State v. Miller

208 P.3d 774, 42 Kan. App. 2d 12, 2009 Kan. App. LEXIS 553
Court of Appeals of Kansas·Decided June 5, 2009·No. 99,232·Published·Cited by 6 cases

Opinion

Marquardt, J.:

Saul Arthur Miller appeals his convictions of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. We affirm in part and dismiss in part.

On July 19, 2005, 30-year-old Miller stopped at J.H.’s home to use her computer. Miller was a close family friend who visited J.H.’s home almost daily to watch TV, use the computer, or play the “tickle game” with J.H.’s two children, J.A. and 4-year-old N.A. That night, Miller spent the night and slept on a loveseat in J.H.’s living room while N.A. slept on the larger sofa.

The next evening, J.H. asked N.A. if she wanted Miller to come back and watch movies again. N.A. stated that she did not want him to come over again because “he hurt her.” N.A. told j.H. that Miller had held her down, covered her mouth, and “touched her with his thingy and his fingers,” and N A. pointed to her vaginal area. When asked why she did not tell her mother sooner, N.A. said that Miller told her not to tell.

After N.A. complained of vaginal pain, J.H. and V.M., N.A.’s grandmother, examined her and observed that N.A.’s vagina was red and irritated.

*16 J.H. contacted the police and took N.A. to the hospital emergency room where a sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE), Susan Reinert, examined N.A. Reinert observed several tears and abrasions around N.A.’s vagina and anus but found no bruising, hand prints, or discoloration on N.A.’s arms to suggest that she had been restrained.

Because of N.A.’s -allegations, Miller was apprehended on July 23, 2005. Officer Shane Ashton interviewed Miller. According to Officer Ashton, Miller agreed to tell him “what really happened between him and [N.A.]” in exchange for allowing him to smoke his last cigarette. Miller admitted touching N.A.’s vagina, both on top and underneath of her underwear, and inserting his finger into her vagina but denied anal penetration. Miller’s written statement said: “I touched her vagina with my finger throw [sic] her underwear[.] I might have touched her skin. I did put [it] on bear [sic] skin. I put finger in her not my penis.”

The State charged Miller with rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Before trial, Miller moved to suppress the statements he made to Officer Ashton, claiming that Officer Ashton threatened him and offered him leniency in exchange for his confession. At the suppression hearing, the district court found that Miller freely, voluntarily, and knowingly confessed. Miller’s motion to suppress was denied.

The State filed a pretrial motion to determine whether N.A. was qualified to testify. If N.A. was disqualified, the State sought a ruling on the admissibility of N.A.’s statements to her family members and Reinert under K.S.A. 60-460(dd). Miller claimed that all of N.A.’s statements were testimonial, they were subject to his right of confrontation, and they should not be admitted.

The district court ruled that N.A.’s statements to J.H. and V.M. were not testimonial and were reliable, but N.A.’s statements to Reinert regarding the identity of the alleged perpetrator were testimonial and not admissible. The district judge stated, “I don’t see any difference between an interrogation by a [SANE] and an interrogation by a law enforcement officer.” The district court clarified that N.A.’s statements to Reinert regarding “who,” “when,” *17 and “where” were not relevant, but statements regarding “what” were relevant to determine the nature of the injuries and potential treatment.

I. Millers First Trial

The State called N.A. as its first witness. N.A. refused to take the children’s witness oath and shook her head in the negative when asked if she knew what it meant to tell the truth. The district court then ruled, after a motion from the State, that pursuant to K.S.A. 60-460(dd), N.A. “is not only unavailable as a witness but is disqualified as a witness based upon her refusal or inability, apparently, to even take the oath of the witness.” The district court also found N.A. was an alleged victim of a crime and that she was not induced to make any false statements. Miller contemporaneously objected.

During Reinert’s testimony, the State asked her what N.A. told her about the incident. As Reinert was answering, Miller objected and moved for a mistrial based on an intentional violation of the pretrial order. The district court denied Miller’s request for a mistrial and admonished the jury not to consider the testimony.

During the State’s closing argument, the State referred to Re-inert’s testimony. Miller objected to the argument and moved again for a mistrial. This time, the district court granted the mistrial.

II. Millers Second Trial

Before trying Miller again, the district judge held a pretrial conference and stated: “I don’t think we need to bring the child in at this point like we did the last time and have her do nothing.” Miller’s counsel responded: “I don’t see it’s going to serve any purpose to have [N.A.] come in, sworn in, and not state anything.”

J.H. testified that N.A. told her Miller had “touched her [vagina] with his thingy and his fingers” and that J.H. never heard N.A. cry or call out for help. V.M. testified that N.A. told her Miller “touched her, her private with his finger and penis” and “[t]hat he hurt her.”

Reinert testified that when she asked N.A. to describe what happened to her, N.A. stated that “a person had held her arms and at *18 times put his hand on her mouth and . . . had moved her underwear aside and put his thingy on her privates, that he had put his finger in her butt . . . Miller did not object.

On cross-examination, Miller attempted to discredit N.A.’s accusations by questioning Reinert about the absence of bruising or discoloration on N.A.

On redirect, Miller objected when the State asked Reinert whether N.A. indicated that the assailant covered her mouth: The pretrial order limited Reinert’s testimony to what happened to N.A. Miller acknowledged that he failed to object during Reinert’s direct testimony, but he argued that “I didn’t object the first time because I thought well maybe I’m wrong.”

The State argued that it only elicited the testimony in response to Miller’s attempt to discredit N.A.’s testimony; specifically, that N.A. claimed Miller had placed his hand over her mouth. The district court held that “it’s valid cross-examination at this point.” Miller cautioned the court that, due to the cumulative nature of the statements, he would “object to it the next time.”

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State v. Miller, 208 P.3d 774, 42 Kan. App. 2d 12, 2009 Kan. App. LEXIS 553 (kanctapp 2009).

208 P.3d 774 (State v. Miller) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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