State v. Shepherd

398 S.W.3d 921, 2013 WL 2190152, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 628
CourtMissouri Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 21, 2013
DocketNo. SD 31778
StatusPublished

This text of 398 S.W.3d 921 (State v. Shepherd) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Missouri Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Shepherd, 398 S.W.3d 921, 2013 WL 2190152, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 628 (Mo. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

NANCY STEFFEN RAHMEYER, J.

Jack W. Shepherd (“Appellant”) was charged by information with child molestation in the first degree, in violation of 566.067.1, RSMo Cum.Supp.2006, and, as required by the elements of that offense, the State’s theory of prosecution during the evidentiary portion of the trial was that Appellant touched the genitals of a two-year-old child (“Child”).1 Following the close of all the evidence, the State requested permission to amend the information to add a second count charging sexual misconduct involving a child in that Appellant “knowingly induced [Child] ... to expose [Child’s] genitals,” a violation of section 566.083.1(3). Over Appellant’s objection that the requested amendment was improper and would violate his right to due process, the trial court granted the State’s request and subsequently instructed the jury on both offenses. Appellant was found guilty by the jury of sexual misconduct involving a child, in violation of section 566.083.1(3), and was acquitted by the jury of child molestation in the first degree. Following the jury’s verdicts, the trial court sentenced Appellant to seven years in the Department of Corrections.

Appellant appeals and raises two points — first, the trial court erred in permitting the State to amend the information after the close of all the evidence because the amendment violated his right to due process, and, second, the evidence was insufficient to permit a reasonable juror to find beyond a reasonable doubt that Appellant “knowingly induced [Child] ... to expose [Child’s] genitals.” We agree with Appellant’s first point, vacate the judg[923]*923ment of the trial court and direct the trial court to quash (or dismiss) the second amended information as an impermissible pleading in this case.2

Facts and Procedural History

Child was born January 20, 2006, and was two years old at the time of the alleged touching. On November 19, 2008, Child’s mother (“Mother”), Child, and Child’s infant half-sibling were staying at the house of Child’s maternal grandmother (“Grandmother”) in Sunrise Beach. That day, Mother traveled to Jefferson City for medical appointments for herself and the infant. Mother left Child at Grandmother’s house in the care of a woman that Mother knew while Mother was gone. The woman lived with Appellant, and the woman and Appellant had a young daughter together. The woman sometimes tickled Child by pressing on his belly button and saying “beep, beep.” The woman played “beep, beep” with Child on the day in question. The woman never observed Appellant play “beep, beep” with Child.

Appellant was present during a portion of the time the woman provided care for Child, and spent some time alone with Child in Child’s “bedroom.” Appellant was alone in the house with Child for “[a]bout 20 minutes” when the woman left to pick up her daughter from preschool.

When Mother returned to Grandmother’s house, Appellant was at the house. Appellant was in the “play room” with Child, and the woman was in the “living room.” The woman’s and Appellant’s daughter also was at the house. Appellant, the woman, and their daughter then left Grandmother’s house.

A short time later on the way to the grocery store, Child told Mother words to the effect “him and [Appellant] had watched some movies and that they played a Pee Pee game.” At that point, Mother “really didn’t react. I was driving and I, you know, I didn’t understand what he was trying to say.”

Later that evening when Grandmother arrived home from work, Child told Grandmother “[Appellant] and I played a Pee Pee game,” and began moving his hand back and forth over his clothing “by his genitals.” Grandmother “got mad at [Mother] and said that she thought something might have happened and that I don’t listen to my son.” Mother then gave Child a bath, and Child told Mother “[Appellant] had touched his pee pee.” Mother “really still didn’t understand, you know, what he was trying to say to me”3 Mother then dressed Child, and subsequently attempted to talk with Child further and asked him what he meant by his statement. Mother testified that Child eventually said, “I’ll just show you, mom,” and then proceeded to take off his pajamas and diaper and begin stroking his penis with his hand. Child told Mother “that’s what him and [Appellant] had done. [Appellant] had showed [Child].” Child then repeated his demonstration for Mother and the father of Child’s infant half-sibling. Mother then went to tell Grandmother what happened and Grandmother called “911.”

After November 19, 2008, Child regressed in his potty training and occasionally would stroke his penis in the bathtub and “talk about it.” Child had pulled on his penis in the bathtub before November [924]*92419, 2008, but “it just got out of control” after November 19, 2008.

On November 20, 2008, Child was interviewed at Kids Harbor. Kids Harbor is a child advocacy center that provides interviews of children by persons “especially trained to deal with children.” The interviewer at Kids Harbor was unable to establish a rapport with Child or get Child to talk, and ended the interview shortly after it began. During the interview, Child was shown two pictures — one of a boy and one of a girl. When asked which of these pictures “is like” you, Child selected the picture of the girl. A recording of the interview was played for the jury.

A pull-up diaper or diapers and tissue paper were seized from Grandmother’s home by law enforcement on November 19 or 20, 2008. Although the tissue paper was examined at a Missouri State Highway Patrol crime laboratory, “semen” was not detected on the tissue paper.

Appellant was subsequently arrested and charged by complaint with child molestation in the first degree, in violation of section 566.067, in that he subjected Child to “sexual contact.” This charge was repeated in an information filed January 27, 2009.

A jury trial was held two and a half years later. Before selection of the jury, the trial court conducted a pretrial hearing, pursuant to section 491.075, and determined that Mother and Grandmother would be allowed to testify as to Child’s statements to them. Following a recess and still before selection of the jury, the information was amended to allege that Appellant was a prior offender. The trial court conducted a hearing and found that Appellant was a prior offender in that he pleaded guilty to crimes in 1991.

In voir dire, the prosecuting attorney noted that “specifically it’s alleged that [Appellant] touched the genitals of an almost three year old.” And, in his opening statement, the prosecuting attorney told the jury “I will ask you to find [Appellant] guilty of what he is charged with and that is child molestation in the first degree.” In his opening statement, defense counsel stated:

[T]here’s a question as to whether or not the evidence will show whether there was a discussion about Pee Pee Game or whether there was a statement about play with pee pee. And you will have an opportunity to hear that testimony and evidence and decide which of those two statements is the most accurate. [Grandmother] will talk about how she had heard [Mother] say something to [Child], saying about Pee Pee Game, not play with pee pee. And we believe that there’s some question later that [Mother] also remembered Pee Pee Game, which is why she was confused as to what [Child] was talking about.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
398 S.W.3d 921, 2013 WL 2190152, 2013 Mo. App. LEXIS 628, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-shepherd-moctapp-2013.