United States v. Garrett

17 M.J. 907, 1984 CMR LEXIS 4709
CourtU S Air Force Court of Military Review
DecidedJanuary 20, 1984
DocketACM 24063
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 17 M.J. 907 (United States v. Garrett) 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. Garrett, 17 M.J. 907, 1984 CMR LEXIS 4709 (usafctmilrev 1984).

Opinion

DECISION

CANELLOS, Judge:

The accused was convicted, contrary to his pleas, of adultery and indecent assault. The approved sentence extends to a bad conduct discharge, confinement at hard labor for one year and reduction to airman basic.

On appeal, the accused assigns four errors for our consideration; a discussion of only two is necessary to resolve this case. The first is that the military judge erred in allowing the trial counsel to amend the adultery specification after arraignment. The second is that the military judge erred in admitting into evidence, over the accused’s objection, a statement of the accused’s co-actor, who did not testify. We agree in both instances.

I

The facts of this case are not generally in dispute. The victim, Airman First Class Jeanine B., organized a party for a departing friend. Because of inclement weather, the party was held in her dormitory room. She posted an invitation to the party on her door, basically inviting all to come. The last person to leave the party was the guest of honor, and, after his departure, the hostess went to bed. Shortly thereafter the [909]*909.accused and Staff Sergeant V noticed the sign on the door and entered the room to join the party. According to the accused, V went into the sleeping area of the room while he [the accused] remained, out of sight, in the living area which was separated by a partition. He heard V talk to the victim for a while, after which V called him over to the sleeping area. There, he observed the victim on her bed with no clothes on. Believing that she desired to engage in sexual relations and perceiving that she did not object, the accused engaged in foreplay and then sexual intercourse with the victim. During these acts, he claims the victim wrapped her arms around him and kissed him repeatedly. The victim, on the other hand, claims that she was asleep, gave no consent to any of these acts, and was awakened only when the accused initiated intercourse.1 She testified that prior to waking up she was having a dream in which she was engaging in sexual intercourse with her boyfriend.

II

After arraignment, the military judge asked the trial counsel whether the adultery specification as written2 stated an offense, pointing out that it did not allege that one of the parties was married to a third person. In response, the trial counsel requested permission to amend the specification by adding the words “a married man,” claiming that the addition of such words did not materially alter the specification. M.G.M. 1969 (Rev.), paragraph 44f. The defense objected; however, the military judge allowed the amendment and proceeded to trial. This is clearly error.

Prior to its amendment, the specification was inadequate alleging only that the accused had sexual relations with a “woman not his wife.” This is insufficient to state the offense of adultery because such language does not include a necessary element of adultery, i.e., that one of the parties was married to a third party. United States v. Clifton, 11 M.J. 842 (A.C.M.R.1981), rev’d on other grounds, 15 M.J. 26 (1983). Where an amendment converts a specification which did not allege an offense into one that does, and the defense objects to proceeding, the Charge must be resworn to, and a new Article 32, U.C.M.J., investigation provided for. United States v. Louder, 7 M.J. 548 (A.P.C.M.R.1979), pet. denied, 7 M.J. 328 (1979); United States v. Jones, 50 C.M.R. 724 (A.C.M.R.1975); United States v. Hunotte, 50 C.M.R. 755 (A.C.M.R.1975).

Ill

After both sides had rested on the merits, the members of the court were given the opportunity to ask for additional evidence. They requested that V, the accused’s co-actor testify. During an out-of-court hearing, the military judge determined: that V had already been tried by court-martial for his involvement; that he had been granted testimonial immunity by the convening authority; and that he was available to testify. V was called into the closed session, was sworn, and testified that he did not remember anything about the offenses and he wished to blot them out of his mind. He was shown a statement which he purportedly executed under advisement of rights, and was asked if that statement refreshed his memory. He testified that he still did not remember anything about the offenses; he did not remember making the statement; the signature appeared to be his, and if he made the statement it was obviously true. Based on these affirmations, the military judge admitted the statement into evidence, finding that it was admissible under Mil.R. Evid. 804(b)(3)3 and/or Mil.R.Evid. [910]*910804(b)(5).4 He declared:

Based upon the above, I have determined, first of all, that Staff Sergeant V, the declarant, is unavailable as a witness, as defined in Military Rules of Evidence 804a(3), as he lacks memory of the subject matter of the declarations.
In addition to the above, I am of the opinion that Appellate Exhibit twenty-four, [SSgt V’s statement] was, at the time of its making, a statement against the declarant’s interest, as it subjected him to the possibility of criminal liability. I further find that the nature and proximity in time of the making of the statement are indicative of reliability.
In addition, I find that the statements contained in Appellate Exhibit twenty-four are statements of material facts, that the statements are more probative than any other evidence that the proponent could reasonably procure, as the only other evidence than that of the accused is the alleged victim, who states that she was asleep at the time and unaware of these facts; that the guarantees of trustworthiness are amplified by the general verification of these statements in Appellate Exhibit twenty-five.
I find that the general purpose of the rules in the interest of justice will best be served by admission of the statement into evidence. I conclude that Appellate Exhibit twenty-four would be admissible under Military Rules of Evidence 804(3) generally as a statement against interest and more particularly under the residual hearsay clause in 804(5).
I find that the accused is not denied the right of confrontation due to the inherent trustworthiness of this statement. I find in my own mind that the facts contained in Appellate Exhibit twenty-four are reliable and trustworthy.
Considering the above and the facts that I find, I am additionally of the opinion that Appellate Exhibit twenty-four would be admissible under Military Rule of Evidence 803(5), even considering the Sixth Amendment right of confrontation.

Our review of V’s statement reveals that he swore: that he and the accused had been drinking; they went to the barracks; they came upon a sign on one of the doors stating “come in, party in here;” they entered the room and saw that the lights were on and the victim was in her bed apparently asleep; he exposed his penis; he shook the victim a few times, after which he (V) went around a partition out of the sight of the victim and the accused, and, when he looked back around the partition he observed the accused and the victim engaged in sexual intercourse.

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Bluebook (online)
17 M.J. 907, 1984 CMR LEXIS 4709, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-garrett-usafctmilrev-1984.