STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. G.W. (16-06-1772, CAMDEN COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)

New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division·Decided October 7, 2021·No. A-2310-18·Unpublished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NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ."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-2310-18

STATE OF NEW JERSEY, Plaintiff-Respondent,

v. G.W.,1 Defendant-Appellant.

Submitted September 15, 2021 – Decided October 7, 2021 Before Judges Messano and Rose.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Camden County, Indictment No. 16-06-1772.

Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for appellant (Frank M. Gennaro, Designated Counsel, on the brief).

Jill S. Mayer, Acting Camden County Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Linda A. Shashoua, Special Deputy Attorney General/Acting Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).

1 We use initials to protect the privacy of the victim and pseudonyms for ease of reference. See R. 1:38-3(c)(9); see also N.J.S.A. 2A:82-46.

PER CURIAM Tried to a jury, defendant G.W. was convicted of sexually assaulting and endangering the welfare of his step-granddaughter, T.S. (Tess), on six occasions when the child was between the ages of nine and twelve.2 During the five-day trial, the State presented the testimony of Tess; her mother and sister, who both testified as fresh-complaint witnesses;3 the lead detective, through whom defendant's largely exculpatory statement was introduced in evidence; and Stephanie Lanese, M.D., who testified as a lay witness. Dr. Lanese's physical examination revealed no evidence of injury; she opined that Tess had been sexually abused based on the child's account of the incidents.

Defendant did not testify but presented the testimony of his wife and three character witnesses. The parties stipulated that preliminary testing performed on Tess's bedding and clothing "resulted in no additional examination or testing, including any DNA or DNA comparisons." The jury deliberated over the course

2 Defendant was charged in an eight-count Camden County indictment with six counts of second-degree sexual assault by sexual contact on a victim who was less than thirteen years old when the defendant was at least four years older, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(b) (counts one, two, three, five, six, and seven); and two counts of second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24- 4(a)(1) (counts four and eight). 3 Defendant does not challenge their fresh complaint testimony on appeal.

A-2310-18

of two trial days, during which they requested playback of defendant's one-hour- and-twenty-minute statement.

The court imposed six consecutive six-year prison sentences for an aggregate term of thirty-six years, subject to the No Early Release Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2. Defendant was sixty-four years old at the time of sentencing. He had no prior criminal record.

Defendant now appeals, raising the following points for our consideration:

POINT ONE

THE TESTIMONY OF DOCTOR STEPHANIE LANESE EXCEEDED THE SCOPE OF PROPER LAY OPINION AND CONSTITUTED IMPROPER EXPERT OPINION.

(Not raised below).

POINT TWO

THE TESTIMONY OF DOCTOR STEPHANIE LANESE CONSTITUTED IMPROPER FRESH COMPLAINT TESTIMONY WHICH DENIED DEFENDANT A FAIR TRIAL.

(Not raised below).

POINT THREE

THE TRIAL COURT WRONGFULLY DENIED DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR A NEW TRIAL.

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POINT FOUR

THE AGGREGATE SENTENCE OF 36 YEARS WITH A PAROLE DISQUALIFIER OF 30.6 YEARS IS AN EXCESSIVE SENTENCE.

Because the testimony of Dr. Lanese exceeded the bounds of lay witness testimony and improperly opined on defendant's guilt, we are constrained to reverse defendant's convictions and remand for a new trial. In view of our decision, the sentencing arguments raised in point four are rendered moot.

I.

Tess was fourteen years old and living with her mother when she testified.

At age three, Tess was placed with her maternal grandmother and defendant – her mother's adoptive father – because her mother was addicted to drugs and alcohol. Tess lived with her grandparents until age twelve, when she reported defendant's misconduct. She referred to defendant as "Pop" and her grandmother as "Mom-Mom."

Tess described defendant's increasing physical and sexual advances while living in her grandparents' home. At age seven, defendant began "wrestling" with Tess, which included punching her ribs and throwing her onto her bed. Two years later, defendant began touching her private parts.

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During the first incident, defendant woke Tess, "climbed into bed with [her]" and "started rubbing her thigh . . . [t]owards her vagina." Stopping short of touching Tess's vagina, defendant told Tess: "Do not tell anyone or I'll hurt Mom-Mom." After the prosecutor refreshed Tess's recollection with her sworn statement to police, Tess told the jury that on another night, defendant "forced [her] hand down his pants." Defendant's penis felt like a "snail" because it was "[s]oft and spiny." On another occasion, defendant manually touched Tess's vagina through her underwear.

In April 2015, when she was eleven years old, Tess and her grandparents moved to another municipality in Camden County. One month later, defendant woke her, stating: "Here we go at it again." Defendant touched Tess's thigh and breast under her shirt. Later that summer, defendant laid on top of Tess, and "made a . . . wave motion" with his body causing pain to her stomach. Defendant's pants were down, and his penis touched her vagina through her underwear. Tess said she was taken to the hospital sometime thereafter. The last incident occurred in December 2015. On that occasion, Tess was lying face down in bed, when defendant entered her bedroom, and made the "wavy motion," touching her buttocks with his exposed penis.

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During the incidents, defendant never attained an erection or ejaculated, and his bare penis never touched her bare vagina. Tess told the jury defendant said, "[h]arder, harder," when he laid on top of her "doing that wavy motion."

On December 18, 2015, the day after the final incident, Tess reported the abuse while visiting her maternal aunt's home. Tess's mother, sister, and cousin also were present. While they were wrapping Christmas gifts, her aunt asked Tess whether anything was "going on" between her and defendant. Tess explained that her aunt had noticed "whenever she was around, [Tess] would always sit on [defendant's] lap." Tess told her aunt she did so because defendant wanted her to show him affection and would threaten to hurt her grandmother if she did not comply. After "[t]hey kept asking [her] the same question over and over again," Tess disclosed the abuse.

In the early morning hours of December 19, 2015, defendant responded to police headquarters. After waiving his Miranda[4] rights, defendant gave a voluntary statement to police, vehemently denying he ever touched Tess inappropriately, sexually or physically.

4 Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966). Following an N.J.R.E. 104(c) hearing on the State's application, the trial court admitted defendant's statement in evidence. Defendant does not challenge that ruling on appeal.

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Defendant, however, acknowledged he suffered from erectile dysfunction (ED) for "about three or four years." He told the detective only his wife knew about his ED and he only got "a hard one . . . [o]nce in a while." Defendant stated he took medication the previous night and attempted to make love to his wife but he "couldn't stay hard enough." When the detective told defendant Tess described defendant's penis as "limp" and "wiggl[ing] around," defendant repeatedly maintained he "never did nothing to her." Defendant did not know how Tess would know about his ED. At the conclusion of the statement, he consented to a DNA sample by buccal swab.

Dr. Lanese was the State's fifth and final witness. At the time of trial, Dr.

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