Messmear v. Commonwealth

472 S.W.2d 682, 1971 Ky. LEXIS 208
CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976)
DecidedNovember 5, 1971
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 472 S.W.2d 682 (Messmear v. Commonwealth) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976) primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Messmear v. Commonwealth, 472 S.W.2d 682, 1971 Ky. LEXIS 208 (Ky. 1971).

Opinions

DAVIS, Commissioner.

Thomas Charles Messmear was found guilty by a jury of violation of KRS 436.-060 (incest). Indictment was in three counts, charging that the defendant had carnal knowledge of his own child, Patricia M. Bailey, knowing that he was her father, on or about May 2, May 23, and August 11, 1970. The jury fixed his penalty at imprisonment for five years on each of the counts. On this appeal Messmear presents two claims of error, asserting that (1) incompetent evidence was admitted, and (2) the Commonwealth’s attorney made improper argument.

The prosecutrix, now married to Alvin Bailey, was born August 30, 1953, and was unmarried at the time of the alleged offenses. She testified that her father had sexual relations with her on three separate occasions on or about the dates mentioned in the indictment. He denied it. It is not contended that a jury issue was not created on the strength of the evidence presented by the prosecutrix.

The first assertion of error pertains to the following questions and answers appearing in the direct examination of the prosecutrix:

“D42 About what age were you when you first can remember? About how old were you?
A Four or four and a half.
D43 Patricia, I want you to tell the jury when you can first remember anything about the defendant doing anything to you or with you of an unusual nature. About when do you recall that?
MR. ROSENTHAL: Your Honor, I object.
THE COURT: Overruled.
D44 About how old were you at this time when these events started?
A Four or four and a half.
D45 I want you to tell the jury in your own words what the defendant began doing at this time. What would he do to you of with you?
A He played with me and he made me play with him.
D46 When you say he played with you, do you mean he played with your private parts?
A Yes.
D47 And when you say he wanted you to play with him, do you mean you played with his private parts?
A Yes.
D48 His sex organ ?
A Yes.
D49 Do you recall doing that?
A Yes.
D50 Patricia, about how long did this type of activity continue?
A Until he left us.
D51 Until he left you; and about how old were you when he left you ?
A Six.”

It will be observed that the prosecu-trix referred to the time when her father left the family. It was brought out by the appellant himself that the reason he left his family at that time was because he had been convicted of a felony and sentenced to the penitentiary. The argument of the appellant respecting the inadmissibility of the evidence just quoted is thus expressed in his brief:

“It is prejudicial error to allow testimony by a minor witness evidencing un-similar, unproven and uncomplained of [684]*684charges which allegedly occurred over twelve years ago prior to trial on unrelated incidents because such evidence is too remote in time and has no probative value except to arouse the passions and prejudice of the jury.”

The appellant concedes that the law recognizes an exception to the general rule forbidding testimony of other criminal activities, so that in prosecution for sex crimes evidence of other sex activities of the same nature committed with and upon the same person is competent. The following citations support that proposition: Roberson’s New Kentucky Criminal Law, Section 1802; Browning v. Commonwealth, Ky., 351 S.W.2d 499; Young v. Commonwealth, Ky., 335 S.W.2d 949; and Keith v. Commonwealth, Ky., 251 S.W.2d 850.

The appellant contends that the exception which permits evidence in certain sex offenses is inapplicable here for two reasons. First, contends the appellant, the acts which the prosecutrix said were performed by appellant some ten to twelve years earlier did not constitute incest and did not reflect sexual intercourse. Hence, reasons the appellant, such testimony cannot qualify as an exception to the general rule. The second reason advanced by the appellant in support of his contention that the evidence was inadmissible was its remoteness in point of time. He argues that the claimed early improprieties of which his daughter accused him were completely discontinued for at least ten years, and thus those activities have no probative value as tending to demonstrate a lustful or incestuous disposition of the appellant for the prosecutrix.

The Commonwealth states in its brief that in usual circumstances it would agree that the alleged early mistreatment of the prosecutrix by appellant would be too remote, but points out that the hiatus in the activity was brought about by reason of the enforced separation occasioned by appellant’s imprisonment. The Commonwealth cites People v. Hall, 25 Cal.App.2d 336, 77 P.2d 244 (1958), in which it was held that evidence concerning an act of intercourse some eight years before the date of the prime offense was not too remote. The court noted that the question of remoteness goes to the weight rather than to the competency of the testimony. It should be said that in the Hall case the father undertook to explain the eight-year-old affair between him and his daughter on the basis of his attempting to show her how she could protect herself against sexual assault. In the present case the appellant denied that he had ever mistreated the prosecutrix. He stated that his parents lived with his family during the years in which the prosecutrix claimed he had mistreated her as a tiny child and he would have brought them to testify had he known that his daughter would make such an accusation.

Upon cross-examination the Commonwealth’s attorney pointed out that several weeks had elapsed between the indictment and the day of trial and intimated that the appellant should have anticipated what his daughter would say and have his witnesses present to refute it. The trial judge intervened and pointed out that the appellant had sought to explain that he had no notice that any such charges would be made and that that was the reason he did not have his parents present to testify.

Running throughout the decisions which permit the introduction of evidence concerning other activities in sex cases tending to indicate an affinity or lustful desire or incestuous disposition is the corollary rule that the trial court should admonish the jury that such evidence can be considered only for the purpose of corroborating the testimony as to the principal offense. See Smith v. Commonwealth, 109 Ky. 685, 60 S.W. 531; Keith v. Commonwealth, Ky., 251 S.W.2d 850; Young v.

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Messmear v. Commonwealth
472 S.W.2d 682 (Court of Appeals of Kentucky (pre-1976), 1971)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
472 S.W.2d 682, 1971 Ky. LEXIS 208, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/messmear-v-commonwealth-kyctapphigh-1971.