State v. Russell James Parker

334 P.3d 806, 157 Idaho 132, 2014 WL 3893091, 2014 Ida. LEXIS 209
Idaho Supreme Court·Decided August 6, 2014·No. 38956·Published·Cited by 57 cases

Opinion

THIS IS A SUBSTITUTE OPINION.

THE COURT’S PRIOR OPINION DATED APRIL 4, 2014 IS HEREBY WITHDRAWN.

PER CURIAM.

I. Nature of the Case

The State charged Russell J. Parker with one count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a minor under sixteen. Parker went to trial and the jury found Parker guilty as charged. Parker appeals his conviction to this Court. He argues that the district court erred in admitting statements made by law enforcement during an interview with him. He also argues that the State engaged in five instances of prosecutorial misconduct, each satisfying the fundamental error standard. He further argues that the errors in the aggregate resulted in cumulative error. Due to these errors, Parker requests that this Court vacate his conviction and remand his case for a new trial. The State argues that Parker fails to establish any error in the admission of law enforcement’s statements and fails to show that the alleged errors caused fundamental or cumulative error. This Court affirms Parker’s conviction.

II. Factual and Procedural Background

In July of 2010, Boise City Police Department Detective Bill Smith was assigned to investigate allegations by Vanessa Marsh (Vanessa) that Parker sexually assaulted her three-year-old son T.S. Vanessa believed that the sexual assault occurred while Parker was babysitting T.S. in May and June of 2010. On August 11, 2010, Detective Smith conducted a “confront call” with Parker. Vanessa confronted Parker with her allegations while Smith listened to the conversation unbeknownst to Parker. Parker denied any wrongdoing.

On August 24, 2010, Detective Smith interviewed Parker at City Hall West in Boise, Idaho. He “denied that any sexual contact of any type had occurred.” In early September of 2010, Parker was interviewed a second time by Detective Smith and Detective Moe Heatherley, another officer with the Boise City Police Department. This interview was videotaped and it lasted approximately three hours. During this interview, Parker admitted to touching T.S.’s penis with his mouth accidentally when trying to give T.S. a “raspberry.” He also admitted to putting T.S.’s penis in his mouth for about ten seconds shortly after the “raspberry” to demonstrate to T.S. the sexual conduct that he should not let people do to him.

On September 14, 2010, the State charged Parker with the crime of lewd conduct with a minor under sixteen under I.C. § 18-1508. Specifically, the State alleged that Parker, on or between May and June 2010, in Ada County, -willfully and lewdly committed a lewd and lascivious act upon the body of a three year old minor by having oral to genital contact with the intent to appeal to and/or gratify the sexual desire of Parker. On October 19, 2010, the grand jury indicted Parker for the same offense.

Parker went to trial. Detectives Smith and Heatherley testified for the State, along with Vanessa, Vanessa’s brother Austin Marsh (Austin), and Vanessa’s friend Joy *137 Heinbach (Joy). T.S. did not testify. Over Parker’s objection, the second videotaped interview was admitted into evidence. Parker testified in his defense. He denied any sexual contact with T.S. He stated that he was not thinking clearly at the time of the second interview because he was on medication. He also explained that he “felt bullied a bit” and that he “felt that ... the only way [he] could get out of there” was to make the admission that he had sexual contact with T.S. The jury convicted, Parker as charged and the district court entered a judgment of conviction. The district court sentenced Parker to a unified sentence of 30 years imprisonment with 10 years fixed. Parker appeals his conviction to this Court.

III.Issues on Appeal

1. Whether the district court erred by failing to conduct a Rule 403 analysis prior to admitting into evidence an unedited videotape of law enforcement’s second interview with Parker.

2. Whether five alleged instances of prosecutorial misconduct separately resulted in fundamental error.

3. Whether the alleged errors in the aggregate resulted in cumulative error.

IV.Standard of Review

The Court exercises free review of questions of law. State v. Hawkins, 155 Idaho 69, 71, 305 P.3d 513, 515 (2013). “On appeal, where a defendant stands convicted, the evidence is viewed in the light most favorable to the prosecution.” State v. Sheahan, 139 Idaho 267, 286, 77 P.3d 956, 975 (2003) (quoting State v. Allen, 129 Idaho 556, 558, 929 P.2d 118, 120 (1996)).

V.Analysis

A. The District Court Erred By Failing To Conduct A Rule 403 Analysis Prior To Admitting Into Evidence An Unedited Videotape Of Law Enforcement’s Second Interview With Parker, But The Error Was Harmless.

The State introduced in its case-in-chief a video recording of Detectives Smith and Heatherley’s second interview with Parker in September of 2010. This videotaped interview included incriminating statements made by Parker that he put his mouth on T.S.’s penis while trying to give T.S. a “raspberry” and that he put T.S.’s penis in his mouth for about ten seconds shortly after the “raspberry.” The videotaped interview also included the detectives’ interview questions and other statements made to Parker. Some of the detectives’ statements repeated allegations that they claimed T.S. had made to law enforcement. For example, the detectives stated, during their interview with Parker: (a) T.S. said “Russ would suck my penis;” (b) “did you ever then put your finger in — he’s the — the reason I’m saying that — I mean, that would explain it because he did say you put it — your finger — in his butt;” (c) T.S. said “over and over and over again that you had sucked his penis on numerous occasions;” (d) T.S. said “he’s done it to me over and over and over;” (e) T.S. “keeps saying that it happened over — you know, more than one time;” (f) “we’re gonna end up with his — a three-year old who has no reason to lie or make things up — in fact what he’s told us has been corroborated by you ... but he’s told us more and then you’re telling us that nothing else happened;” (g) “the thing [T.S.] keeps saying over and over is ‘Russ put his mouth on my butt and my pee pee;’ ” and (h) “I just really need to know where this mouth on the butt thing is coming from.” These statements concerning T.S.’s allegations of sexual contact by Parker are hereinafter referred to as the detectives’ victim statements.

At trial Parker objected to the State’s introduction of an unedited version of the second videotaped interview into evidence. He argued that the detectives’ victim statements should be excluded from the video because the statements were hearsay. He also argued that the detectives’ victim statements were prejudicial under Idaho Rule of Evidence (I.R.E.) 403 and should be excluded on that basis as well. He further argued that any jury instruction would not cure the prejudicial effect. The State argued that the statements were not hearsay because they were not offered for the truth of the matter asserted. The State explained that the detectives’ victim statements were offered “to *138

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State v. Russell James Parker, 334 P.3d 806, 157 Idaho 132, 2014 WL 3893091, 2014 Ida. LEXIS 209 (Idaho 2014).

334 P.3d 806 (State v. Russell James Parker) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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