United States v. Roberts

CourtCourt of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit
DecidedJune 26, 2024
Docket23-7037
StatusUnpublished

This text of United States v. Roberts (United States v. Roberts) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Roberts, (10th Cir. 2024).

Opinion

Appellate Case: 23-7037 Document: 010111070657 Date Filed: 06/26/2024 Page: 1 FILED United States Court of Appeals Tenth Circuit UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS June 26, 2024 FOR THE TENTH CIRCUIT _________________________________ Christopher M. Wolpert Clerk of Court UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,

Plaintiff - Appellee,

v. No. 23-7037 (D.C. No. 6:21-CR-00180-DCJ-1) ROY LEE ROBERTS, JR., (E.D. Okla.)

Defendant - Appellant. _________________________________

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* _________________________________

Before PHILLIPS, KELLY, and FEDERICO, Circuit Judges. _________________________________

In November 2022, Roy Lee Roberts, Jr. was convicted by a jury of

three crimes: two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country

(Counts 1 and 2) and one count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian

Country (Count 4). As a result, the district court sentenced him to life

imprisonment on Counts 1 and 2 and 180 months on Count 4, with the

sentences to run concurrently. On direct appeal, Roberts raises four trial

* This order and judgment is not binding precedent, except under the

doctrines of law of the case, res judicata, and collateral estoppel. It may be cited, however, for its persuasive value consistent with Federal Rule of Appellate Procedure 32.1 and Tenth Circuit Rule 32.1. Appellate Case: 23-7037 Document: 010111070657 Date Filed: 06/26/2024 Page: 2

errors that he says warrant a new trial. Two purported errors relate to

alleged “character evidence” — bad character evidence about him and good

character evidence about a government witness — which he argues was

improperly admitted into evidence and prejudiced him. A third error raised

is that the prosecution made improper remarks during closing argument by

misstating the testimony of both minor victims. Finally, Roberts argues the

cumulative error doctrine requires that he be granted a new trial.

We have jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1291. Having considered the

record and arguments in full, we discern no error and affirm the judgment.

I

In May 2021, a grand jury returned an indictment charging Roberts

with three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse in Indian Country in

violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2241(c), 2246(2)(B), 1151, and 1153. In January

2022, a grand jury returned a superseding indictment, which realleged the

three counts and added a fourth count of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian

Country in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2243(a), 2246(2)(B), 1151, and 1153.

The initial indictment named R.R. as the victim for Counts One, Two, and

Three, and the superseding indictment named C.R. as the victim for Count

Four. R.R. and C.R. are Roberts’ biological sons.

2 Appellate Case: 23-7037 Document: 010111070657 Date Filed: 06/26/2024 Page: 3

In November 2022, a two-day jury trial occurred, and five witnesses

were called by the prosecution: Roberts’ two victims, his cousin, a forensic

interviewer, and an expert on child sexual abuse.

One of Roberts’ victims, R.R., testified first. At the time of the trial,

R.R. was ten years old. Notably, he changed his name because he did not

want to be named after his father. R.R. testified that one summer night in

2017, while at Roberts’ home, he awoke needing a glass of water. He then

went into the living room and saw Roberts, Brittany Roberts,1 and C.R. with

their clothes “halfway” on. R.IV at 64. Roberts told R.R. to go back to bed

and they never discussed what had happened.

Brittany died in December 2017, after which R.R. lived at his

grandfather’s house with his siblings and Roberts for a couple of weeks. R.R.

testified that one night, Roberts woke him up while they were sleeping in

the same bed and sexually abused him. R.R. said that this abuse occurred

1 Brittany, Roberts’ late wife, was the biological mother of R.R. and

A.R., but not of C.R. A.R. is also Roberts’ biological son. Roberts was not charged with any offenses against A.R.

Brittany died in a motor vehicle accident in December 2017 when Roberts, driving intoxicated, crashed with her in the passenger seat. Roberts was convicted of manslaughter as a result, but the jury in this case did not hear any details of this.

3 Appellate Case: 23-7037 Document: 010111070657 Date Filed: 06/26/2024 Page: 4

after Brittany died but before Melanie Henry, Roberts’ cousin, took custody

of him.

Henry testified after R.R. and began by stating that she has been a

first-grade teacher in Wister, Oklahoma, for 22 years. Her husband, Jason

Henry, is also a teacher and he coaches basketball in Cameron, Oklahoma.

Henry testified that she and her husband have no biological children

together and that, in June 2020, they formally adopted R.R. and A.R.

Henry described R.R. as “a basketball star” who is “gifted and

talented.” Id. at 112. She also described him as “very, very smart,” and “very

Christian,” and that he wants to do “big things in life.” Id. As for activities,

Henry testified that she and the children go to basketball games and the

movie theatre, as well as go horseback riding and ride four-wheelers. She

also testified that they go to church “two or three times a week.” Id. at 114.

About her relationship with Roberts, Henry testified that although

she is his cousin, she and Roberts did not “hang out” while growing up. Id.

at 114–15. Moreover, she and Roberts did not have each other’s phone

numbers and did not spend time together as adults, seeing each other

roughly twice per year. When the prosecution asked Henry when R.R. and

A.R. moved out of Roberts’ home, Henry responded that the children moved

out in December 2017, after the death of their mother.

4 Appellate Case: 23-7037 Document: 010111070657 Date Filed: 06/26/2024 Page: 5

Henry testified that R.R. and A.R. came to live with her on February

25, 2019. A “common cousin” of Roberts and Henry had called Henry and

asked her to take in the children. Id. at 120–21. Henry then called Roberts

and they had two conversations before she picked up R.R. and A.R. Both the

conversations and the pick-up occurred on the same day. The prosecution

asked, “Where were you able to pick the boys up?” Id. at 122. Henry

answered, “We met on the side of I-40 in Okemah, Oklahoma.” Id. The

prosecution asked, “Just on the side of the road?” Id. She responded, “Uh-

huh.” Id.

When asked why Roberts gave her the children, she testified that “[h]e

was trying to get a job at the time” and “get on his feet,” by getting a house.

Id.

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United States v. Roberts, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-roberts-ca10-2024.