Penny v. State

960 So. 2d 533, 2006 WL 3593220
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedDecember 12, 2006
Docket2005-KA-01543-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 960 So. 2d 533 (Penny v. State) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Penny v. State, 960 So. 2d 533, 2006 WL 3593220 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

960 So.2d 533 (2006)

Muriel PENNY, Appellant
v.
STATE of Mississippi, Appellee.

No. 2005-KA-01543-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

December 12, 2006.
Rehearing Denied April 10, 2007.

*536 David L. Walker, attorney for appellant.

Office of the Attorney General by Jeffrey A. KLingfuss, attorney for appellee.

Before MYERS, P.J., SOUTHWICK and GRIFFIS, JJ.

GRIFFIS, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Muriel Penny appeals his conviction of child fondling. He was sentenced to serve fifteen years, with nine years suspended. On appeal, Penny argues that: (1) he was denied his right of confrontation when the trial court allowed a video statement given by the victim, (2) the victim was not competent to testify, and (3) the trial court erred in qualifying a State's witness as an expert in forensic examination. We find no error and affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2. Penny was indicted for two counts of sexual battery of a six-year old minor, whom we refer to as Jane.[1] The first count was based on an incident that occurred between April and September 27, 2004. The second count was based on an incident alleged to have occurred on September 28, 2004.

¶ 3. Jane testified at trial. In addition, the trial court allowed the jury to view a videotaped interview of Jane, which included a statement of her allegations against Penny. The videotape was a preplanned interview. Neither Penny nor his counsel were given notice of the video. The district attorney prepared the video to play in court in lieu of Jane's live testimony. In her direct examination, the State did not have Jane recount her allegations. She was only asked whether she saw the video and whether she told the truth on it. During redirect, the State did have Jane go into a description of her charges against Penny. Penny was allowed to re-cross on this issue. The video was allowed to be played before the jury, because Jane had given a more detailed account in the video than she had in court.

¶ 4. Jane's friend, Sydatrius Futrell testified that she saw Penny put his hand on Jane's "private" over her clothes.

¶ 5. The State called nurse Sally Discenza as an expert witness. Discenza testified that there were signs of penetration, but they were not recent and did not indicate continuous abuse. Jane was examined September 29, 2004. Discenza testified that the mother reported that Jane had been sexually abused two years prior, by another individual. Jane's mother explained that all she meant by this was that a little boy had pulled her daughter's pants down.

¶ 6. Dr. Tracy Barrett testified that Jane's injuries were consistent with her complaints, but were also consistent with a straddle injury.

¶ 7. The jury found Penny guilty of the lesser-included offense of child fondling based on Count I and not guilty on Count II.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

¶ 8. The standard of review regarding the admission or exclusion of evidence is abuse of discretion. Yoste v. *537 Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 822 So.2d 935, 936(¶ 7) (Miss.2002). Any error in the admission or exclusion of evidence is not grounds for reversal unless the error adversely affected a substantial right of a party. Lynch v. State, 877 So.2d 1254, 1281(¶ 86) (Miss.2004). Constitutional issues are reviewed de novo. Thoms v. Thoms, 928 So.2d 852, 855(¶ 9) (Miss.2006).

ANALYSIS

I. Did the trial court err in admitting Jane's videotaped interview into evidence?

¶ 9. Penny first argues that the trial court denied him his right to confrontation when it allowed Jane's videotaped statement into evidence. Penny also argues that the admission violated the Mississippi Rules of Evidence. The State argues that Penny was allowed to cross-examine Jane on the stand, and the video was admissible under the tender years hearsay exception.

A. Right to confrontation

¶ 10. In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to be confronted with the witnesses against him. U.S. Const. amend VI; Miss. Const. art. 3, § 26. This right applies to in-court testimony as well as out-of-court statements. Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36, 50-51, 124 S.Ct. 1354, 158 L.Ed.2d 177 (2004).

¶ 11. We do not find a violation of Penny's right to confrontation. Here, Jane testified, and Penny's counsel was allowed both cross-examination and recross-examination. The concern was caused by the manner in which the State offered Jane's testimony. Indeed, the State called Jane as a witness and asked her questions about her background, her understanding of the concept of telling the truth along with the consequences of not telling the truth and whether she told the truth in the interview with the social worker. The State then tendered the witness. Defense counsel asked her a number of background questions then asked for a conference in chambers. Defense counsel then raised the point that there would be a Crawford violation if the video was played after his right to cross-examine Jane. The trial judge expressed his concern with the sequence of the presentation of the evidence. The court then stated, on the record, "I will permit you [defense counsel] to recall the child after the playing of the video." Then, in the presence of the jury, defense counsel asked Jane several more questions. The State then was allowed redirect examination, where Jane testified that Penny pulled down her panties and stuck his "hand in" her "private part." Defense counsel was then allowed recross-examination. The State then called the social worker and played the videotape during her testimony. After the videotape was played, the record does not indicate that Penny ever attempted to recall Jane.

¶ 12. The test for whether a defendant's right of confrontation has been violated by introduction of out-of-court statements depends on whether the statements are testimonial or non-testimonial. Id. at 68, 124 S.Ct. 1354. Therefore, we must first classify Jane's video statement. "[A] statement is testimonial when it is given to the police or individuals working in connection with the police for the purpose of prosecuting the accused." Hobgood v. State, 926 So.2d 847, 852(¶ 12) (Miss.2006). Jane's statement was given on videotape to her social worker, on behalf of and at the request of the assistant district attorney. The sole purpose of the taped statement was to present it at trial in lieu of live testimony. The purpose of playing it after Jane's in-court testimony was to allow her to give more details on *538 the videotape than she did while on the stand. Jane's video statement is testimonial.

¶ 13. Prior testimonial statements are not admissible under the Sixth Amendment unless the witness is (1) unavailable at trial and (2) the defendant had a prior opportunity for cross-examination. Crawford, 541 U.S. at 68, 124 S.Ct. 1354. "Where testimonial statements are at issue, the only indicium of reliability sufficient to satisfy constitutional demands is the one the Constitution actually prescribes: confrontation." Id. at 68-69, 124 S.Ct. 1354. "Dispensing with confrontation because testimony is obviously reliable is akin to dispensing with jury trial because a defendant is obviously guilty. This is not what the Sixth Amendment prescribes." Id. at 62, 124 S.Ct. 1354.

¶ 14. This Court recently had the opportunity to apply the Crawford rule to a factually similar case in Elkins v. State, 918 So.2d 828 (Miss.Ct.App.2005).

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Bluebook (online)
960 So. 2d 533, 2006 WL 3593220, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/penny-v-state-missctapp-2006.