United States v. Gaskins

72 M.J. 225, 2013 WL 2319357, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 571
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Armed Forces
DecidedMay 23, 2013
Docket13-0016/AR
StatusPublished
Cited by61 cases

This text of 72 M.J. 225 (United States v. Gaskins) 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. Gaskins, 72 M.J. 225, 2013 WL 2319357, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 571 (Ark. 2013).

Opinions

Judge RYAN

delivered the opinion of the Court.

Contrary to his pleas, a panel composed of officer and enlisted members convicted Appellant of carnal knowledge, in violation of Article 120, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. § 920 (2006), repealed by National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, Pub.L. No. 109-163, § 552, 119 Stat. 3136 (2006), and indecent acts with [227]*227a child and indecent assault, both in violation of Article 134, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 934 (2006).1 At his first sentence hearing, the panel sentenced Appellant to confinement for twelve years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a dishonorable discharge.2 The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence.

Before the United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals (ACCA), Appellant alleged that the omission of a sentencing exhibit— Defense Exhibit (DE) A — from the record of trial constituted a substantial omission rendering the trial record incomplete under Article 54, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. § 854 (2006). On August 27, 2010, the ACCA, sitting en banc, ordered that Appellant’s case be returned to the Army Judge Advocate General for a hearing pursuant to United States v. DuBay, 17 C.M.A. 147, 37 C.M.R. 411 (1967), to determine (1) the exact contents of DE A, (2) whether the omission was substantial, and (3) whether reconstruction of the exhibit was possible. United States v. Gaskins, 69 M.J. 569, 572-73 (A.Ct.Crim.App.2010) (en banc). On December 9, 2010, this Court granted a petition for extraordinary relief to prohibit the ACCA from ordering a DuBay hearing, concluding that a DuBay hearing to reconstruct DE A would be “inappropriate under the facts of this case,” and remanded the case to the ACCA for further consideration of its options. Gaskins v. Hoffman, 69 M.J. 452 (C.A.A.F.2010) (summary disposition). Upon remand, again sitting en banc, the ACCA set aside Appellant’s sentence and authorized a sentence rehearing. United States v. Gaskins, No. ARMY 20080132, 2011 WL 498371, 2011 LEXIS 19 (A.Ct.Crim.App. Feb. 10, 2011) (en banc) (summary disposition) (unpublished).3 On rehearing, the adjudged and approved sentence provided for confinement for nine years, reduction to E-l, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and a dishonorable discharge.

We granted review of the following issues:

I. WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT’S LOSS OF A SENTENCING EXHIBIT RENDERED THE RECORD OF TRIAL INCOMPLETE UNDER ARTICLE 54, UCMJ, RESULTING IN A JURISDICTIONAL LIMITATION ON THE SENTENCE TO ONE NO GREATER THAN THAT WHICH COULD BE APPROVED FOR A NON-VERBATIM RECORD.
II. WHETHER APPELLANT WAIVED THE FAILURE TO PLEAD THE TERMINAL ELEMENT OF THE ARTICLE 134 CHARGES BY HIS FAILURE TO RAISE THAT ISSUE AT THE SENTENCE REHEARING AND IF NOT, WHETHER THOSE CHARGES SHOULD BE DISMISSED BECAUSE THE GOVERNMENT FAILED TO PLEAD THE TERMINAL ELEMENT.4

The sentence limitation urged by Appellant is not compelled by any statute or any Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.), and the ACCA did not abuse its discretion in ordering a rehearing on sentence. However, we disagree with the ACCA that Appellant waived the Government’s failure to plead the terminal element to the Article 134, UCMJ, specifications, and conclude that this error materially prejudiced Appellant’s substantial right to notice. See United States v. Humphries, [228]*22871 M.J. 209 (C.A.A.F.2012). Accordingly, we affirm the ACCA’s decision in part and reverse it in part.

I. FACTS

In February 2007, Appellant was assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization school in Latina, Italy. Sergeant First Class (SFC) S was assigned as Appellant’s sponsor to help him acclimate to the new assignment and the community.

On February 24, 2007, Technical Sergeant (TSGT) Daley, a friend of SFC S, hosted a party at his home. During the party, Appellant brought SFC S’s daughter, TS, who was twelve years old at the time, into a spare bedroom and put his hand down her pants. TS pulled up her shirt, unsnapped her bra, and Appellant started “grabbing on [her] left boob and sucking on it.” After initially saying “No” when Appellant told her that “he wanted to be inside [her],” TS said “fine,” and Appellant penetrated TS’s vagina.

In March 2007, Appellant was reassigned from Latina to Naples, Italy, pending investigation into the incident with TS. In Naples, he met Staff Sergeant (SSG) AD, a fellow noncommissioned officer assigned to his unit. On March 17, 2007, SSG AD ran into Appellant at the Navy Exchange. Because Appellant was new to the area, she invited him to her house so that he could see the area and meet the community. After stopping at SSG AD’s house, they looked at his house and then went to a barbeque. At the end of the night, SSG AD offered to let Appellant stay in her guest room because he had been drinking. Before going to sleep, SSG AD went into the guest room to check on Appellant because she was concerned about how much he had to drink. SSG AD sat down on the foldout couch next to Appellant and asked if he was okay. Appellant then touched SSG AD’s inner thigh and started moving his hand up her leg. SSG AD said “Stop,” but Appellant persisted and penetrated her vagina with his finger. SSG AD pushed Appellant away, but he again penetrated her vagina with his finger. SSG AD then shoved him away more forcefully and left the room.

On February 8, 2008, following a contested trial, a general court-martial composed of officer and enlisted members convicted Appellant of carnal knowledge, in violation of Article 120, UCMJ, and indecent acts with a child and indecent assault, both in violation of Article 134, UCMJ. The panel sentenced Appellant to confinement for twelve years, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, reduction to E-l, and a dishonorable discharge.

During sentencing, Appellant offered the following in mitigation: (1) the testimony of three witnesses about Appellant’s rehabilitative potential; (2) an unsworn statement from Appellant; and (3) a single exhibit — DE A — that was described as a “Good Soldier Book” and contained various documents, such as Appellant’s Marine Corps service record book, photos, awards, college transcripts, letters of commendation, and character letters.

At some point after trial, the Government misplaced DE A, and the exhibit was not included in the authenticated record of trial.5 Defense counsel’s clemency submission to the convening authority described DE A as crucial to Appellant’s sentencing case. Despite the missing exhibit, the convening authority approved the adjudged sentence. The ACCA, however, ultimately set aside Appellant’s sentence and authorized a sentence rehearing. Gaskins, 2011 LEXIS 19, at *3, 2011WL 498371, at *1.6

Appellant’s sentence rehearing was held on October 18, 2011. The defense filed a motion to limit the maximum punishment to that which is permitted under R.C.M.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
72 M.J. 225, 2013 WL 2319357, 2013 CAAF LEXIS 571, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-gaskins-armfor-2013.