State v. Florer, Unpublished Decision (8-18-2006)

2006 Ohio 4441
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 18, 2006
DocketNo. 2005-CA-47.
StatusUnpublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 2006 Ohio 4441 (State v. Florer, Unpublished Decision (8-18-2006)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law.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State v. Florer, Unpublished Decision (8-18-2006), 2006 Ohio 4441 (Ohio Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION
{¶ 1} Defendant-appellant Raymond Dale Florer appeals the decision of the Fairfield County Court of Common Pleas finding him to be a sexual predator and requiring him to register as an offender of a sexually oriented offense pursuant to R.C. 2950.09. Plaintiff-appellee is the State of Ohio.

{¶ 2} On the evening of March 13, 1977, a young woman, Rachel Roush, was at the Long Branch, a Lancaster tavern, with the appellant. Ms. Roush was seen leaving with appellant. Before leaving, appellant told friends in the bar words which alluded to him having sex with Mrs. Roush.

{¶ 3} The next morning, March 14, 1977, the body of Ms. Roush was found partially hidden under some brush. Her pantyhose and underwear were around one ankle and her dress was pushed up with her vaginal area exposed. The medical examiners determined that there were three stab wounds to the victim's chest and massive trauma to her face and chest. The victim's teeth and her pallet had been driven into her larynx and there was an impression of a boot heel on her chest. Forensic evidence included blood on appellant's underwear, shoes and jeans. There was also semen on appellant's jeans. The laboratory reports did not rule out vaginal intercourse, but did not find any evidence of semen in the vagina. The victim's cigarette lighter, engagement ring, and wedding band were found in the possession of appellant.

{¶ 4} On May 26, 1977, appellant plead guilty to murder, pursuant to R.C. 2903.02, and aggravated robbery, pursuant to R.C. 2911.01, and was sentenced. Appellant received a sentence of seven to twenty-five years on the count of aggravated robbery consecutive to a sentence of fifteen years to life on the charge of murder.

{¶ 5} On September 13, 2004 and November 8, 2004, upon receipt of a recommendation from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation that the appellant be adjudicated as a sexual predator, appellant appeared before the trial court for a classification hearing pursuant to R.C. Chapter 2950.

{¶ 6} Jaime Lai, a clinical and forensic psychologist with Netcare, who performed an examination of Appellant, testified at the hearing that appellant was a moderate to high risk for committing future sexually oriented offenses. Lancaster Police Department Deputy Chief Baily and former Detective Regan, both, testified that in their opinion the murder was sexually motivated. Appellant did not testify.

{¶ 7} Upon completion of the hearing, the trial court issued a judgment entry in which it classified appellant a "sexual predator."

{¶ 8} Appellant timely filed a notice of appeal and sets forth the following two assignments of error:

{¶ 9} "I. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE STATE HAD SHOWN THAT RAYMOND DALE FLORER HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF OR PLEADED GUILTY TO A SEXUALLY ORIENTED OFFENSE.

{¶ 10} "II. THE TRIAL COURT ERRED IN FINDING THAT THE STATE HAD PROVEN BY CLEAR AND CONVINCING EVIDENCE THAT RAYMOND DALE FLORER WAS LIKELY TO ENGAGE, IN THE FUTURE, IN ONE OR MORE SEXUALLY ORIENTED OFFENSES".

I.
{¶ 11} In his first assignment of error, appellant sets forth that he was not convicted of a sexually oriented offense because the murder charge that he pled guilty to did not contain any sexually motivated specifications, and there was insufficient evidence to prove that the murder was committed with a purpose to gratify his sexual needs or desires. We disagree.

{¶ 12} In the case at bar, appellant pled guilty to a lesser-included offense of murder, a violation of R.C. 2903.02. Murder is considered a "sexually oriented offense" if it is "committed with a purpose to gratify the sexual needs or desires of the offender." R.C. 2950.01(D) (1) (c).

{¶ 13} Whether or not the offense of murder is classified as one which was "committed with a purpose to gratify the sexual needs or desires of the offender" is a question of fact which lies with the unique facts and circumstances of each individual case. State v. McClellan, 10th Dist No. 01AP-1462, 2002-Ohio-5164 at ¶ 15; State v. Slade (Dec. 28, 1999), Franklin App. No. 98AP-1618. As this court has noted "[w]hile only a small number of sexual predator cases have involved offenses that were not sexual offenses by statutory definition, the Court of Appeals for Miami County has stated a standard of review for a claim challenging the evidence in support of the gratification prong of the statutory definition of sexual predator. Where there is not testimony or direct evidence that the offender was gratifying himself sexually, a finding of purpose of sexual arousal or gratification may be inferred from the type, nature, and circumstances surrounding the contact.State v. Anderson (March 3, 2000), Miami Appellate No. 99-CA-19, unreported. If the evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the prosecution, and believed by the trier of fact, could permit a rational trier of fact to infer that a defendant's conduct was for the purpose of his own sexual arousal or gratification, the finding is reasonable and supported by sufficient evidence. Id. State v. Butler, 5th Dist. No. 2001CA00069, 2002-Ohio-774.

{¶ 14} In the instant case, the type, nature, and circumstances surrounding the attack support the court's conclusion, by clear and convincing evidence, that appellant committed the murder for the purpose of sexual gratification.

{¶ 15} After appellant and the victim had left the bar, appellant returned to say good-bye to his friends and indicated he was leaving to have sex with the victim. (Id. at 18-19). Testimony was presented that the body of the young female victim was found hidden in bushes with her pantyhose and underwear around one of her ankles. (T. at 65; 71; 74; 90). Her dress was pushed up revealing her bare vaginal area. (Id. at 71). Appellant had semen on his jeans and blood on his underwear. (Id. at 69; 75). Appellant had indicated that the victim had agreed to a sexual encounter but changed her mind. (Id. at 36). This enraged him causing him to beat her to death. (Id.).

{¶ 16} In Butler, supra this court found the murder victim's clothing placement and absence of underwear to be a factor in determining whether the crime was sexually motivated. A similar finding was made by the Tenth District Court of appeals in McClellan, supra "the facts introduced into evidence at the 2001 sexual predator hearing support the finding that appellant is a sexually oriented offender. Octavia was found in a remote area, with her blouse undone, her bare breasts exposed and smeared with blood, and her jeans unbuttoned and pulled down over her tights". 2002-Ohio-5164 at ¶ 16.

{¶ 17} Although the evidence may have been circumstantial, we note that circumstantial evidence has the same probative value as direct evidence. State v. Jenks (1991), 61 Ohio St. 3d 259,574 N.E. 2d 492.

{¶ 18} The court's finding that the appellant's conduct was for the purpose of his own sexual arousal or gratification is supported by sufficient evidence.

{¶ 19}

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Bluebook (online)
2006 Ohio 4441, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-florer-unpublished-decision-8-18-2006-ohioctapp-2006.