State v. Terrill

241 N.W.2d 16, 1976 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1176
CourtSupreme Court of Iowa
DecidedApril 14, 1976
Docket58198
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 241 N.W.2d 16 (State v. Terrill) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Iowa primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Terrill, 241 N.W.2d 16, 1976 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1176 (iowa 1976).

Opinion

UHLENHOPP, Justice.

This appeal by defendant Ricky Lee Ter-rill involves several rulings by the trial court in a prosecution for rape under § 698.-1, Code 1973.

The State’s evidence showed that defendant followed Dorothy Ann Cockhren from a tavern late at night, threw her down in a vacant lot, choked her, took off her slacks and undergarment at gunpoint, and forcibly raped her. She was hospitalized for a week following the incident. Defendant, who at the time of the incident lived with his grandmother, Allie Bea, did not testify at the trial.

The county attorney charged defendant with rape, a jury found defendant guilty, the trial court sentenced him, and he appealed.

In this court defendant contends that the trial court erred (1) in holding that the State adduced substantial corroborative evidence tending to connect defendant with the commission of the offense, (2) in admitting prejudicial irrelevant hearsay evidence on the identity issue, and (3) in giving the jury the Allen charge.

I. Corroboration. The statutory requirement of corroboration which was in effect at time of trial has since been repealed. Code 1973, § 782.4; 65 G.A..ch. 1271, § 2. Hence a detailed recitation of the evidence before us would be of little precedential value.

Our examination of the record discloses that the corroborative evidence, though minimal, was sufficient to carry the case to the jury. State v. Taylor, 222 N.W.2d 439 (Iowa); State v. Campbell, 217 N.W.2d 251 *18 (Iowa). We thus reject defendant’s first contention.

II. Identity Evidence. The State overwhelmingly proved corpus delicti. The hotly contested issue was the rapist’s identity. On that issue, the State not only had to introduce “other evidence” under § 782.4 of the Code; the State had to satisfy the jury as a matter of fact beyond a reasonable doubt.

At both the station house and at trial, prosecutrix identified defendant as her assailant. At the time of the incident, she did not know defendant’s full name — only Ricky. After the incident, prosecutrix, crying, her nose bleeding and clothing in disarray, went directly to the nearby house where she lived with her aunt. There she made certain complaints to her aunt which bolstered the State’s case on identification.

During prosecutrix’ direct examination at trial, this occurred:

Q. [Mr. Dutton, county attorney] What did you do next after you got in the house and were crying? A. [Prosecu-trix] I called the police. I told my aunt, she knowed that boy. She said “What boy?”
Mr. Martin: [trial defense counsel] I object to this as being hearsay anything that the aunt was saying at that time. The answer is unresponsive. The question was what did she do at that time.
Mr. Dutton: I will ask another question.

Mr. Dutton then inquired about prosecutrix’ call to the police.

A little later in the direct examination, this occurred:

Q. Now, at that point in time did you know who it was that this man was that you have identified as the defendant? Did you know his name? A. All I knew was Ricky.
Q. What information were you able to give the police other than that, besides the fact his name was Ricky? A. First I had talked to my aunt. I told her, does she know this boy.
Mr. Martin: I object, that is unresponsive. We are getting into the hearsay area again with the aunt.

Mr. Dutton then inquired about prosecutrix’ observation of defendant at the police station the same morning.

As part of the subsequent cross-examination by Mr. Martin, this occurred:

Q. What did you do when she [aunt] answered the door? A. I was crying at first. I told her did she know that boy. She said, “What boy?” I said, “That boy that came by the house that time.”

Also:

Q. When you got in you were crying and you told her exactly what happened and you were walking to the phone at the time, is that correct? A. No. I didn’t tell her what happened. I asked her did she know that boy.

Prosecutrix’ aunt testified next, Jo Martha Carter. She stated on direct examination by Mr. Dutton that prosecutrix came to the door, crying, nose bleeding, dirt on her clothing. When the witness began to relate what prosecutrix said, Mr. Martin objected on the ground of hearsay. The trial court overruled the objection and granted Mr. Martin’s request to have the objection stand throughout the testimony as to the conversation. In the course of Mr. Dutton’s further interrogation, this occurred:

Q. What did she say, if anything, as to what had happened? A. Then she told me that boy had raped her. I asked her what boy.
Q. Yes. A. She said, “You know, that boy.” I said, “No, I don’t know. What boy?”

Counsel then approached the bench. Thereafter the interrogation continued:

Q. Go ahead. We are sorry to keep interrupting you. Just tell us what she said to you at that time. A. Well, she come in and told me, “Jo, you know that boy.” I said, “What boy?” She said, “Jo, you know that boy.” And I said, “No, I don’t.” She said, “The boy that run”— She said, “That boy.” I said, “What boy?” She said, “The boy that run Pearlie Mae home.”

*19 Mr. Martin then renewed his objection and moved to strike the answer because “it gets into unrelated incidents which are completely — or alleged incidents which are completely incompetent, irrelevant and immaterial to any issue here.” The trial court stated, “The objection is overruled, but it stands in the record.” Mr. Dutton resumed direct examination:

Q. Go ahead with the conversation that you had with her if you can recall where you left off, Miss Carter. A. Well, I told her — she said, “That boy that raped Pearlie Mae” — pardon me. She said, “The boy that run Pearlie Mae home.”
Q. Who was Pearlie Mae? A. She is Dorothy Ann’s sister. .
Q. Then what did you say when she said that? A. Then I asked her, “What boy?” She said, “Jo, you know.” I said, “Are you talking about Allie Bea’s grandson?”
Q. Who said that? A. That’s what I said. She said, “Jo, you know that boy.” I said, “Who?” She said, “You know that boy.” Then she said, “The boy that run Pearlie Mae home.”
Q. Yes. A. And she said, “You know.” I said, “Allie Bea’s”—
Q. What did she say when you said that? A. She said, “That’s who it was.”

Further:

Q. Was anything further said about who it was that had raped her? A. That’s all that was said because I — that’s all. That’s what was said about the boy.
Q.

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Related

State v. Stevens
289 N.W.2d 592 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1980)
State v. Cuevas
282 N.W.2d 74 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1979)
State v. Watson
242 N.W.2d 702 (Supreme Court of Iowa, 1976)

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Bluebook (online)
241 N.W.2d 16, 1976 Iowa Sup. LEXIS 1176, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-terrill-iowa-1976.