State v. Buzzell

200 P.3d 287
Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided February 9, 2009·No. 60012-5-I·Published·Cited by 25 cases

Opinion

200 P.3d 287 (2009)

STATE of Washington, Respondent,
v.
David Michael BUZZELL, Appellant.

No. 60012-5-I.

Court of Appeals of Washington, Division 1.

February 9, 2009.

*289 Sarah McNeel Hrobsky, Washington Appellate Project, Jason Brett Saunders, Gordon & Saunders PLLC, Seattle, WA, David Michael Buzzell, Washington Corrections Ctr., Shelton, WA, for Appellant.

Tod James Bergstrom, Attorney at Law, Seattle, WA, for Respondent.

APPELWICK, J.

¶1 A jury convicted David Buzzell of one count of indecent liberties. Buzzell presented evidence that the sexual contact was consensual. A criminal defendant is entitled to have the court instruct the jury upon his theory of the case, if sufficient evidence supports this theory. Buzzell was entitled to jury instructions on consent and the burden of proving consent. While it was error to deny the request for the instructions, the error was harmless. We affirm.

FACTS

¶ 2 In September 2006, David Buzzell temporarily moved into the home of his friend Melissa Morrison. At Morrison's residence, Buzzell slept on a mattress on the floor of the living area. Morrison had her own bedroom.

¶ 3 On the night of September 24, 2006, Morrison retired to her bedroom at 9:30 p.m., where she read a book while reclining in bed. At some point, Buzzell entered Morrison's bedroom and sat on her bed, near her feet. According to Morrison, Buzzell pointed to her breasts and said, "Show them to me. I want to see them." She refused. Buzzell again demanded to see Morrison's breasts, and she said, "No." At trial, Morrison recalled that during this encounter, Buzzell slurred his words a little and that he did not speak clearly. Buzzell then repeated, "Show me. I want to see them," and then removed Morrison's book from her hands. Buzzell attempted to untuck the blankets covering Morrison, who pushed his hands away. Buzzell told Morrison, "Just let me do this. Let me entertain you." Again, Morrison testified that she "kept telling him no." Buzzell successfully pulled down the covers, and pulled up her shirt, and moved to straddle Morrison. Morrison testified that Buzzell pinned her arms down, restraining them, and then put his mouth over her nipples. Morrison recalled that Buzzell stated, "If you didn't want this, you would fight harder." According to Morrison, she fought and continued to tell Buzzell no. Buzzell then pulled Morrison's underwear, tearing them. Buzzell then attempted to have sexual intercourse with Morrison. Buzzell did not have a sufficient erection and was therefore unable to penetrate Morrison. Morrison was able to grab a phone and call 911, but Buzzell "took it away." Because Buzzell was concentrating on the phone, Morrison was able to "move around and off the bed." Wearing only her t-shirt, Morrison headed to the front door. Before leaving, Morrison picked up a coat from the floor and wrapped it around her waist. Morrison then proceeded to go to a local fire station, located approximately one-half block from her house, for help.

*290 ¶ 4 In contrast, at trial, Buzzell stated that the sexual contact between him and Morrison on September 24, 2006 was consensual. Buzzell testified that he spent the day watching TV and visiting a friend. In the evening, his friend Shayne Pendleton came over and the two played video games, watched TV, and drank several beers. After Pendleton left, Buzzell continued to play with the computer and watch TV. At some point, he laid down on his mattress. Unable to sleep, Buzzell went back to the computer room to smoke a cigarette and noticed Morrison was still awake, reading in bed. Buzzell entered Morrison's room to talk, and sat down on the end of her bed. Buzzell testified that the two made small talk. Eventually, the "talking turned into hugging, turned into like hand holding, turned into cuddling." Buzzell testified that he then "started playing with her breasts." Buzzell said that Morrison never asked him to stop and no physical resistance took place. He testified that "I was also looking up into her face. It seemed like she was enjoying herself. And it was kind of weird. The light in her eyes seemed to fade for a second or two like she blanked out or something."[1] Buzzell stated that Morrison seemed disoriented and shocked. Morrison picked up the phone and dialed 911. Morrison then held the phone out to him. Buzzell ended the call. Morrison got off the bed and ran out the door. According to Buzzell, he never restrained her and the sexual contact was consensual.

¶ 5 On September 24-25, 2006, Dean DeAlteriis, a lieutenant with the Eastside Fire and Rescue Department, was stationed at the North Bend substation. Shortly after midnight on September 25, the doorbell of the station rang repeatedly. Lt. DeAlteriis went to the door and found Morrison "upset, distraught, crying, not dressed appropriate." Morrison was dressed only in a t-shirt and had a coat wrapped around her waist. After a preliminary evaluation and investigation, DeAlteriis requested a King County Sheriff's officer. Morrison was taken by a deputy sheriff to Harborview. A sexual assault kit was performed on Morrison, which included swabs from her left and right breast. The sample taken from the left breast matched Buzzell's DNA profile. Testing on swabs taken from other locations was inconclusive.

¶ 6 The State charged Buzzell, in King County, with one count of attempted rape in the second degree, or, in the alternative, one count of indecent liberties. At trial, Buzzell proposed six jury instructions including one on the elements of rape in the third degree, one that defined consent, and one for consent as an affirmative defense to both charges. The trial court did not give Buzzell's proposed instruction on rape in the third degree or either instruction on consent. The jury found Buzzell guilty of the crime of indecent liberties. Buzzell was sentenced to 60 months in prison and ordered to pay a victim penalty assessment in the amount of $500.00. Buzzell appeals, assigning error to the trial court's refusal to give his proposed jury instructions.

DISCUSSION

I. Consent Instruction

¶ 7 Buzzell contends that the trial court deprived him of his constitutional right to present his theory of the case when it refused to give his proposed jury instructions on consent. Washington courts have not before addressed the issue of whether consent is an affirmative defense to a charge of indecent liberties.

¶ 8 A defendant in a criminal case is "entitled to have the trial court instruct upon [his] theory of the case if there is evidence to support the theory." State v. Hughes, 106 Wash.2d 176, 191, 721 P.2d 902 (1986). "In evaluating whether the evidence is sufficient to support a jury instruction on an affirmative defense, the court must interpret it most strongly in favor of the defendant and must not weigh the proof or judge the witnesses' credibility, which are exclusive functions of the jury." State v. May, 100 Wash.App. 478, 482, 997 P.2d 956 (2000). A refusal to give a requested jury instruction *291 constitutes reversible error where the absence of the instruction prevents the defendant from presenting his theory of the case. State v. Jones, 95 Wash.2d 616, 623, 628 P.2d 472 (1981).

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State v. Buzzell, 200 P.3d 287 (Wash. Ct. App. 2009).

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