State v. Foley

237 P.2d 1033, 55 N.M. 590
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 29, 1951
Docket5361
StatusPublished
Cited by6 cases

This text of 237 P.2d 1033 (State v. Foley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. Foley, 237 P.2d 1033, 55 N.M. 590 (N.M. 1951).

Opinion

SADLER, Justice.

The defendant was convicted of the crime of rape and prosecutes this appeal from the sentence pronounced upon him. The offense was charged to have 'been committed in the city of Roswell in ChavesCounty on June 15, 1950. The jury having returned a verdict of guilty after being-duly instructed on the law of the case, it was within its province to believe the facts, leading up to and in connection with commission of the offense charged were as they shall now be related.

The victim of the offense was a spinster of the city of Roswell, 46 years of age and a virgin. She was employed -as a secretary by a local business concern in Roswell and ■ had been for some years. She resided alone in a three-room apartment, having as neighbors in nearby rental units some army officers and their wives with whom she maintained friendly relations as neighbors.

On the evening of June 15, 1950, at ap■proximately 8:30 o’clock the prosecuting witness received a telephone call from a young man in his early twenties who inquired of her whether she believed in blind dates,' to which she responded, “yes and no.” At the time she thought it might be one of .her neighbors or friends, some of whom were constantly teasing her about being an old maid and threatening to- get -a date for' her. She dressed and inquired of one of her neighbors if perchance her husband might have put some.one up to calling her but the neighbor' did not think so, as she thought he had gone fishing. Still laboring under the impression that some of her friends had instigated the call and not wishing to be a “poor sport” about it, the prosecuting witness permitted defendant to ■call in view of his suggestion that they go ■dancing.

After talking with the neighbor, the pros■ecuting .witness sat in a porch chair on her lawn and-while there the defendant arrived and introduced himself as Harry “Frost,” a fictitious name. She first asked him if .any. one of several friends had sent him, which., he denied but when asked if Sergeant Bush, a neighbor, had sent him, he evaded the question. He had come by taxicab and immediately inquired if she had change for a $5 bill. She went into her apartment to ascertain whether she had the change and he followed her into the house. She did not have sufficient change, so he went out to pay the taxi driver and she returned. to the porch chair. The defendant then came and sat on the footrest of the porch chair.

The two spent something like 20 to 30 minutes talking, while she sat oh the porch. chair and he on its footrest. Then he suggested various pláces for dancing. Finally, they entered the house to call a-cab, ostensibly to go dancing. After she had called the cab and turned from the telephone, he placed his arm around her and kissed her once or twice. This was going a little too fast to suit her and so she decided she would not go dancing with .him. In the meantime she had attempted to find out who he was. He told her he was an engineer and that he was working for the Santa Fe Railroad and would be in Roswell for a while and would like to keep . her as his friend. He apologized for his boldness and asked if he couldn’t remain a -while longer. The taxi which had been called having arrived in the meantime the defendant dismissed it, after paying the driver, and they returned to the yard to sit on the porch chair.

The two continued for a time to sit and converse on the porch chair, as previously, during which period the defendant took hold of her hand and attempted to kiss her again. Finally, and a short time later he asked if she had any coffee and they entered the apartment. He inquired if he might go to her bathroom, which she pointed out to him, and while he was closeted there she turned on the gas under a pot of coffee she had placed on the stove earlier with the intention of sharing it with some of her neighbors. As soon as the coffee was ready they entered the living room and sat together on a couch sipping their coffee.

While sitting thus engaged, the defendant inquired whether she had any dance records. She told him she did and, complying with his request, placed two of them on the phonograph to which they danced while the records were being played. Until this time, the defendant’s demeanor and conduct, beyond causing a feeling on her part he was somewhat rude in attempting on such short notice to kiss and hold her hand, was not of a nature to frighten or alarm her. Because of this boldness, however, she decided it was best to have him leave. Accordingly, when the two dances were finished she told him it was getting late and that he had better leave. She moved toward the front door. The front entrance has two doors, the one which opens inside being a winter door. It was standing open toward the" north and extended inside the room. ' The other was a screen door which opens outside and away from the house.

She began to move toward the door for the purpose of having him leave, and upon arrival awaited him there intending to close the door after him. Apparently, sensing this intention, immediately upon coming alongside her he seized and closed the winter door from the inside. When she attempted to open it, “he reached over and slammed the door shut” for the second time. As she renewed her effort to open the door, he seized her by the hair on the back of her head and “swung” her into the corner between the archway and the door by the floor furnace. This corner is in the front room of her apartment near the front door. There is the front door near which is a floor furnace, then the archway separates the dinette and the living room. It is a partition about one and one-half Olá) feet wide extending into the living room. There is no window near this corner into which he cast her and it is not within view of any of the windows in the house. They were open and without shades which were at the cleaners in preparation for arrival of company expected presently. What happened within the next few minutes can best be told in the words of the prosecuting witness herself. She testified:

“Q. How did you say the defendant took hold of you? A. He grabbed me by the hair here (demonstrating), and took this arm and swung me sideways into the corner and he had me at an angle like this (demonstrating) so his arm and body was pressed against me here in the corner.
“Q. How did he hold you there? A. Very roughly.
“Q. What else did he do with his hands ? A. With his other hand he drew it up into a fist and shoved it underneath my face and said if I made a cry or move that he would change my face so my friends would not recognize me.
“Q. What had he done with your head, if anything? A. He had such a strong hold on me on my hair and head and had my head bent down on my chest with his fist up in my face.
“Q. Could you move in any way in that position? A. No, sir, I could not.
“Q. Did the action of the defendant cause you any pain? A. Yes, sir. it hurt my head very much and it frightened me nearly to death.
“Q. You say he put his fist under your nose? A. Yes, sir.
“Q. At that time he 'had your body pressed up in the corner with his fist under your nose? A.

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237 P.2d 1033, 55 N.M. 590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-foley-nm-1951.