State v. Smith

178 P.3d 672, 39 Kan. App. 2d 204, 2008 Kan. App. LEXIS 47
Court of Appeals of Kansas·Decided March 14, 2008·No. 96,120·Published·Cited by 5 cases

Opinion

Greene, J.;

Jesse Smith appeals his conviction and sentence for rape, arguing insufficiency of the evidence, error in the admission of certain evidence, error in applying the rape shield statute, instruction error, cumulative trial error, and sentencing error. We reject Smith’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. We *206 conclude, however, that the district court erred in refusing to instruct the jury as to voluntary intoxication, but we conclude the error was harmless. Smith’s remaining claims of error are rejected; thus, we affirm his conviction. His challenge to a presumptive sentence is dismissed.

Factual and Procedural Background

On July 14, 2004, S.L. met Smith, her friend of 5 months, to have dinner and “a couple drinks.” She considered him merely a friend, had no sexual or romantic interest in him, and was then dating another man. After dinner, they visited several bars and consumed a large quantity of beer; on the way home, S.L. passed out in Smith’s vehicle. Upon arrival, Smith indicated it was not safe for her to drive and offered his bedroom, promising to sleep on the couch. Before she retired, however, she invited Smith to sleep on one side of the bed, but she did not intend to have sex with him.

According to S.L., she awakened in the night and felt something on her hips but went back to sleep until she awoke and discovered she had nothing on from the waist down. She also discovered what looked to be semen with a black pubic hair on her genital area. She tiptoed back to the bedroom, grabbed her clothes, and left. She tried to call her boyfriend on her way home, but he was upset about being awakened so she hung up.

The next day, colleagues of S.L. urged her to see a physician, and the physician urged her to go to tbe hospital for an exam. Her father took her to the hospital, where she was examined and spoke to police about the incident.

Smith was charged with one count of rape in contravention of K.S.A. 21-3502(a)(l)(C), proscribing the act of sexual intercourse without consent under circumstances where the victim is incapable of giving a valid consent due to the effect of alcoholic liquor or narcotic drug, which condition is known by the defendant or reasonably apparent.

At trial, Smith testified that he went to sleep on the couch and did not remember anything else until he awoke the next morning. Smith requested an instruction on voluntary intoxication, but the *207 district court refused to give the instruction and, instead, instructed the jury that “voluntary intoxication is not a defense to a charge of rape.” Smith was found guilty by the jury, and he was sentenced to 184 months’ imprisonment. He timely appeals.

Was the Evidence Sufficient to Support Smith’s Conviction

of Rape?

On appeal, Smith argues the evidence was insufficient to sustain his conviction because the State did not prove S.L. was unable to give consent and the State did not prove Smith had knowledge she was unable to give consent or that this was reasonably apparent. These arguments fail.

“When the sufficiency of the evidence is reviewed in a criminal case, this court must consider all of the evidence, viewed in a light most favorable to the prosecution, and determine whether a rational factfinder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. [Citation omitted.]” State v. Parker, 282 Kan. 584, 597, 147 P.3d 115 (2006).

Smith was charged and convicted of rape in contravention of K.S.A. 21-3502(a)(l)(C), which provides:

“(a) Rape is (1) Sexual intercourse with a person who does not consent to the sexual intercourse, under any of the following circumstances:
“(C) when the victim is incapable of giving consent because of mental deficiency or disease, or when the victim is incapable of giving consent because of the effect of any alcoholic liquor, narcotic, drug or other substance, which condition was known by the offender or was reasonably apparent to the offender.”

To sustain Smith’s conviction the State needed to prove:

- Smith had sexual intercourse with S.L.;

- the act of sexual intercourse was committed without the consent of S.L. by reason of her inability to give consent, which was either known by Smith or was reasonably apparent to him; and

- the act occurred on or about July 15, 2004. See K.S.A. 21-3502; PIK Crim. 3d 57.01.

With regard to Smith’s challenge to the evidence of S.L.’s condition, our review of the evidence shows that she was approximately 5' 6" tall, weighed 117 pounds, drank 6 to 8 beers on the evening *208 in question, and passed out from drinking. She unequivocally testified that she never gave consent to Smith to have sexual intercourse and would not have done so. Our Supreme Court has declined to define the degree of intoxication required to sustain a rape conviction under K.S.A. 21-3502(a)(l)(C) and has stated that “[l]ay persons are familiar with the effects of alcohol. If the jury concluded [the victim] was drunk enough to be unable to consent to sex, we should give great deference to that finding. [Citation omitted.]” State v. Chaney, 269 Kan. 10, 20, 5 P.3d 492 (2000).

With regard to Smith’s challenge to the evidence of his knowledge of S.L.’s condition, our review of the evidence shows that Smith told her she was too intoxicated to drive home and that she should stay at his residence for the night. Moreover, S.L. testified that Smith did not attempt to wake her or otherwise seek consent before performing sexual intercourse. From this evidence, a reasonable inference can be drawn that Smith had knowledge that S.L. was unable to consent due to intoxication or that it was reasonably apparent to him. Circumstantial evidence alone may sustain a conviction for even the gravest offense. State v. Lopez, 36 Kan. App. 2d 723, 725, 143 P.3d 695 (2006).

Viewing this evidence in the light most favorable to the State, we believe a rational jury could have found that S.L. was too intoxicated to give consent and that Smith had knowledge of this condition, or that it was reasonably apparent, and could therefore convict him beyond a reasonable doubt of the offense charged. We reject Smith’s challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence for these reasons.

Did the District Court Err in Refusing to Instruct that Voluntary Intoxication is a Defense to this Charge?

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State v. Smith, 178 P.3d 672, 39 Kan. App. 2d 204, 2008 Kan. App. LEXIS 47 (kanctapp 2008).

178 P.3d 672 (State v. Smith) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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