United States v. Ureta

41 M.J. 571, 1994 CCA LEXIS 20, 1994 WL 687631
CourtUnited States Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedNovember 3, 1994
DocketACM 30274
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 41 M.J. 571 (United States v. Ureta) 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. Ureta, 41 M.J. 571, 1994 CCA LEXIS 20, 1994 WL 687631 (afcca 1994).

Opinions

OPINION OF THE COURT

BECKER, Judge:

Despite his pleas, a general court-martial composed of members convicted the appellant of one specification of rape and one specification of carnal knowledge in violation of Article 120, UCMJ,1 and one specification of indecent acts with a child in violation of Article 134, UCMJ.2 In each instance, the appellant’s alleged victim was his adolescent daughter, whom we will refer to as “K.” The court sentenced the appellant to a bad-eon-duct discharge, confinement for 10 years, and reduction to the grade of E-l. Appellant makes twelve assignments of error, four of which we will discuss. Three of these allege the military judge erred in admitting statements of K into evidence as exceptions to the rule against hearsay. The other alleges the military judge erred by ruling on a motion for a finding of not guilty as to the rape specification in such a way that he created a new specification alleging carnal knowledge. We resolve all of the hearsay issues against the appellant, and affirm his convictions of rape and indecent acts. However, we find the military judge committed plain error requiring us to set aside the carnal knowledge conviction and dismiss that specification. This, in turn, requires us to reassess the appellant’s sentence.

I. BACKGROUND

K and her family lived on Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany. On the afternoon of 17 March 1992, K (who was, at this time, 13 years old) confided to her best friend, JH, that her father had been “messing” with her and that she did not want to go home. JH asked if K wanted to talk to JH’s mother, and K agreed. After listening to K, Mrs. H contacted Security Police at Rhein-Main. Mrs. H and K eventually were referred to Special Agent Dick of the Rhein-Main detachment of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI). Agent Dick and another AFOSI agent interviewed K for about thirty minutes, during which K repeated her accusations of sexual abuse by her father. Agent Dick then asked K if she would consent to a medical examination, informing K that these types of allegations required the gathering of medical evidence. K agreed.

On 18 March 1992, Agent Dick and Mrs. H accompanied K to the Rhein-Main base hospital where K saw Doctor Boos, an Air Force pediatrician. Before K’s arrival, AFOSI had briefed Doctor Boos on K’s allegations. Doctor Boos had experience in cases of suspected sexual abuse of children, to include an appreciation that what K told him might be admissible as evidence in a subsequent court-martial. When K arrived at the hospital, Doctor Boos introduced himself to her as a pediatrician. He informed her that he needed to find out if any harm had come to her, if she was hurt, if she had caught any infections or had other medical problems, and, to do his best job, he needed to hear her story. K then told Doctor Boos that her father, the accused, had been touching her sexually and having sexual intercourse with her since she was nine years old. K also described to Doctor Boos physical abuse by her mother. Doctor Boos conducted a pelvic examination of K, which revealed notching of K’s hymen and a papule located on her labia majora. According to Doctor Boos, the condition of K’s hymen was consistent with sexual intercourse and the papule might have been [574]*574caused by a sexually transmitted virus. However, the notching of the hymen could have been caused by something other than sexual activity, and the cause of the papule could not be confirmed because K had declined to appear for further examinations. Doctor Boos also took specimens and ordered tests for other sexually transmitted diseases, which yielded negative results.

Following Doctor Boos’ examination, K, Mrs. H, and Agent Dick returned to the AFOSI office. K was again interviewed and repeated the allegations of sexual abuse by her father. This time, Agent Dick recorded the interview on videotape.

Also on 18 March 1992, K met with Captain Rohback, a social worker assigned as Family Advocacy Officer at Rhein-Main. Air Force regulations required Captain Rohback to gather information on allegations of child sexual abuse, formulate risk assessments, and provide therapy and other treatment as needed. Captain Rohback introduced himself to K, and informed her that he needed to gather information relating to her allegations. He told K that his purpose was to assess the risk she faced, help protect her, assist her in dealing with complications, discomfort and emotional problems, and provide for any treatment she might need. Captain Rohback told K that he needed to understand from her why she was out of her home, and that listening to her would help him understand her needs. K then described acts of sexual abuse by her father, consistent with what she had told Doctor Boos and Agent Dick. Captain Rohback and K met five more times, on 19 and 20 March, 9 and 13 April, and 19 May 1992. During these sessions, K reaffirmed her descriptions of sexual abuse by the accused. She also related attempts by other family members to persuade her to take back her accusations.

Charges of rape, attempted forcible sodomy, and indecent acts with a child were preferred against the accused on 23 March 1992. Shortly before the Article 32, UCMJ,3 investigation into the charges, K retained the services of an American civilian lawyer practicing in Germany. On K’s behalf, this lawyer submitted a letter to Air Force legal authorities to the effect that K would assert her right under German law to refuse to either testify or submit to interviews concerning allegations against her father. Attached to this letter was a statement, apparently signed by K, recanting all of her prior accusations of sexual abuse. In this statement, K said she had made up the “lies” as a means of forcing her father to pay attention to the abusive situation created by her mother.

In an initial Article 39(a), UCMJ,4 session, the defense moved in limine to exclude various hearsay declarations from K, including the videotaped interview with AFOSI and her statements to Doctor Boos and Captain Rohback. Both sides agreed that K could not be compelled to testify against her father under German law, that the prosecution had attempted to obtain K’s presence by sending a letter and invitational travel orders to her through her attorney, and that K had not responded. In addition, civilian defense counsel stated “I will concede on behalf of the defense for purposes of your ruling on availability versus unavailability, that as a factual matter were [K] to be called to the stand she would refuse to testify.” R 12. The military judge eventually ruled that K was unavailable as a witness.

After hearing testimony from Doctor Boos and Agent Dick, and making essential findings of fact,5 the military judge admitted K’s videotaped interview under the so-called “residual hearsay” exception at Mil.R.Evid. 804(b)(5), and her declarations to Doctor Boos as statements for purposes of medical diagnosis or treatment under Mil.R.Evid. 803(4). The trial counsel announced that he did not intend to offer testimony from Captain Rohback, and the military judge did not rule on that aspect of the defense motion. Later in the trial, however, the court members requested Captain Rohback’s testimony. The defense renewed its objection. After hearing Captain Rohback’s testimony in an Article 39(a) session and making essential [575]

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Bluebook (online)
41 M.J. 571, 1994 CCA LEXIS 20, 1994 WL 687631, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-ureta-afcca-1994.