United States v. Britton

47 M.J. 195, 1997 CAAF LEXIS 81, 1997 WL 716207
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Armed Forces
DecidedSeptember 29, 1997
DocketNo. 96-1002; Crim.App. No. 31948
StatusPublished
Cited by82 cases

This text of 47 M.J. 195 (United States v. Britton) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Britton, 47 M.J. 195, 1997 CAAF LEXIS 81, 1997 WL 716207 (Ark. 1997).

Opinions

[196]*196 Opinion of the Court

GIERKE, Judge:

A military judge sitting as a general court-martial convicted appellant, contrary to his pleas, of rape and assault with intent to commit rape, in violation of Articles 120 and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 USC §§ 920 and 934, respectively. The adjudged and approved sentence provides for a dishonorable discharge, confinement for 6 years, total forfeitures, and reduction to the lowest enlisted grade. The Court of Criminal Appeals affirmed the findings and sentence in an unpublished opinion.

Our Court specified the following issue:1

WHETHER THE CHARGE AND ADDITIONAL CHARGE ARE GREATER AND LESSER INCLUDED OFFENSES AND THEREFORE MULTIPLICIOUS FOR FINDINGS; AND, IF SO, WHETHER APPELLANT HAS WAIVED THE ISSUE.

Factual Background

Appellant was charged with rape and assault with intent to commit rape. The rape specification alleges that appellant “did, at or near San Antonio, Texas, between on or about the evening of 23 October 1994 and on or about the morning of 24 October 1994, rape [MJR].” The assault specification alleges that appellant “did, at or near San Antonio, Texas, between on or about the evening of 23 October 1994 and on or about the morning of 24 October 1994, with intent to commit rape, commit an assault upon [MJR] by dragging her down the hall of his residence, throwing her onto his bed and pinning her onto the bed.”

Before trial, defense counsel filed a motion for a bill of particulars to make the date, place, and time of the alleged offenses more specific. At trial, defense counsel withdrew the motion and stated on the record that he had been provided sufficient information about the offenses to prepare a defense.

Appellant and Airman First Class (A1C) MJR worked together in the same unit and became Mends. They decided to socialize together and on the night of October 23, 1994, MJR went to appellant’s house, where they spent some time drinking beer and watching a movie. MJR did not consider it a “date.”

MJR testified that while they were sitting on a sofa and watching the movie, appellant put her leg on top of his. She told him to “quit it.” Appellant asked MJR to scratch his back and she agreed. Appellant removed his shirt, saying that “he couldn’t feel [MJR’s] nails.” When the movie ended, appellant started a second movie, came back to the sofa, grabbed her neck, and tried to kiss her. MJR testified that she told him to stop; “that we were just Mends.” She said that she tried to stand up and leave, but appellant grabbed her around the waist and pulled her toward the bedroom and threw her on the bed. She testified that she tried to stand and leave the bedroom but appellant blocked the door, grabbed her around the waist from behind, and they fell backwards onto the bed. She testified that appellant got on top of her, pinned her hands above her head with his left hand and tried to remove her clothes with his right hand. She testified that he pushed her shirt and bra up, pulled her shorts and underwear down, and raped her.

In his pretrial statement to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (OSI), appellant described the events differently. He told the OSI that as they were sitting on the sofa, he put MJR’s leg on top of his and began rubbing it, and she started to rub the inside of his left leg. He said that he asked MJR if she wanted to go to his room and she agreed. They walked to the bedroom together, undressed, and had consensual intercourse. Appellant did not testify at trial. [197]*197Defense counsel did not raise the multiplicity issue at trial. The prosecution theory was that the element of force in the rape charge was proven by the acts alleged in the assault charge, and that both charges arose “out of the same incident, the same conduct that occurred on that night.” Appellant was convicted, as charged, of both rape and assault with intent to commit rape. At the end of the sentencing hearing, the military judge sua sponte announced that he considered the two offenses as a single offense for sentencing.

Discussion

Appellant contends that assault with intent to commit rape is included in the offense of rape. He further argues that the military judge’s failure to dismiss the lesser-included offense is plain error and therefore not waived by appellant’s failure to raise the issue at trial. The Government asserts that the offenses are factually separate because the assault with intent to commit rape was completed before the rape. The Government further argues that appellant waived the multiplicity issue by not challenging the specifications at trial.

An accused may not be convicted and punished under more than one statute for the same act, if it would be contrary to the intent of Congress. United States v. Teters, 37 MJ 370, 373 (CMA 1993). It follows that an accused may not be convicted and punished for two offenses where one is necessarily included in the other, absent congressional intent to permit separate punishments. See RCM 307(c)(4), Discussion, Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (1995 ed.) (“In no case should both an offense and a lesser included offense thereof be separately charged.”); RCM 907(b)(3), Discussion (“A specification is multiplicious with another if it alleges the same offense, or an offense necessarily included in the other.”); see also Albrecht v. United States, 273 U.S. 1, 11, 47 S.Ct. 250, 253, 71 L.Ed. 505 (1927) (“There is nothing in the Constitution which prevents Congress from punishing separately each step leading to the consummation of a transaction ... and punishing also the completed transaction.”).

Where the intent of Congress is unclear, the Supreme Court uses the “elements” test to determine whether one offense is “necessarily included” in another. “Under this test, one offense is not ‘necessarily included’ in another unless the elements of the lesser offense are a subset of the elements of the charged offense.” Schmuck v. United States, 489 U.S. 705, 716, 109 S.Ct. 1443, 1450, 103 L.Ed.2d 734 (1989). Our Court applied the elements test in Teters, supra at 376, and in United States v. Foster, 40 MJ 140, 142-43 (CMA 1994), to determine if one offense was necessarily included in another.

The elements test is a rule of statutory construction. Ball v. United States, 470 U.S. 856, 861, 105 S.Ct. 1668, 1671, 84 L.Ed.2d 740 (1985). It is used to determine the intent of Congress where the legislative history does not display “an overt expression of legislative intent.” See Teters, 37 MJ at 376-77. Thus, where the intent of Congress is clear, we need not resort to the elements test. See United States v. Albrecht, 43 MJ 65, 67 (1995) (“Where Congress somehow has expressed its intent in this regard [as to multiplicity], the question easily is answered.”).

The legislative history of the treatment of assaults under the UCMJ reflects that Congress specifically rejected efforts to proscribe felonious assaults, that is, assaults with intent to commit specific felonies such as rape, under a separate penal statute.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

United States v. Sergeant First Class MICHAEL MALONE
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2024
United States v. Smith
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2021
United States v. Sergeant DANNY E. STANLEY
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Specialist MYCHAL E. GARCIA
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2020
United States v. Sergeant TERRACE L. SOLOMON
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2019
United States v. Hnatiuk
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2017
United States v. Hassett
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016
United States v. Private E1 CARLOS A. GONZALES-GOMEZ
75 M.J. 965 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Master Sergeant ALAN S. GUARDADO
75 M.J. 889 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Cade
75 M.J. 923 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Specialist ANTIONE D. WILLIAMS
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016
United States v. Specialist CHRISTOPHER B. HINES
75 M.J. 734 (Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2016)
United States v. Sanchez
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2015
United States v. Perry
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2015
United States v. Oakley
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2015
United States v. Chin
Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals, 2015
United States v. Suazolopez
Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2014
United States v. Thomas
74 M.J. 563 (Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals, 2014)
United States v. Specialist ROBERT T. MARTINEZ
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2013
United States v. Specialist EDWARD J. SMITH
Army Court of Criminal Appeals, 2013

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
47 M.J. 195, 1997 CAAF LEXIS 81, 1997 WL 716207, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-britton-armfor-1997.