State v. Kevin Michael Boon

CourtCourt of Appeals of Wisconsin
DecidedJanuary 31, 2023
Docket2019AP002279-CR
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Kevin Michael Boon (State v. Kevin Michael Boon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Wisconsin primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Kevin Michael Boon, (Wis. Ct. App. 2023).

Opinion

COURT OF APPEALS DECISION NOTICE DATED AND FILED This opinion is subject to further editing. If published, the official version will appear in the bound volume of the Official Reports. January 31, 2023 A party may file with the Supreme Court a Sheila T. Reiff petition to review an adverse decision by the Clerk of Court of Appeals Court of Appeals. See WIS. STAT. § 808.10 and RULE 809.62.

Appeal No. 2019AP2279-CR Cir. Ct. No. 2018CF5908

STATE OF WISCONSIN IN COURT OF APPEALS DISTRICT I

STATE OF WISCONSIN,

PLAINTIFF-RESPONDENT,

V.

KEVIN MICHAEL BOON, N/K/A KEVIN MICHAEL BOON-BEY,

DEFENDANT-APPELLANT.

APPEAL from a judgment of the circuit court for Milwaukee County: MICHAEL J. HANRAHAN, Judge. Affirmed.

Before Brash, C.J., Donald, P.J., and White, J.

Per curiam opinions may not be cited in any court of this state as precedent

or authority, except for the limited purposes specified in WIS. STAT. RULE 809.23(3). No. 2019AP2279-CR

¶1 PER CURIAM. Kevin Michael Boon,1 pro se, appeals his judgment of conviction for causing mental harm to a child, chronic neglect of a child causing emotional damage, and false imprisonment, all as a party to a crime. Boon raises numerous issues on appeal; however, we limit our review to those issues that were properly preserved in the trial court, which include a challenge to the jurisdiction of the trial court; alleged judicial bias of the trial court; an alleged discovery violation; the trial court’s refusal to empanel dual juries; and an alleged due process violation based on the mislabeling of the State’s motion in limine. We reject Boon’s claims and affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 The charges against Boon were filed after a police officer from the Cudahy Police Department responded to two calls in December 2018 regarding the physical abuse of P.H. The officer eventually found P.H., who was fifteen years old at the time, in an upstairs bedroom, wearing tattered clothing and smelling strongly of urine and feces. She had bruising to her right eye and upper lip, lacerations on her face and head, and was unable to put much weight on her right leg as she walked. She was shaking and very scared. The officer attempted to ask P.H. questions about the situation, but family members kept interjecting to keep P.H. from answering.

¶3 The officer took P.H. to the police department. She told the officer that she had not had anything to eat or drink in three days, and that she had not bathed in three weeks. P.H. stated that she had been burned with scalding water, and her back and feet were severely burned. She further stated that her wrists had been bound, and the officer observed marks on her wrists consistent with that

1 Midway through these proceedings, Boon changed his name to Kevin Michael Boon- Bey.

2 No. 2019AP2279-CR

allegation. The officer also saw signs of trauma on P.H.’s entire left arm. The officer was “shocked” at the extent of P.H.’s injuries, and called the fire department to evaluate her. She was then transported to Children’s Hospital.

¶4 P.H. later explained in a more extensive interview with another officer, and in a subsequent forensic interview, that she lived with her father, Boon, and her stepmother, Felicia Boon, along with several siblings and other relatives. She was pulled out of school in November 2017 to be home-schooled by Felicia. Since August 2018, she said she had been forced to stay in her bedroom most of the time. She said that Boon put an alarm on her bedroom door and zip-tied it shut to keep her from coming out. She only had one outfit—the extremely soiled clothing she was found in. She also said she was forced to be naked in her room at night with no blankets to ensure she would not try to flee. Her meals were delivered to her room, and she was being fed only once a day. By late October 2018, she was not even allowed out of her room to use the bathroom; when she urinated or defecated on the floor, she was beaten.

¶5 P.H. described much of the physical abuse as being committed by S.L., a cousin who lived at the residence; S.L. was also fifteen years old at the time of the abuse. P.H. stated that S.L. had been “acting as the disciplinarian of P.H. on behalf of the parents.” It was estimated that S.L. had burned P.H. with scalding hot water approximately twenty times. Additionally, P.H. said that S.L. had beaten her with a belt given to her by Felicia, and had choked P.H. in front of Boon.

¶6 On the day she was found, P.H. stated she was able to sneak out of her bedroom and gain access to a cell phone which she used to call her aunt for help, asking her to call the police. When the family found out about that call, P.H. said

3 No. 2019AP2279-CR

that S.L. had zip-tied her wrists and ankles and then beaten P.H. with a metal pole before the officer found her.

¶7 P.H. said that she would yell and scream when she was being beaten by S.L., and that neither Boon nor Felicia ever attempted to stop it. She also said that Felicia had repeatedly seen the injuries suffered by P.H., and did nothing. Furthermore, it was disclosed that Boon and Felicia had whipped P.H. themselves with a belt on several occasions, and that Felicia had shaved off P.H.’s hair without using a guard on the clippers. Additionally, when officers returned to Boon’s residence and received consent from Felicia to search P.H.’s bedroom, they found an ice cream bucket with urine in it, a bedframe with no mattress, pillows, or blankets, and an empty dresser.

¶8 Boon and Felicia were arrested and charged with repeated acts of physical abuse of a child causing bodily harm; mental harm to a child; false imprisonment; and three counts of chronic neglect of a child, for nutritional neglect, failure to provide medical care, and failure to provide appropriate shelter and security. All counts—except for the charge of chronic neglect for failing to provide medical care—were charged as a party to a crime.

¶9 Boon was appointed an attorney. However, he filed several pro se documents, generally asserting that he was “subject only to the laws of ‘[a]lmighty God.’” Boon’s attorney subsequently filed a motion to withdraw at the request of Boon. Counsel stated that he was unclear as to whether Boon was seeking new counsel or wished to proceed pro se, but counsel had advised Boon that the trial court had to approve his request. At a hearing on the motion held in May 2019, the trial court attempted to ascertain Boon’s wishes; Boon responded, “in order to proceed, I first require the court to recognize I’m appearing in special appearance

4 No. 2019AP2279-CR

as a Beneficial Equitable Title Holder on matters involving Kevin Will Trust in this matter,” and referenced several nonsensical “rights” that he had asserted in his pro se filings.

¶10 The trial court stated that it did not recognize any of those rights, and asked Boon again whether he wanted counsel to remain as his attorney. Boon responded that “[counsel] does not represent Kevin Boon nor the Kevin Boon Trust.” The court tried repeatedly to clarify Boon’s response, eventually finding that despite Boon’s indirect answers, “it would seem that [Boon] does not want [counsel] to be his lawyer,” and granted the motion to withdraw.

¶11 The trial court then attempted to determine whether Boon wanted a new attorney appointed or wanted to proceed pro se.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Brady v. Maryland
373 U.S. 83 (Supreme Court, 1963)
State v. McBride
523 N.W.2d 106 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1994)
State v. Pettit
492 N.W.2d 633 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1992)
State v. Tulley
2001 WI App 236 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2001)
State v. Avery
571 N.W.2d 907 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1997)
State v. Gary M.B.
2004 WI 33 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Gudgeon
2006 WI App 143 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 2006)
State v. Aniton
515 N.W.2d 302 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1994)
State v. Huebner
2000 WI 59 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Schroeder
593 N.W.2d 76 (Court of Appeals of Wisconsin, 1999)
Sturdevant v. State
251 N.W.2d 50 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 1977)
State v. Muhammad Sarfraz
2014 WI 78 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Jesse L. Herrmann
2015 WI 84 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Luis C. Salinas
2016 WI 44 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Gary Lee Wayerski
2019 WI 11 (Wisconsin Supreme Court, 2019)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
State v. Kevin Michael Boon, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-kevin-michael-boon-wisctapp-2023.