State v. Garcia

28 P.3d 327, 200 Ariz. 471, 351 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2001 Ariz. App. LEXIS 104
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJuly 10, 2001
Docket1 CA-CR 99-0852
StatusPublished
Cited by38 cases

This text of 28 P.3d 327 (State v. Garcia) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Garcia, 28 P.3d 327, 200 Ariz. 471, 351 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2001 Ariz. App. LEXIS 104 (Ark. Ct. App. 2001).

Opinion

OPINION

FIDEL, Judge.

¶ 1 Defendant Jose Nunez Garcia was tried by jury on nine counts of child molestation, one count of attempted child molestation, and one count of indecent exposure; six young girls were alleged to be the victims of these counts. Defendant was acquitted of eight of the charges, but convicted of two counts of child molestation, both concerning victim Abby H., and one count of indecent exposure involving victim Sarah H. For the two counts of child molestation, both class 2 felonies and dangerous crimes against children, Defendant was sentenced to consecutive terms of 17 years in prison; for the indecent exposure, a class 6 felony, he was placed on lifetime probation. In this timely appeal, Defendant alleges that all counts must be reversed because the trial court inappropriately admitted evidence of uncharged crimes. In considering that allegation, we address the question, among others, whether evidence of a defendant’s uncharged acts must be screened for admissibility pursuant to Rules 403 and 404(c) of the Arizona Rules of Evidence even when the evidence is offered to establish that defendant’s lewd disposition toward a particular victim.

Background

¶ 2 Defendant moved before trial to sever the two molestation counts involving Abby H. He argued that it would be unfair to try those two counts with those of the other girls because Abby H. was the only victim whose allegations were corroborated by medical evidence. Abby H. had said that Defendant had repeatedly inserted his finger inside her vagina, causing her considerable pain. Dr. Sylvia Strickland, a physician specializing in sexual abuse, testified at the severance hearing that she had examined Abby H. and that the tissue on one side of the girl’s hymen was almost totally destroyed. Such an injury, she said, was evidence of repeated, painful molestation. The doctor repeated this evidence at trial.

¶ 3 The trial court denied the motion to sever because evidence of the two counts involving Abby H. would have been admissible at a trial on the other counts to show that Defendant had an aberrant sexual propensity to molest young girls. The court made specific findings concerning these counts pursuant to Rules 404(c) and 403 of the Arizona Rules of Evidence:

I find that the evidence presented is sufficient to permit the trier of fact to find by dear and convincing evidence that the defendant committed the acts complained of in Counts 5 and 6 of the indictment. I find that the commission of those other acts provides a reasonable basis to infer that the defendant had a character trait giving rise to an aberrant sexual propensity to commit the crimes charged in the indictment.
I also find that the evidentiary value of proof of Counts 5 and 6 is not substantially outweighed by danger of unfair prejudice or other factors mentioned in Rule 403 ...
In making this determination and the determination of the Rule 403 balancing test, I have considered the factors set forth in Rule j0j(c)(l)(C) .... I find that the facts support ... the existence of the factors required by Rule 404(c)(1)(C).

(Emphasis added).

¶ 4 As the severance hearing concluded, the judge advised the prosecutor to proceed with “extreme caution” in permitting the victims to testify about uncharged incidents when Defendant had molested them: “I am not going to permit the victims to get up here and say that this happened, you know, 20, 30, 15 or whatever times during those *473 time periods. The indictment is very specific as to when these alleged incidents occurred.”

¶ 5 The trial court reversed this position, however, in response to a motion in limine filed by the prosecutor the following day. The court ruled that the State might introduce

specific acts ... that were committed by the defendant as to each particular victim to show the defendant’s lewd disposition or unnatural attitude toward the particular victim.
I find also that it’s not necessary to conduct a 404(b) analysis or a 404(c) analysis ... I will, however, give limiting instructions at the conclusion of the ease to instruct the jurors that they are only to consider those acts to show the defendant’s propensity toward the respective victim only as to those respective victims and not toward all the other victims in the case.

¶ 6 After the trial court made this ruling, Defendant unsuccessfully moved to sever each victim’s case and have six separate trials.

¶ 7 Defendant also asked the court to analyze under Rule 403 whether the probative value of the uncharged act testimony outweighed the danger of unfair prejudice. The trial court, however, did not undertake a 403 analysis with respect to the evidence of uncharged acts, and the six children and Defendant testified as follows:

1. Abby H.

¶ 8 Count 5 of the indictment alleged that Defendant had molested Abby H. at her home between June 19, 1993, and June 18, 1994. Count 6 alleged the same for the period between June 19,1993, and December 31, 1996. These were the two molestation counts that resulted in convictions.

¶ 9 Abby H. was born on June 16, 1989. She testified that she had known Defendant, whom she called “Uncle Joe,” her entire life. He was a frequent visitor to her home and would sometimes take her and her sisters to the movies and to the Salt River. On occasion, Defendant would participate in sleepovers at her home. When this happened Defendant, Abby, and her sisters would sleep next, to each other on blankets or sleeping bags on the living room floor. Abby H. said that during a “lot” of these sleep-overs Defendant would stick his hands in her underwear “and put his finger up my private” and “wiggle it around.” Although this was painful, Abby never told Defendant to stop because “he would tell me it’s okay.”

¶ 10 Abby H. also said that on some trips to the Salt River Defendant had her touch his “private” when the other girls were playing in the water.

2. Chelsea P.

¶ 11 Count 1 of the indictment alleged that Defendant molested Chelsea P. between January and December 1996 while she was at Abby H.’s home. Chelsea P. was born on May 28, 1990. She testified that on more than one occasion while he pushed her on a swing, Defendant would “squeeze” her “privates.” Defendant was acquitted of count 1.

3. Adele H.

¶ 12 Adele H., Abby H.’s sister, was born November 2, 1991. Counts 2 and 3 alleged that Defendant molested Adele H. once at her home and once at the movies, both events occurring between November 2, 1995, and December 25, 1996. Adele testified that when Defendant took her to the movies, she would sit on his lap and he would touch her underneath her clothes. She also testified that he touched her “private area” during sleep-overs. Defendant was acquitted of counts 2 and 3.

4. Amanda H.

¶ 13 Amanda H., another of Abby H’s. sisters, was born on November 25, 1987. Count 4 alleged that Defendant molested Amanda H. at her home between November 25, 1994, and November 24, 1996.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
28 P.3d 327, 200 Ariz. 471, 351 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 10, 2001 Ariz. App. LEXIS 104, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-garcia-arizctapp-2001.