State v. Childs

257 S.W.3d 655, 2008 Mo. App. LEXIS 975, 2008 WL 2795879
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 22, 2008
DocketWD 66672
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 257 S.W.3d 655 (State v. Childs) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Childs, 257 S.W.3d 655, 2008 Mo. App. LEXIS 975, 2008 WL 2795879 (Mo. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

RONALD R. HOLLIGER, Presiding Judge.

Daniel E. Childs (“Childs”) appeals his convictions for kidnapping, forcible rape, robbery in the second degree, tampering in the first degree, and resisting arrest. In his three points on appeal, he contends that the trial court erred by improperly excluding evidence of the victim’s history of drug use, overruling his motion for judgment of acquittal on the kidnapping charge for insufficient evidence, and overruling the conviction for second — degree robbery. We find that Childs failed to make a sufficient offer of proof to preserve the evidentiary issue. We also find that the State presented sufficient evidence on the kidnapping charge to establish a new danger of injury or death in addition to the one already present from the offense of forcible rape. Finally, we find that the State established that Childs used physical force to take the keys from the victim.

The judgment is affirmed.

The victim (“M.H.”) was fifty — three years old at the time of the events. After attending a funeral for a friend, she took a half — pint of vodka to a park in Kansas City. She went to the park shelter because she was living with her mother who did not approve of drinking. Childs crossed the street at the park and introduced himself to M.H., commenting that she looked nice. The two talked and smoked cigarettes; Childs also smoked from a crack pipe. Childs borrowed M.H.’s lighter, and after it quit working, he asked her to drive him to a store at 27th and Brooklyn. She drove him in her 1997 Toyota Camry.

M.H. returned from the store to her car, and Childs asked if she would take him home which was close by. She drove according to his directions until he told her to stop just before an alley. Instead of exiting the car, Childs reached over the console, pushed M.H. out of the car, and drug her up the alley and into a clearing. There, he forcibly raped her and choked M.H. with his hands. When he was finished, Childs struggled with M.H. for her car keys. After getting the keys, he ran down the alley and drove off in her car.

M.H. started walking home but stopped at a home near 26th and Vine and asked the occupant to call 911. Officers called an ambulance which took M.H. to a hospital where a rape kit was done. Subsequent DNA tests showed the presence of Childs’s semen. The next day, officers saw a Toyota Camry, which sped up to avoid the officers and then tried to elude them after they activated their emergency lights. After crashing the vehicle, a man, later identified as Childs, was arrested. M.H. identified Childs from a photo lineup.

Childs did not deny having sex with M.H. but claimed it was consensual in exchange for seven rocks of crack he provided M.H. At trial, Childs wanted to offer evidence by cross examination of M.H.’s alleged illicit drug use.

Evidence of Victim’s Past Drug Use

The first point on appeal alleges that the trial court erred in not permitting the questioning of M.H. about her history of drug use. The State contends that such evidence was inadmissible and, furthermore, that Childs did not sufficiently preserve the issue for appeal. Any review, the State argues, must be for plain error.

Decisions to admit or exclude evidence are not disturbed unless the trial court *658 abuses its discretion. State v. Chaney, 967 S.W.2d 47, 55 (Mo. banc 1998). When the issue is the exclusion of evidence, the offering party must make a sufficient offer of proof to permit the trial court to fully consider its ruling and allow the appellate court to review that decision. State v. Tisius, 92 S.W.3d 751, 767 — 68 (Mo. banc 2002).

This issue first arose on discussion of a motion in limine. The trial court indicated that it would likely sustain an objection but explicitly warned that its order was interlocutory. The trial court also reminded Childs’s counsel of the need to make an offer of proof. The judge asked the State if it would stipulate to a narrative offer of proof by counsel, but Childs’s attorney interrupted saying that he would prefer to do it by question and answer with the witness. The trial judge said that they would take a break at the end of M.H.’s exam so that Childs could make an offer of proof. When that break occurred, the issue again arose. Not directly indicating that he was making an offer of proof, counsel said that he expected that M.H. would testify consistently -with her deposition that she had used drugs in the past but did not buy them. After indicating that it still did not believe the evidence was relevant, the trial court asked counsel if he wanted to make an offer of proof. He responded: “No, that’s okay.”

The purpose of an offer of proof is two — fold. It first gives the trial court as complete information as possible about proposed testimony so that the trial court can make an informed decision about the admissibility of the testimony. And, since appellate courts review for trial court error, appellate courts require, by means of preservation rules, that the trial court first have an informed opportunity to rule during trial and an opportunity to reconsider its ruling in a motion for new trial.

The party who is precluded from presenting evidence bears the burden of proof to show that the evidence is relevant and admissible. State v. Zamora, 809 S.W.2d 83, 86 (Mo.App. W.D.1991). An offer of proof must be sufficiently specific to apprise the trial court of the specifics of the proposed evidence and demonstrate its admissibility. State v. Townsend, 737 S.W.2d 191, 192 (Mo. banc 1987). An offer preferably is made in question and answer format. State v. Pisdotta, 968 S.W.2d 185, 189 (Mo.App. W.D.1998). Although a specific narrative offer of proof summarizing the proposed testimony is acceptable in some situations, 1 id., mere statements and conclusions are insufficient. State v. Hurtt, 836 S.W.2d 56, 59 (Mo.App. S.D. 1992). It is a risky proposition for counsel to rely on a narrative offer which may be found insufficient by a reviewing court. Id. Many wise trial judges ask the objecting party, as did the trial judge here, if they will agree to a narrative presentation. Even this waiver, however, is ineffective if the narrative offer does not include all of the necessary elements.

The offer of proof, even assuming one was made at all, was insufficient to demonstrate specifically what the evidence would be, the purpose and object of the evidence, and each fact essential to establishing its admissibility. State v. Peters, 186 S.W.3d 774, 781 (Mo.App. W.D.2006). All counsel’s statement told the trial court was that M.H. had used an unspecified drug(s), an unspecified number of times, at an unspecified time in the past, and at some unspecified time she did not buy drugs. Counsel recited that he thought M.H.

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Bluebook (online)
257 S.W.3d 655, 2008 Mo. App. LEXIS 975, 2008 WL 2795879, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-childs-moctapp-2008.