State v. Brodniak

718 P.2d 322, 221 Mont. 212, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 888
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedApril 30, 1986
Docket85-104
StatusPublished
Cited by61 cases

This text of 718 P.2d 322 (State v. Brodniak) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Brodniak, 718 P.2d 322, 221 Mont. 212, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 888 (Mo. 1986).

Opinions

MR. JUSTICE SHEEHY

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

Appellant, James Brodniak, appeals from a judgment of conviction of sexual intercourse without consent after a jury verdict in the District Court, Fourth Judicial District, County of Missoula.

The facts of this case are as follows: on the evening of May 10, 1984, Debbie Preston, a 22-year-old woman, accompanied a friend, Diane Green, to a bowling league banquet at the Press Box in Missoula. While at the Press Box, Preston consumed six drinks. At approximately 9:30 p.m., the two women left the Press Box and went to the Trails West Tavern in Missoula.

Upon entering the Trails West, Preston observed Brodniak whom she had met once before. The two women then joined a third woman, Diane Gettes. Eventually, Brodniak came over and sat with the three women. While at the Trails West, Preston consumed four more drinks.

At approximately 1:30 a.m., Green announced she had to go home. Preston testified that she was not ready to go home yet so rather than leaving with Green, she accompanied Green to her car to retrieve her belongings and then returned to the bar with the inten[215]*215tion of asking Gettes for a ride home. Preston, further, testified that when she returned from retrieving her belongings from Green’s car, she asked Brodniak for a ride home because she could not find Gettes in the bar. Gettes, however, testified that Preston had made plans to leave with Brodniak before Green ever left the bar and that when Green asked Preston if she wanted a ride home, Preston said, “No, I’m going with him. We are going to get a case and talk.” Gettes also testified that she had not left the bar while Preston was retrieving her belongings, but had briefly gone to the restroom.

At approximately 1:45 a.m., Preston left the Trails West with Brodniak. From the Trails West, the two drove to a nearby Mini Mart to buy a six pack of beer, as Preston had agreed to “have a drink of beer and go talk.” They then drove to a dormitory parking lot at the University of Montana. Both Preston and Brodniak agreed that while at the parking lot they drank some beer and talked. Brodniak, however, further testified that he and Preston “started making out” while at the parking lot.

From this point the testimony of Preston and Brodniak conflicts. Preston testified as follows: after drinking some beer and talking for a while at the university parking lot, she asked Brodniak to take her home because she was tired. Brodniak told her he would take her home, but instead drove to Pattee Canyon. Upon leaving the university parking lot, Brodniak turned the wrong direction to take Preston home, but it did not dawn on her. After realizing they were going to Pattee Canyon, Preston told Brodniak she didn’t want to go there because she was afraid of the area. She had heard about devil worshipers in the area. Upon arriving in Pattee Canyon, Brodniak parked by the campground, then grabbed Preston’s hair and reached across her and locked the door. Brodniak told her he wanted to make love to her and she responded “No.” He then forced her to commit oral sex, making her take off all her clothes, including her shoes and socks. He continued pulling her hair to force her to comply with his wishes. After the oral sex, Brodniak forced her between the seats and forced sexual intercourse, both vaginal and anal. Brodniak then opened her door, shoved her head out, and began choking her. Brodniak told her he was going to kill her, and also threatened her mother. He then forced her to have oral sex and intercourse with him again. Afterwards he “snapped out of things” and told her to get dressed. Brodniak then drove her to a corner near Green’s house, where she had asked to be dropped off. When she arrived at Green’s house Preston told her what happened, left [216]*216the house hysterical and was walking down the street when Green caught up with her. Green eventually took Preston to her own home where Preston lived with her mother. Preston’s mother then took her to the hospital.

Brodniak’s version of the facts varies considerably. Brodniak testified that they left the university parking lot because Preston had to go to the bathroom and that she suggested that they go to “some wooded area where nobody would see her.” Brodniak testified that he then drove to Pattee Canyon, parked his car, and helped Preston out. Preston then walked down into a borrow pit, stood in the water, and urinated. Other witnesses who saw Preston that morning testified she was not wearing her shoes because they were wet. It was Preston’s contention that Brodniak never let her out of the car and that her shoes were wet because she spilled a beer on them. Brodniak maintained that they went to the campground in Pattee Canyon, parked and started necking. Brodniak further testified that they proceeded to engage in consensual sexual acts. He, however, also testified that toward the end of the sexual encounter, he became violent, pulling Preston’s hair and choking her. He testified that very soon after his outburst he took Preston home.

At the hospital, Preston was examined by Dr. Joseph Wyatt, who testified as to her physical condition. Wyatt testified that Preston was experiencing vaginal soreness; she had blood on her underclothes and around her vagina; she had a scratch on her chest; she had blood inside her vagina; and she had an inch-long, bleeding tear at the edge of her anus. Dr. Wyatt stated that Preston’s physical condition was “probably not common” as a result of consensual intercourse.

While at the hospital, Preston was interviewed by Deputy Phillip Tilman. He retrieved for evidence the clothes Preston was wearing and a large ball of hair hanging from her head. The nurse that attended Preston at the hospital testified that a “gross amount” of Preston’s hair came out when she combed her hair and that her scalp appeared to be tender while she was combing her hair.

During the police investigation, Brodniak’s car was searched, and the investigators found several of Preston’s hairs in the front seat and one of her earrings on the floor of the backseat. This evidence was examined at the State Crime Lab. Arnold Melnikoff, Bureau Chief of the Crime Lab, testified that the long hairs in the car belonged to Preston and that most of those hairs and the hair in the large ball had been pulled from her head with painful force.

[217]*217Dr. Herman Walters, a psychologist, examined Preston at the State’s request to determine her psychological condition and to recommend treatment. After interviewing Preston several times, Walters concluded that Preston’s psychological condition was consistent with all the symptoms of the post traumatic stress disorder known as rape trauma syndrome.

As a result of the above events, Brodniak was charged with sexual intercourse without consent. Trial was held in the District Court and the jury returned a verdict against Brodniak, finding him guilty of the charge of sexual intercourse without consent. Subsequently, Brodniak was sentenced to 20 years in the Montana State Prison.

Brodniak raises six issues on appeal:

1. Whether the State’s “expert” testimony concerning rape trauma syndrome, and other matters, should have been excluded;

2. Whether the District Court erroneously refused certain defense instructions crucial to his theory of the case;

3. Whether the District Court committed error in the verdict form it submitted to the jury;

4.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
718 P.2d 322, 221 Mont. 212, 1986 Mont. LEXIS 888, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brodniak-mont-1986.