United States v. Martindale

36 M.J. 870, 1993 CMR LEXIS 165, 1993 WL 32313
CourtU.S. Navy-Marine Corps Court of Military Review
DecidedJanuary 11, 1993
DocketNMCM 85 0771S
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 36 M.J. 870 (United States v. Martindale) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering U.S. Navy-Marine Corps 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. Martindale, 36 M.J. 870, 1993 CMR LEXIS 165, 1993 WL 32313 (usnmcmilrev 1993).

Opinion

MOLLISON, Judge:

This remand addresses three principal issues: (1) whether an alleged child abuse victim’s out-of-court statement to agents of the Naval Investigative Service (NIS) was admitted in evidence in violation of the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution, (2) whether the same statement was properly admitted under the residual hearsay exceptions to the rule against hearsay, and (3) whether an accused’s prosecution was barred by the Secretary of the Navy instruction establishing policies for the Family Advocacy Program.

Background

The appellant confessed to sexual abuse of his learning-disabled son. He was tried by a general court-martial composed of officer members. As proof of the appellant’s crimes, the Government offered the appellant’s confession to NIS and a transcript of an NIS interview with his alleged victim. The transcript of the corroborating out-of-court statement was offered under the residual hearsay exceptions to the hearsay rule. Mil.R.Evid. 802, 803(24), 804(b)(5). The appellant objected to the alleged victim’s out-of-court statement on grounds it did not qualify for admission under the exceptions. Mil.R.Evid. 103(a)(1). He also moved to suppress his confession on grounds it was uncorroborated. Manual for Courts-Martial, United States, 1969 (Rev.), 1169A; Mil.R.Evid. 304(a), (g). The military judge denied the motion to suppress and admitted both items in evidence. Mil.R.Evid. 104(a), 304(d)(4). The appellant pled not guilty. Based on this evidence, the appellant was convicted of two specifications of attempted anal sodomy with a child, 13 specifications of oral sodomy with a child, and one specification of indecent acts with a child in violation of Articles 80, 125, and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 880, 925, 934, respectively. The appellant was sentenced on 19 March 1984 to confinement for five years, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a dishonorable discharge. The convening authority approved the sentence as adjudged.

This Court affirmed the appellant’s conviction and sentence on 30 December 1985. After remand from the United States Court of Military Appeals, this Court again affirmed on 6 January 1989. The Court of Military Appeals also affirmed on 12 June 1990. 30 M.J. 172. However, on 19 September 1990, after the United States Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Idaho v. Wright, 497 U.S. 805, 110 S.Ct. 3139, 111 L.Ed.2d 638 (1990), Cie Court of Military Appeals granted the appellant’s motion for reconsideration, set aside this Court’s second affirmance, and remanded the record a second time for consideration of these two issues:

I. WHETHER THE TRANSCRIPT OF AN ORAL UNSWORN STATEMENT OF THE VICTIM WAS ADMISSIBLE UNDER IDAHO v. WRIGHT, 497 U.S. 805, 110 S.Ct. 3139, 111 L.Ed.2d 638 (1990).
[873]*873II. WHETHER APPELLANT’S PROSECUTION VIOLATED SECRETARY OF THE NAVY INSTRUCTION 1752.3.

32 M.J. 33 (C.M.A.1990) (summary disposition).

Idaho v. Wright interprets the application of the Confrontation Clause to out-of-court statements introduced under exceptions to the rule against hearsay, whereas, the aforementioned Secretary of the Navy instruction established the Family Advocacy Program policy within the Department of the Navy.

The material facts of the case have been fully set forth in the Court of Military Appeals’ affirmance (30 M.J. at 173-75) and, therefore, will not be restated, except as may be necessary to our resolution of the issues.

We conclude that the admission of the child victim’s out-of-court statement did not violate the Confrontation Clause, as interpreted in Idaho v. Wright; that the military judge did not abuse his discretion in admitting the child’s out-of-court statement under the residual hearsay exceptions to the hearsay rule; and, that the appellant’s prosecution did not violate Secretary of the Navy Instruction 1752.3. Accordingly, we again affirm the appellant’s conviction and sentence.

I.

The Confrontation Clause

The Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the Constitution provides: “In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right ... to be confronted with the witnesses against him.” U.S. Const, amend. VI, cl. 5. The Confrontation Clause’s origins are ancient. Coy v. Iowa, 487 U.S. 1012, 1015-16, 108 S.Ct. 2798, 2800, 101 L.Ed.2d 857 (1988). The Confrontation Clause envisions:

a personal examination and cross-examination of the witness, in which the accused has an opportunity, not only of testing the recollection and sifting the conscience of the witness, but of compelling him to stand face to face with the jury in order that they may look at him, and judge by his demeanor upon the stand and the manner in which he gives his testimony whether he is worthy of belief.

Mattox v. United States, 156 U.S. 237, 242-43, 15 S.Ct. 337, 339, 39 L.Ed. 409 (1895). The Confrontation Clause bars the admission of some, but not all, evidence that would otherwise be admissible under an exception to the hearsay rule. Wright, 497 U.S. at 812-14, 110 S.Ct. at 3145-46. When evidence is admitted contrary to the Confrontation Clause, the error is of constitutional proportions, and the conviction must be reversed by the reviewing court unless the error is harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. Delaware v. Van Arsdall, 475 U.S. 673, 684, 106 S.Ct. 1431, 1438, 89 L.Ed.2d 674 (1986); United States v. Greer, 33 M.J. 426, 431 (C.M.A.1991).

“[Cjonfrontation Clause cases fall into two broad categories: cases involving the admission of out-of-court statements and cases involving restrictions imposed by law or by the trial court on the scope of cross-examination.” Delaware v. Fensterer, 474 U.S. 15, 18, 106 S.Ct. 292, 293, 88 L.Ed.2d 15 (1985) (per curiam). In Ohio v. Roberts, 448 U.S. 56, 100 S.Ct. 2531, 65 L.Ed.2d 597 (1980), the United States Supreme Court considered the first category. There it set forth a general approach for determining when incriminating out-of-court statements, otherwise admissible under an exception to the hearsay rule, may be admitted without violating the Confrontation Clause. In order for such hearsay to be admitted without violating the Confrontation Clause, the hearsay must have “indicia of reliability.” “Indicia of reliability” may be found: (1) when the hearsay falls within a firmly-rooted exception to the rule against hearsay, or (2) when it is supported by “a showing of particularized guarantees of trustworthiness.” Roberts, 448 U.S. at 66, 100 S.Ct. at 2539. In Idaho v. Wright, the Supreme Court further held that the totality of the circumstances should be considered when determining whether there are particularized guarantees of trustworthiness, but these circumstances are limit[874]

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Bluebook (online)
36 M.J. 870, 1993 CMR LEXIS 165, 1993 WL 32313, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-martindale-usnmcmilrev-1993.