Musgrove v. State

581 So. 2d 567, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 253, 1991 WL 88160
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Alabama
DecidedApril 11, 1991
DocketCR 90-242
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 581 So. 2d 567 (Musgrove v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Musgrove v. State, 581 So. 2d 567, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 253, 1991 WL 88160 (Ala. Ct. App. 1991).

Opinion

TAYLOR, Judge.

The appellant, Richard G. Musgrove, was indicted on three sex offenses: two counts of sodomy in the first degree, and one count of sexual abuse in the first degree.

A trial was held on September 8, 1990, at the conclusion of which the jury found appellant guilty on all three counts. The appellant was thereafter sentenced to 10 years in prison for each count, the sentences to run concurrently. Under the Split Sentence Act, he was ordered to serve three years in prison and the balance on probation.

I

The appellant contends that the trial court erred by denying his motions for judgment of acquittal. The appellant specifically contends that there was not sufficient evidence as to when the offenses occurred.

It is apparent from the record that counsel for the appellant made a motion pursuant to Reed v. State, 512 So.2d 804 (Ala.Cr.App.1987), compelling the prosecution to elect which of the sexual abuse incidents they were proceeding with at trial. Therefore, it was incumbent upon the State to prove that the charged offenses occurred during November of 1988.

“Mr. Copeland [Defense Counsel] — First I had informed Ms. Collins earlier, since there has been evidence of various acts, that I would move for her to elect which particular one of the counts of the indictment are based upon. She advised me that — that’s under the Reed case which I did on appeal. She advised me by letter to the court file that she was electing the acts which occurred in November of ’88 in Chunchula. And with that in mind,— is that your position?
“Ms. Collins [Prosecuting Attorney]— Yes.
“Mr. Copeland — With that in mind, I made a motion for a judgment of acquittal as to counts one, two and three separately and severally on the grounds that the State has failed to make out a prima facie case. Without waiving a general objection, we move for a judgment of acquittal as to counts one, and three, the oral sex counts, on the grounds there is no proof of anything but manual touching in November of ’88 in Chunchula and we also move for a judgment of acquittal as to count one in that there was no proof of any insertion of Mr. Musgrove’s sex organ in the mouth of the child at any time at the Chunchula residence.”

The trial court erred in denying appellant’s motion as to counts one and three of the indictment. Counts one and three of the indictment read as follows:

[568]*568(Count One) — “The Grand Jury of said County charge, that, before the finding of this indictment Richard G. Musgrove whose name is to the Grand Jury otherwise unknown than as stated, did engage in deviate sexual intercourse, to-wit: by placing the penis of Richard G. Musgrove into the mouth of [the victim], the said [victim] being less than twelve years of age, and the said Richard G. Musgrove being sixteen years old or older, in violation of § 13A-6-63 of the Code of Alabama, against the peace and dignity of the State of Alabama.”
(Count Three) — “The Grand Jury of said County charge, that, before the finding of this indictment Richard G. Musgrove whose name is to the Grand Jury otherwise unknown than as stated, did engage in deviate sexual intercourse, to-wit: by placing the mouth of Richard G. Mus-grove upon the vagina of [the victim], the said [victim] being less than twelve years of age, and the said Richard G. Mus-grove being sixteen years old or older, in violation of § 13A-6-63 of the Code of Alabama.”

The prosecution clearly failed to prove that these activities occurred during November 1988. After eliciting testimony from the victim, A.R., concerning various sexual activity to which the appellant had allegedly exposed her, she testified as follows:

“Q [By the prosecuting attorney] — Do you remember this ever happening when y’all lived in Chunchula?
“A — Yes. It was on a Friday.
“Q — Friday? Was that before you told your mom?
“A — Yes.
“Q — And did all of these things that you’ve told us about happen on that day?
“A — Not everything that I can remember.
“Q — Well, why don’t you tell us what happened that day?
“A — I’m not so sure.
“Q — Do you remember if he put his mouth on your private spot on that day?
“A — No, I think not.
“Q — Did he ever do that to you when y’all lived in Chunchula?
“A — I don’t know.”

The mother of the victim, the appellant’s ex-wife, later testified as follows:

“Q — [By prosecuting attorney] — And when did you move into this house on Weeks Road [Chunchula]?
“A — The last week of September, ’88.
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“Q — Do you remember, after you moved into your home on Weeks Road, having any conversations with A.R. about [the appellant]?
“A — Yes, the Friday before Thanksgiving of ’88, [the appellant] and my oldest son had gone to McIntosh to go hunting. It was just the girls and I at the house. And I had put S. to bed earlier. And A.R. and I were laying on the couch watching Miami Vice. And she started asking me birds-and-bees questions. And—
[[Image here]]
“Q — How did you respond to that question?
“A — At that point, I was extremely suspicious. So I asked her, I said, why. And she started crying then. And that’s when she said, I don’t think I’m a virgin. And I asked her, I said, what are you talking about. And she says — I said, has somebody been doing something with you that they shouldn’t be doing. And she cried harder and said, yes. And I said, who. And that’s when she told me [it was the appellant].
“Q — Did she tell you—
“A — That’s when I asked her what exactly has been happening. And in her word, it was he’s been rubbing his thing against my thing until white stuff comes out.
“Q — Did she tell you anything else at that time that he had done to her? Did you ask her any more questions about it?
“A — She was so upset at that point, I was concentrating mainly on trying to soothe her and tell her it was not her fault, that everything was going to be fine, I would take care of it, that this would not happen again. She didn’t real[569]*569ly want to talk about it anymore, she was extremely upset at that point.
“Q — Did you ever suspect anything like this?
“A — God, no.”

Later, on cross-examination, the victim’s mother again testified as to what the child had told her concerning the sexual activity between her ex-husband and the victim.

“A — I asked her what had happened, and what she told me was that he had rubbed his thing against her thing until white stuff came out.”

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Related

Musgrove v. State
591 So. 2d 581 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama, 1991)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
581 So. 2d 567, 1991 Ala. Crim. App. LEXIS 253, 1991 WL 88160, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/musgrove-v-state-alacrimapp-1991.