United States v. Foster

34 M.J. 1264, 1992 CMR LEXIS 585, 1992 WL 152244
CourtU S Air Force Court of Military Review
DecidedJune 29, 1992
DocketACM 29061
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 34 M.J. 1264 (United States v. Foster) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U S Air Force Court of Military Review primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Foster, 34 M.J. 1264, 1992 CMR LEXIS 585, 1992 WL 152244 (usafctmilrev 1992).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

O’HAIR, Senior Judge:

Among other offenses, appellant was charged with committing forcible sodomy [1265]*1265with a female airman, Airman (Amn) KLT, in a dormitory room. Prior to argument and instructions on findings, the military judge was persuaded by the trial counsel that the court members should be instructed that indecent assault was a lesser offense of sodomy. The court members were instructed accordingly, and they found appellant not guilty of sodomy, but guilty of indecent assault. Appellant now argues that the offense of indecent assault cannot be a lesser included offense of sodomy in this instance because the sodomy specification fails to allege that Amn KLT was not his wife, one of the essential elements of the offense of indecent assault.

On the evening of 25 June 1990, Airman Basic (AB) Larson had a farewell party for Amn KLT in the former’s dormitory room at Iraklion Air Station, Greece. Amn KLT was scheduled to leave the following day for her return to the United States. During the course of the evening, she and AB Larson consumed a large quantity of alcohol, as did some of the other guests. The appellant was a late arriving guest and, at midnight, he was the last one to leave. AB Larson and Amn KLT then undressed, went to bed where they engaged in sex, and fell asleep. A short time later, Amn KLT felt ill and decided she needed to go to the bathroom. She put on her underpants, shorts and a tank top before leaving for the bathroom. Somewhere in the hallway she encountered appellant and she explained her condition. He helped her to the ladies’ bathroom and, when she was finished there, he escorted her to her room which was in the same dormitory. When she awoke a short time later, she was lying in her bed and appellant was still in her room, so she told him she was returning to AB Larson’s room. He walked with her to that room but she prevented him from entering the room with her. For some reason, Amn KLT did not lock the room door and this permitted appellant to return to the room several more times that evening. On the first occasion, Amn KLT was asleep on a futon on the floor and she awoke to find her underpants and shorts had been removed and her shirt was pushed up around her neck. Appellant was in front of her and was kissing her breasts. She told him to stop; he complied and departed the room and she fell back asleep. When she next awoke, she was still nude. This time appellant had his hands on her breasts, his head was between her legs and she believed he was performing oral sex on her. Once again she told him to stop, and she got up and climbed in bed with AB Larson where she fell asleep. On the last occasion, she woke up to discover appellant had his hands under the bed sheet and was fondling her body. She told him to quit and he again complied.

For a sodomy conviction, the government only needed to prove:

1) That the accused engaged in unnatural carnal copulation with a certain other person or with an animal and,
2) That the act was done by force and without the consent of the other person.

The elements of indecent assault are more extensive:

1) That the accused assaulted a certain person not the spouse of the accused in a certain manner;
2) That the acts were done with the intent to gratify the lust or sexual desires of the accused; and
3) That, under the circumstances, the conduct of the accused was to the prejudice of good order and discipline in the armed forces or was of a nature to bring discredit upon the armed forces.

Based on the testimony of Amn KLT and the questions of the court members, it appears they were not convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that appellant had “physically penetrated the sexual organs of Amn KLT with his mouth” and, therefore, they could not find him guilty of sodomy. They did, however, find him guilty of the instructed lesser offense of indecent assault. There was sufficient evidence adduced at trial during the government’s case in chief to support this finding, with the exception of the element requiring they find that Amn J£LT was not appellant’s wife. The sodomy specification before the court did not address the lack of a marital relationship between the appellant and the victim, [1266]*1266and the government did not present proof of that relationship during its case-in-chief. The trial counsel discovered this deficiency just prior to the presentation of the findings arguments and, with the permission of the military judge and over objection from the defense, reopened the government’s case to enter a stipulation of fact that Amn KLT had never been the wife of appellant.

Article 79 of the UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 879 provides that “[a]n accused may be found guilty of an offense necessarily included in the offense charged or of an attempt to commit either the offense charged or an offense necessarily included therein.” This concept is explained in Manual for Court-Martial (MCM) Part IV, paragraph 2b(l) (1984):

A lesser offense is included in a charged offense when the specification contains allegations which either expressly or by fair implication put the accused on notice to be prepared to defend against it in addition to the offense specifically charged.

Generally, this notice requirement is met when all of the elements of the lesser offense are included in the greater offense. Even if the included offense requires proof of an element not required for the greater offense, notice may be provided by allegations in the specification. In United States v. Duggan, 4 U.S.C.M.A. 396, 399-400, 15 C.M.R. 396, 399-400 (1954), the Court summarized this oft used guidance when examining a specification for the existence of a lesser offense:

[W]e must look to the allegations of the specification, and proof in support thereof, in each case to determine whether a lesser offense is placed in issue. ******
When both offenses are substantially the same kind so that [an] accused is fairly apprised of the charges he must meet and the specification alleges fairly, and the proof raises reasonably, all elements of both crimes, ‘we have held they stand in the relationship of greater and lesser offenses.’

Another leading case which applies this philosophy is United States v. Thacker, 16 U.S.C.M.A. 408, 410, 37 C.M.R. 28, 30 (1966). More recent applications are found in United States v. Blake, 33 M.J. 923 (A.C.M.R.1991) (appellant, who was charged with rape, could providently plead to committing indecent acts with another); United States v. Cornelius, 29 M.J. 501 (A.C.M.R.1989) (appellant was charged with rape, but pleaded guilty to adultery. Court found appellant was put on notice of the additional elements of adultery because of the language in the specification); United States v. Cheatham, 18 M.J. 721 (A.F.C.M.R.1984) (committing indecent, lewd and lascivious act is a lesser included offense of rape); United States v. Butler, 16 M.J. 789 (C.G.C.M.R.1983) (appellant was charged with introduction of cocaine onto a military installation but was found guilty of soliciting others to possess cocaine.

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

Related

United States v. Weymouth
40 M.J. 798 (U S Air Force Court of Military Review, 1994)
United States v. Foster
40 M.J. 140 (United States Court of Military Appeals, 1994)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
34 M.J. 1264, 1992 CMR LEXIS 585, 1992 WL 152244, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-foster-usafctmilrev-1992.