STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. C.J.R. (15-09-0780, CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)

New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division·Decided September 30, 2020·No. A-1338-18T4·Unpublished

Opinion

RECORD IMPOUNDED

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION

DOCKET NO. A-1338-18T4

STATE OF NEW JERSEY, Plaintiff-Respondent,

v. C.J.R.,1

Defendant-Appellant.

Argued telephonically September 22, 2020 —

Decided September 30, 2020

Before Judges Yannotti, Haas, and Mawla.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Cumberland County, Indictment No. 15-09-

0780.

Whitney F. Flanagan, Assistant Deputy Public Defender, argued the cause for appellant (Joseph E.

Krakora, Public Defender, attorney; Whitney F.

Flanagan, of counsel and on the brief).

Andre A. Araujo, Assistant Prosecutor, argued the cause for respondent (Jennifer Webb-McRae,

1 We use initials to protect the identities of the minor victims. R. 1:38-3(c)(9).

Cumberland County Prosecutor, attorney; Andre A.

Araujo, of counsel and on the brief).

PER CURIAM Defendant C.J.R. appeals from a December 18, 2017 order denying various pre-trial motions and also challenges his sentence following his guilty plea to two counts of first-degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14- 2(a)(1). We affirm.

Defendant's father and stepmother adopted two young children, K.R. and C.R. In October 2013, they contacted police and reported both girls disclosed defendant sexually abused them in the family home, at the family's vacation residence, and in defendant's Maryland home. Investigators interviewed the girls the same day, who both reported multiple instances of sexual abuse starting as early as seven years of age. Defendant was arrested on November 1, 2013, and charged with multiple counts of aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child.

The investigation revealed defendant digitally penetrated both girls on numerous occasions and exposed his penis to them. Investigators determined the timing of some of the offenses against C.R. occurred between May 25 and September 30, 2007; the abuse in the vacation residence occurred between May 25 and August 31, 2009; and the sexual penetration occurred at the family home A-1338-18T4

between May 25 and September 30, 2011. The abuse against K.R. occurred between September 28, 2008 and September 27, 2009 in the family home, and at the vacation residence between May 25, 2011 and August 31, 2012.

Following the initial charges, investigators interviewed the girls again.

Both disclosed that defendant also committed acts of vaginal penetration with his penis. C.R. recalled that while she, K.R., defendant, and defendant's wife were in a swimming pool together, defendant slipped off her bathing suit bottom on the far side of the pool, and vaginally penetrated her with his penis. K.R. stated while she was sleeping on the living room couch, defendant removed her clothes and engaged in vaginal penetration with his penis and only stopped when K.R. insisted she had to use the bathroom.

Defendant's stepmother discovered footage of both girls in various stages of undress on defendant's digital camera, which she turned over to police who obtained search warrants for the device. Pursuant to the search, police found footage of the girls in their bathing suits and multiple shots of their vaginal areas from an underwater camera. Investigators also recovered separate footage of the girls in an outdoor shower stall at the vacation home, recorded on a hidden camera.

A-1338-18T4

Investigators recovered a computer belonging to defendant from his aunt's home. The laptop was in the possession of defendant's wife, who was living with the aunt after defendant's arrest. The aunt consented to the search of her home. Defendant's wife also did not object to the search and led investigators into the bedroom where she was staying to retrieve the laptop. Pursuant to a search warrant, the laptop was sent to the New Jersey State Police Regional Computer Forensic Laboratory to secure the data on the device.2 On January 15, 2014, defendant's stepmother contacted investigators and informed them C.R. disclosed defendant may have filmed or photographed her on his iPhone. Investigators contacted the Cumberland County Jail and confirmed an iPhone was inventoried and stored in the jail at the time of defendant's detention, obtained a search warrant for the locker containing defendant's property, and seized the phone.

On February 10, 2014, defendant's parents obtained defendant's Apple time capsule (an external hard drive) from his wife, which contained disturbing videos of him and C.R. that was subsequently seized by police. Investigators were unable to search the time capsule and sent it to the State Police laboratory

2 Another laptop belonging to defendant was also seized from the family residence and forwarded for forensic analysis.

A-1338-18T4

for examination on November 13, 2014. Due to difficulties accessing the data on defendant's laptop, its hard drive was sent to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Computer Imaging Center in Quantico, Virginia on June 12, 2014. The FBI did not return the hard drive until November 25, 2014.

On September 3, 2014, the State presented its evidence to a grand jury, which indicted defendant on twelve counts, including: four counts of first- degree aggravated sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(a)(1); two counts of second- degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b); one count of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(b)(4); and five counts of third-degree endangering the welfare of a minor, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(a). Defendant was arraigned on October 27, 2014. Two weeks prior to the arraignment, defendant's wife left the country for the Philippines and, according to defendant, thereafter, traveled to Saudi Arabia for employment purposes. She was not interviewed by defense counsel.

A status conference was held on December 1, 2014. Defense counsel was apprised discovery was available for review at the Cumberland County Prosecutor's Office, and if the case was not resolved prior to the receipt of the forensic analysis of defendant's devices, additional charges could be filed.

A-1338-18T4

Defense counsel postponed the conference request due to incomplete discovery. A January 20, 2015 status conference was also postponed for the same reason.

The State Police laboratory completed its analysis of a laptop and the time capsule on January 21 and February 9, 2015, respectively. Another status conference, scheduled for February 26, 2015, was postponed at defense counsel's request due to incomplete discovery. On March 4, 2015, investigators reviewed defendant's time capsule and laptop which revealed additional images of child pornography. Defendant's father and stepmother identified the children in the images as C.R. and K.R. As a result, on March 17, 2015, defendant was charged with additional offenses.

Over the following six months, the defense postponed seven status conferences and a bail motion due to incomplete discovery and attorney availability. Defendant's first attorney was unavailable because of medical leave and defendant was assigned a second attorney on a temporary basis.

On September 2, 2015, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging defendant with five additional counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child. Defendant was arraigned on October 19, 2015. However, the proceeding was postponed by defense counsel for incomplete discovery, and the arraignment was ultimately completed by December 7, 2015. Two months

A-1338-18T4

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STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. C.J.R. (15-09-0780, CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED), (N.J. Ct. App. 2020).

STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. C.J.R. (15-09-0780, CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED) (STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. C.J.R. (15-09-0780, CUMBERLAND COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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