State Of Washington v. Jose Rene Gomez

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedOctober 7, 2019
Docket77561-8
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington v. Jose Rene Gomez (State Of Washington v. Jose Rene Gomez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington v. Jose Rene Gomez, (Wash. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION ONE THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 77561-8-I

Respondent, ) v. ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION

JOSE RENE RENE-GOMEZ, ) Appellant ) FILED: October 7, 2019

SCHINDLER, J. — A jury convicted Jose Rene Rene-Gomez of two counts of child

molestation in the second degree and communication with a minor for immoral

purposes. Rene-Gomez seeks reversal, arguing (1) the information omitted an

essential element of the crime of communication with a minor for immoral purposes, (2)

the court erred in admitting a text message into evidence, and (3) prosecutorial

misconduct during closing argument and cumulative error violated his right to a fair trial.

Rene-Gomez also challenges imposition of a number of community custody conditions.

We affirm the jury convictions and the judgment and sentence.

FACTS

Y.O.-G. and A.D.G. are the parents of D.D.-O. and her younger sister B.D. Y.O.

G. and A.D.G. separated in 2010 when D.D.-O. was in the third grade. D.D.-O. “loved No. 77561-8-1/2

her dad very much” and was very upset and “sad” when her parents separated. D.D.-O.

spent time with A.D.G. every month.

In 2011, Y.O.-G. and her two daughters moved into an apartment with her

boyfriend Jose Rene Rene-Gomez. Rene-Gomez assumed a parenting role with D.D.

0. and B.D. and insisted they “call him Dad.”

Rene-Gomez would often wrestle or “play fight[ ]“ with the girls and tickle them on

the stomach. After D.D.-O. turned 11, when Rene-Gomez wrestled with her, he ‘started

touching other places” such as her breasts, buttocks, and vagina. D.D.-O. “didn’t like it”

and “tried to stop playing around like that with him.” D.D.-O. would get away from

Rene-Gomez “[a]s fast as [she] could” or avoid him by locking herself in the bathroom.

Sometimes, Rene-Gomez would hold down D.D.-O.’s arms to prevent her from getting

away.

D.D.-O. said that “whenever my mom wasn’t around,” Rene-Gomez would try to

touch her breasts with his hands over her clothes. One time, Rene-Gomez tried to put

his hands down D.D.-O.’s shorts to touch her vagina. Another time while on a camping

trip, Rene-Gomez kissed D.D.-O. on the lips, not “like a dad kissing a daughter.” D.D.

0. tried to avoid Rene-Gomez at home by spending most of the time in her bedroom.

When D.D.-O. was approximately 13 years old, Y.O.-G. asked Rene-Gomez to

help her enforce the rules with D.D.-O. D.D.-O. had to ask Rene-Gomez for permission

to do certain things. D.D.-O. and Rene-Gomez often exchanged text messages in

Spanish and in English when she asked for permission to do “something or go[]

somewhere.”

In April 2015, Y.O.-G. purchased underwear for 13-year-old D.D.-O., including a

pair of white “boy cut” underpants. On April 20, D.D.-O. sent a text message to Rene

2 No. 77561-8-1/3

Gomez saying she was delayed but was on her way home. In response, Rene-Gomez

said, “[IJs ok I want you to send me a pic of you.” D.D.-O. sent Rene-Gomez a

photograph of her face. Rene-Gomez responded, “Thank u for the pic” with three ‘kissy

face” emojis.1

The next day on April 21, Rene-Gomez sent D.D.-O. a text at 4:57 p.m. asking,

“Are you there??” D.D.-O. responded, “I was fixing my room why.” Rene-Gomez

responds, “Ahhh Ok good. Are you in your room?” D.D.-O. said, “No,” she was in the

bathroom. Rene-Gomez sent a text message asking D.D.-O. to send him a picture of

her in the white boy-cut underpants—”[Take] a pic of you with the white short and send

to me please.” D.D.-O. asked, “Why.” Rene-Gomez responded, “Cause I want tha

pic[ jplease. . . . Send to me!! Please.” D.D.-O. said, “I can’t.” Rene-Gomez insisted,

“Yes you can!!” Rene-Gomez then sent a text message telling her, “Ok. [Ljet make a

deal! If you send the pic [I] will let you sleep over in joselin house and will give you

money for tha night, this weekend!!” D.D.-O. responded, “I want to sleep atjosselins

but I’m not sending no plc.” Rene-Gomez sent a text message saying, “Just think about

it! Is your choi[c]e.”

At 10:00 am. on April 24, D.D.-O. sent Rene-Gomez a text message asking for

permission to go to a movie: “Dad can I go see a movie today with josselin?” Rene

Gomez responded, “Remember what you has to do if you want to go!! If you answer is

not! [MJy is not too.” D.D.-O. replied, “No because I can tell my mom what you want

because that’s not a good thing.” Rene-Gomez then texted, “Is ok you can tell your

mom . . . [a]nd I will tell her what [I] [k]now about you.” D.D.-O. replied, “I will tell her

An “emoji” is a small symbol or image used in electronic communication, including text 1

message, to convey information or the writer’s emotions.

3 No. 77561-8-1/4

everything.” Rene-Gomez asked, “Are you sure you want to do this?? Just for one

pic?” D.D.-O. replied, “I don’t want to send a pic and you keep touching me when I told

you to stop and you don’t stop and you get mad because I don’t like it and take it out on

me even though I [b]ehave well.” D.D.-O. did not tell Y.O.-G. that day about Rene

Gomez touching her because she was “scared” he would kick them out of the

apartment.

On April 25, Rene-Gomez asked D.D.-O. again to send the photograph—”I want

a pic of you!! Please . . . . Please!!!”—followed by more text messages that said,

“Please please please” with four “[c]rying” emojis and, “Some day you gonna need

something from me.” D.D.-O. refused the repeated requests to take a photograph of

herself in the white underpants.

On May 20, D.D.-O. sent a text message to Rene-Gomez asking for permission

to go to the park with a friend. Rene-Gomez responded, “You know my answer!!

When I asked you to send me a pic and you said no. . . . My answer will be no

whenever you want to go out, do you remember??” D.D.-O. responded, “Please[] dad

Or I will tell mom everything because what you do is not right.” Rene-Gomez

responded, “Ok tell her, and you will have to get out of my house . . Good luck!!”

In mid- to late-June, D.D.-O. told her mother about Rene-Gomez inappropriately

touching her. Y.O.-G. did not believe D.D.-O. Y.O.-G. planned to talk to Rene-Gomez

about whether D.D.-O. was telling the truth.

On June 30, D.D.-O. told her father that Rene-Gomez was inappropriately

touching her. A.D.G. called Y.O.-G. and Rene-Gomez before reporting the sexual

abuse to Kent Police Officer Samuel Steiner. Officer Steiner and Detective Tami Honda

went to the apartment to interview Y.O.-G. and D.D.-O. on June 30. Detective Honda

4 No. 77561-8-1/5

and Officer Steiner interviewed D.D.-O. and Y.O.-G. separately. Detective Honda took

D.D.-O. and B.D. into protective custody. Child Protective Services placed D.D.-O. and

B.D. with their father A.D.G.

On July 9, Detective Honda and the prosecutor interviewed D.D.-O. for

approximately an hour. During the interview, D.D.-O. talked about the “inappropriate

text messages” Rene-Gomez sent her but said she deleted the messages. Detective

Honda asked D.D.-O. to bring her cell phone to the police station so a computer

forensic detective could examine the phone and retrieve the messages. A.D.G. and

D.D.-O. later delivered the cell phone to Detective Honda. A.D.G. gave the police

permission to search the cell phone.

The police were able to retrieve and take “screenshots” of the text messages

between D.D.-O.

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