error amounted to plain error must demonstrate that a clear and unequivocal rule of law was violated. Finally, that party must prove that a substantial right has been denied him and as a result he has been materially prejudiced.’ ”
Johnston v. State, 747 P.2d 1132, 1134 (Wyo.1987) (quoting Auclair v. State, [1386]*1386660 P.2d 1156, 1159 (Wyo.1983) cert. denied 464 U.S. 909, 104 S.Ct. 265, 78 L.Ed.2d 249 and Bradley v. State, 635 P.2d 1161, 1164 (Wyo.1981)). .See [W.R.Cr.P. 52(b)].

Craney v. State, 798 P.2d 1202, 1204 (Wyo.1990).

The record in this proceeding is sufficient to evaluate the contentions of error. Jury Instruction Nos. 12 through 15 permitted the jury to convict Derksen of taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties as a lesser included offense. Jury Instruction No. 12 specifically stated:

If you are not satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the offense charged, he may, however, be found guilty of any lesser offense, the commission of which is necessarily included in the offense charged, if the evidence is sufficient to establish his guilt of such lesser offense beyond a reasonable doubt.
The offense of sexual assault in the second degree, with which the defendant is charged, includes the lesser offense of taking immodest, immoral or indecent liberties with a child.

Derksen has fulfilled the first requirement of the plain error test.

Demonstrating that a clear and unequivocal rule of law has been violated, the second portion of the plain error test requires consideration of the lesser included offense doctrine as defined by W.R.Cr.P. 31(c).1

The defendant may be found guilty of an offense necessarily included in the offense charged or of an attempt to commit either the offense charged or an offense necessarily included therein if the attempt is an offense.

The lesser included offense doctrine benefits the prosecution when it fails to establish each of the elements of the charged crime and the doctrine benefits the defendant because it provides the jury a “ ‘less drastic alternative than the choice between conviction of the offense charged and acquittal.’ ” State v. Selig, 635 P.2d 786, 790 (Wyo.1981) (quoting Beck v. Alabama, 447 U.S. 625, 100 S.Ct. 2382, 2387, 65 L.Ed.2d 392 (1980)).

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Bluebook (online)
845 P.2d 1383, 1993 Wyo. LEXIS 25, 1993 WL 23607, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/derksen-v-state-wyo-1993.