State v. Osborne

251 S.W.3d 1, 2007 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 689
CourtCourt of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee
DecidedAugust 28, 2007
StatusPublished
Cited by87 cases

This text of 251 S.W.3d 1 (State v. Osborne) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Osborne, 251 S.W.3d 1, 2007 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 689 (Tenn. Ct. App. 2007).

Opinion

OPINION

THOMAS T. WOODALL, J.,

delivered the opinion of the court,

in which JOSEPH M. TIPTON, P.J., and J.C. McLIN, J. joined.

*8 Following a jury trial, Defendant, Eric James Osborne, was found guilty of seven counts of rape of a child, a Class A felony, and five counts of aggravated sexual battery, a Class B felony. The trial court declared a mistrial on two counts of rape of a child and one count of aggravated sexual battery because the jury was unable to reach a verdict on these charges. The trial court conducted a sentencing hearing after which it sentenced Defendant to twenty-five years for each rape of a child conviction and eleven years for each aggravated sexual battery conviction. The trial court ordered Defendant to serve a combination of consecutive and concurrent sentences for an effective sentence of one hundred and seventy-two years. On appeal, Defendant argues that (1) the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s motion to sever the offenses involving different victims; (2) the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s motion for mistrial; (3) the evidence is insufficient to support Defendant’s convictions in counts 14 and 15 of the superceding indictment; (4) the trial court erred in allowing testimony concerning prior bad acts; (5) the trial court erred in ruling that Defendant’s prior conviction of child abuse would be admissible for impeachment purposes; and (6) that the trial court erred in determining the length and manner of service of Defendant’s sentences. After a thorough review, we affirm the judgments of the trial court.

I. Background

The minor victims, T.D. and J.O., will be referred to by their initials. T.D., who was nine years old at the time of the trial, testified that at the time of the incidents, she lived in the same apartment complex as Defendant and Defendant’s daughter, J.O. T.D. and J.O. became friends. Defendant babysat T.D. while T.D.’s mother worked, and T.D. often spent the night at Defendant’s apartment. T.D. testified that the offenses concerning her occurred around her sixth birthday, which was on December 16, 2001.

T.D. stated that Defendant made her and J.O. watch a videotape with women who “weren’t all the way dressed.” Defendant wanted T.D. and J.O. to engage in the type of activity portrayed by the women on the video tape. T.D. said that Defendant picked her up and placed her on top of J.O. Defendant grabbed T.D.’s hips and moved her up and down on J.O.’s stomach and private parts. This incident occurred in the living room of Defendant’s apartment. T.D. said that this type of conduct occurred more than one time, both in the living room and in Defendant’s bedroom.

T.D. described an act of fellatio which occurred in Defendant’s bedroom. T.D. said she was lying on the bed on her back. Defendant pulled his pants down and leaned over her “in a push-up position.” Defendant placed his penis in T.D.’s mouth while J.O. watched. Defendant told T.D. not to tell anybody. T.D. said that Defendant did the same thing to J.O. This type of conduct also occurred in the living room in J.O.’s presence. T.D. said that a milk-like substance came out of Defendant’s penis when he engaged in this activity.

T.D. described an incident which occurred in Defendant’s bedroom. Defendant took off T.D.’s clothes and rubbed her chest, stomach, and private parts. T.D. said Defendant’s touchings were “rough.” T.D. said that J.O. observed the incident from the other side of the bed and that J.O. was also naked.

T.D. said that Defendant, who was naked, performed oral sex on her in his bedroom. J.O. was on the other side of the bed during this activity. T.D. said that this type of activity occurred more than one time, and Defendant would also perform oral sex on J.O. while T.D. watched.

*9 T.D. described an incident during which Defendant made T.D. and J.O. get on top of him as he lay on the bed. Defendant held T.D.’s hips and moved her so that his penis rubbed against T.D.’s private part. The same act was performed with J.O. T.D. said that her clothes were on during the incident.

T.D. said that Defendant made her touch his penis in the bedroom and the living room in J.O.’s presence. One incident involved Defendant leaning over T.D. as she lay on her back on the bed. Defendant made T.D. move her hand up and down on Defendant’s penis, and T.D. said “that milky stuff’ came out. This type of activity occurred more than one time.

T.D. testified that Defendant made T.D. and J.O. touch each other’s private parts while Defendant watched. T.D. said that she had a shirt on during this incident, but her pants were pulled down.

T.D. said that J.O.’s two brothers were asleep in the apartment when many of the incidents occurred. T.D. said that she sometimes slept in a closet so Defendant would not find her. T.D. first told her older brother about the incidents, then a neighbor, Dede Flitcroft. Ms. Flitcroft told T.D. to tell her mother about Defendant’s conduct. T.D.’s mother, Melissa Dodd, called the police. T.D. said that she and her mother moved to a trailer park after the police became involved.

J.O. was fourteen years old at the time of the trial. J.O. said that her mother died in 1996. J.O. and her two brothers, Chad and C.J., lived with her father, while an older brother, Curtis, lived with Sherry Foy, a friend of J.O.’s mother. J.O. said that she and T.D. had been friends a year or two before T.D. reported the abuse.

J.O. said that she woke up one night and found Defendant in her bed on top of T.D. J.O. testified that Defendant performed oral sex on T.D. while she sat on the couch. This activity occurred more than one time in the living room. J.O. said that Defendant performed oral sex on her in the living room in front of T.D.

J.O. said that she was present when Defendant put his penis in T.D.’s mouth. J.O. said that she was required to do the same in front of T.D. J.O. said that Defendant told her that she did it just like her mother, and that her mother would be proud of J.O. J.O. said that Defendant made her and T.D. perform oral sex on each other while he watched. J.O. was present when Defendant made T.D. masturbate him, and Defendant rubbed his penis against J.O.’s and T.D.’s private parts in the living room. J.O. said that she was supposed to watch out for her brothers while Defendant engaged in sexual activity with T.D.

On cross-examination, J.O. acknowledged that she at first denied that Defendant had engaged in sexual activity with her. J.O. said that she first told the counselors at the Child Advocacy Center that her brothers, Curtis and Chad, had engaged in sexual activity with her, and that C.J. had inappropriately touched T.D. J.O. said that she told Ms. Foy about Defendant’s inappropriate conduct about a month after T.D. reported the abuse. J.O. said that her paternal grandfather sexually abused her when she was eight years old. J.O. acknowledged that she had engaged in sexual activities with other children, including her cousin and T.D.’s brother.

On redirect examination, J.O. said that she did not want to tell anyone about Defendant’s conduct because she was afraid of her father, who was often violent with J.O. and her brothers. J.O. said she decided to talk to Ms. Foy after Defendant moved to his parents’ home in Ohio, and J.O. felt safe. J.O.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
251 S.W.3d 1, 2007 Tenn. Crim. App. LEXIS 689, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-osborne-tenncrimapp-2007.