Ronnie Duvall v. Commonwealth of Kentucky

CourtKentucky Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 20, 2025
Docket2024-SC-0003
StatusUnpublished

This text of Ronnie Duvall v. Commonwealth of Kentucky (Ronnie Duvall v. Commonwealth of Kentucky) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Kentucky Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Ronnie Duvall v. Commonwealth of Kentucky, (Ky. 2025).

Opinion

IMPORTANT NOTICE NOT TO BE PUBLISHED OPINION

THIS OPINION IS DESIGNATED “NOT TO BE PUBLISHED.” PURSUANT TO THE RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE PROMULGATED BY THE SUPREME COURT, RAP 40(D), THIS OPINION IS NOT TO BE PUBLISHED AND SHALL NOT BE CITED OR USED AS BINDING PRECEDENT IN ANY OTHER CASE IN ANY COURT OF THIS STATE; HOWEVER, UNPUBLISHED KENTUCKY APPELLATE DECISIONS, RENDERED AFTER JANUARY 1, 2003, MAY BE CITED FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COURT IF THERE IS NO PUBLISHED OPINION THAT WOULD ADEQUATELY ADDRESS THE ISSUE BEFORE THE COURT. OPINIONS CITED FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COURT SHALL BE SET OUT AS AN UNPUBLISHED DECISION IN THE FILED DOCUMENT AND A COPY OF THE ENTIRE DECISION SHALL BE TENDERED ALONG WITH THE DOCUMENT TO THE COURT AND ALL PARTIES TO THE ACTION. RENDERED: MARCH 20, 2025 NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Supreme Court of Kentucky 2024-SC-0003-MR

RONNIE DUVALL APPELLANT

ON APPEAL FROM HOPKINS CIRCUIT COURT V. HONORABLE CHRISTOPHER BRYAN OGLESBY, JUDGE NO. 22-CR-00130

COMMONWEALTH OF KENTUCKY APPELLEE

MEMORANDUM OPINION OF THE COURT

AFFIRMING

A Hopkins County jury convicted Ronnie Duvall of one count of rape in

the first degree, one count of sodomy in the first degree, and one count of

sodomy in the second degree. The Hopkins Circuit Court thereafter sentenced

Duvall to a life of imprisonment. Duvall now appeals his convictions as a

matter of right. See KY. CONST. § 110(b). Having reviewed the record, the

applicable law, and the arguments of the parties, we affirm the Hopkins Circuit

Court.

I. FACTS & BACKGROUND

Ronnie Duvall (“Duvall”) and Brittany Duvall (“Brittany”) are not married

but share two biological children. Brittany lived with Duvall throughout 2020 and 2021. Brittany is also the mother to a minor daughter named J.D. 1 who

has lived primarily with her grandparents since she was roughly two years old.

J.D. would, however, routinely spend some weekends with Brittany and Duvall.

J.D. was born in June 2009.

In March 2022, J.D. informed officers at the Madisonville Police

Department that Duvall and Brittany had jointly subjected her to inappropriate

sexual contact. J.D. had previously disclosed Duvall and Brittany’s abuse to

other authority figures, but had recanted her allegations because she feared

that her siblings, Duvall and Brittany’s biological children, would be placed

into foster care. Eventually, however, Brittany and Duvall were each indicted

and charged with various sex crimes arising from J.D.’s allegations. Brittany

pled guilty to several charges, including incest, rape, and sodomy, but Duvall

proceeded to trial. Prior to Duvall’s trial, the Commonwealth elected to try

Duvall on only three of the twenty-one counts he had initially been indicted on.

At the time of Duvall’s September 2023 trial, J.D. was fourteen years old.

At trial, she testified that Duvall and Brittany had subjected her to sexual

contact for the first time when she was eleven years old. When asked how she

remembered how old she was during this instance of abuse, J.D. testified that

she knew she was eleven years old “because it was just after my birthday.” She

later confirmed that Duvall and Brittany had subjected her to sexual contact

the day after her eleventh birthday. J.D. testified that the first time Duvall and

1 We use this child’s initials to protect her identity and privacy.

2 Brittany abused her, she was in their living room watching television. J.D.

testified that Duvall and Brittany grabbed her thighs, and Brittany told her to

go to the bedroom where the three of them ended up in bed. J.D. testified that,

during this incident, Duvall inserted his penis into her vagina, and that “[she]

was on top of him” while Brittany laid beside them. J.D. also testified that

Duvall performed oral sex on her the same evening. She confirmed that Duvall

put his mouth on her vagina.

J.D. also testified to another, separate instance of sexual contact

involving Duvall that transpired later. J.D. testified that she was in a van with

Duvall driving from his house to her house when Duvall stopped the car, pulled

over, and asked her to perform oral sex on him. J.D. testified that she put her

mouth on Duvall’s penis. J.D. testified that she thought she was twelve years

old during this incident.

At Duvall’s trial, Brittany conversely testified that Duvall had never

participated in sex acts with J.D. She testified she had “no knowledge” of

Duvall having any sexual contact with J.D. Brittany did, however, admit that

she had personally participated in sex acts with J.D. She specifically testified,

“It was my idea to have sex with her. Yes. I did it myself.”

Brittany’s testimony at trial, absolving Duvall from any guilt, was

inconsistent with some prior statements she had previously made to officers at

the Madisonville Police Department. When confronted with those prior

statements at trial, Brittany confirmed that she had previously told the police

that she and Duvall had “threesomes” with J.D. and that those threesomes

3 could have happened eight to ten times. Brittany also affirmed that she had

previously told police that it was Duvall and J.D. who had initiated the

threesomes. Brittany explained the inconsistencies between her prior

statements and her trial testimony by later testifying that, “I mean I told them

over and over that I didn’t do it. When they continued calling me a liar, I just

told them what they wanted to hear.”

Madisonville Police Department Detective Daniel Morck testified that he

interviewed Duvall in March 2022 regarding J.D.’s allegations. The

Commonwealth played that recorded interview for the jury. Throughout that

interview, Duvall initially denied having sexual intercourse with J.D. but he

eventually made incriminating statements claiming that he only had sexual

intercourse with J.D. once at his house. Duvall told Det. Morck that it was

Brittany and J.D.’s idea for him to have sex with J.D. When asked later how

many times he had sex with J.D., Duvall replied, “Probably not even three or

four times.” Duvall also told Det. Morck that J.D. performed oral sex on him

“maybe twice.”

The jury convicted Duvall of one count of rape in the first degree, one

count of sodomy in the first degree, and one count of sodomy in the second

degree. The Hopkins Circuit Court thereafter sentenced Duvall to a life of

imprisonment.

Further facts will be developed below as necessary.

4 II. ANALYSIS

On appeal, Duvall makes four arguments advocating for the reversal of

his criminal convictions. First, Duvall asserts that the trial court improperly

allowed the Commonwealth to introduce a recording of a phone call Duvall was

alleged to have made from jail without first properly authenticating that

recording. Second, Duvall argues that the trial court erred in denying his

motion for a mistrial after the Commonwealth introduced evidence tending to

prove that he was incarcerated while awaiting trial. Third, Duvall asserts that

the trial court erred in denying his motion to instruct the jury on the lesser-

included offenses of rape in the second degree and sodomy in the second

degree. Fourth, and finally, Duvall argues that this Court should reverse his

convictions on the basis of cumulative error. Because we are unpersuaded by

each of Duvall’s multiple arguments, this Court affirms the Hopkins Circuit

A.

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