United States v. Jorell

73 M.J. 878, 2014 CCA LEXIS 656, 2014 WL 4799014
CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedAugust 27, 2014
DocketACM 38061 (recon)
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 73 M.J. 878 (United States v. Jorell) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Jorell, 73 M.J. 878, 2014 CCA LEXIS 656, 2014 WL 4799014 (afcca 2014).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT UPON RECONSIDERATION

PER CURIAM:

Contrary.to his pleas, the appellant was convicted by a general court-martial composed of officer and enlisted members of one specification of aggravated sexual contact with a child under the age of 12 years and one specification of assault consummated by a battery upon a child under the age of 16 years, in violation of Articles 120 and 128, UCMJ, 10 U.S.C. §§ 920, 928. Consistent with his pleas, he was found not guilty of a second specification under Article 128, UCMJ. The court adjudged a bad-conduct discharge, confinement for 3 years, and reduction to E-l. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.

Procedural History

On 25 June 2013, the Secretary of Defense, “[pjursuant to [his] authority under title 5, United States Code, section 3101 et seq.,” issued a memorandum that “appointed] Mr. Laurence M. Soybel, a civilian employee of the Department of the Air Force, to serve as appellate military judge on the Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals.” Memorandum from Sec’y of Def. Chuck Hagel for See’y of the Air Force Eric Fanning (25 June 2013).

The appellant originally raised on appeal: (1) two issues related to Mil. R. Evid. 610; (2) a claim that the evidence was factually insufficient; and (3) a claim that the military judge should have granted a mistrial due to improper argument by trial counsel.

On 29 July 2013, we issued a decision affirming the approved findings and sentence in the appellant’s case. United States v. Jorell, 72 M.J. 712 (A.F.Ct.Crim.App.2013). Pursuant to his appointment by the Secretary of Defense, Mr. Soybel was a member of that panel. The appellant petitioned our superior court for review of his case and filed a motion to vacate with our Court. On 31 October 2013, our superior court dismissed that petition for review without prejudice. United States v. Jorell, 73 M.J. 92 (C.A.A.F.2013) (mem.). On 15 April 2014, our superior court issued its decision in United States v. Janssen, 73 M.J. 221, 225 (C.A.A.F.2014), holding that the Secretary of Defense did not have the legislative authority to appoint appellate military judges and that his appointment of Mr. Soybel to this Court was “invalid and of no effect.”

In light of Janssen, we granted reconsideration in the appellant’s case on 29 April 2014 and permitted the appellant to file a supplemental assignment of errors. The appellant submitted a supplemental assignment of errors asserting he is entitled to relief due to excessive post-trial processing delays. With a properly constituted panel, we have reviewed the appellant’s case, to include the appellant’s previous and current filings and *882 the previous opinion issued by this Court. Finding no error that materially prejudices a substantial right of the appellant, we affirm the findings and sentence.

Military Rule of Evidence 610 — Religious Beliefs or Opinions

The appellant’s offenses stem from events which occurred at his house when his young daughter, AJ, had two of her friends, ASW and ALT, over for a slumber party. The appellant was convicted of sexually assaulting ASW and assaulting ALT.

The appellant raised two issues related to Mil. R. Evid. 610: (1) that the military judge erred in ruling that Mil. R. Evid. 610 applied to ASW and in not allowing the defense to question her about her Wieean beliefs, such as having the ability turn people into frogs and other “fantastical” beliefs; and (2) that trial defense counsel were ineffective for failing to obtain expert assistance about the Wicca religion to support their argument that Mil. R. Evid. 610 did not apply to ASW.

ASW testified that she practices Wicca. Anticipating she would testify that the appellant touched her inappropriately several times while she slept, trial defense counsel sought to cross-examine her on her religious beliefs. Their basic theory was that because her beliefs were so unrealistic, her testimony on the merits should not be believed. The military judge granted the Government’s motion in limine, citing Mil. R. Evid. 610 as a basis for disallowing this line of questioning.

During the motions hearing, ASW testified about some of her beliefs. She testified she believed that Wiccans, also called witches, could cast spells and make inanimate objects move, and that she had heard of witches having the power to kill other people. She said that even though she had never tried these types of spells, they were indeed part of her religious beliefs and her understanding of the Wieean religion. ASW also testified she believed there were good witches and bad witches.

The defense argued that the Sixth Amendment 1 gave the appellant a. right to confront ASW about her beliefs. Specifically, trial defense counsel argued that because ASW had never engaged in any Wieean activities and only decided to become a Wieean after watching a cartoon about it, it was “not an actual establish[ed] religion [and] in that respect ... [Mil. R. Evid.] 610 is not applicable.” The defense also argued that some of ASWs asserted beliefs, such as Wieean ability to cast spells to physically change another person into a frog, were not part of the Wieean religion. Accordingly, they argued that cross-examining her on those beliefs would not invoke Mil. R. Evid. 610, and it was error for the military judge to apply it to prevent questioning her on these beliefs.

The defense further argued that ASWs stated beliefs, not being actual Wieean beliefs, showed she was detached from reality or delusional and accordingly, her testimony about the appellant’s actions would not be credible. While claiming these beliefs were not part of the Wieean religion, the defense never questioned the sincerity of ASWs beliefs; rather they focused on whether her stated beliefs were actually part of the Wic-can religion.

We review “a military judge’s decision to admit or exclude evidence for an abuse of discretion.” United States v. White, 69 M.J. 236, 239 (C.A.A.F.2010). An abuse of discretion occurs when the findings of fact are clearly erroneous or the conclusions of law are based on an erroneous view of the law. United States v. Hollis, 57 M.J. 74, 79 (C.A.A.F.2002). “The abuse of discretion standard is a strict one, calling for more than a mere difference of opinion. The challenged action must be ‘arbitrary, fanciful, clearly unreasonable,’ or ‘clearly erroneous.’ ” United States v. McElhaney, 54 M.J. 120, 130 (C.A.A.F.2000) (quoting United States v. Miller, 46 M.J. 63, 65 (C.A.A.F.1997); United States v. Travers, 25 M.J. 61, 62 (C.M.A.1987)).

The military judge granted the prosecution’s motion in limine and did not allow the defense to question ASW about the religion of “Wicca and anything related to it.” In doing so, he also found that the evidence was not relevant under Mil. R. Evid. 401 as to ASWs ability to perceive, and he performed *883 the Mil. R. Evid.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
73 M.J. 878, 2014 CCA LEXIS 656, 2014 WL 4799014, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-jorell-afcca-2014.