United States v. White Bull

646 F.3d 1082, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 1235, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 15369, 2011 WL 3055305
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
DecidedJuly 26, 2011
Docket10-2245
StatusPublished
Cited by47 cases

This text of 646 F.3d 1082 (United States v. White Bull) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Eighth 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. White Bull, 646 F.3d 1082, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 1235, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 15369, 2011 WL 3055305 (8th Cir. 2011).

Opinion

SHEPHERD, Circuit Judge.

A jury convicted Glen White Bull of five counts of aggravated sexual abuse under 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c). The district court sentenced White Bull to concurrent sentences of 360 months imprisonment for each count. White Bull appeals, claiming the district court committed numerous trial and sentencing errors. We affirm in part, reverse in part, and remand with instructions.

I.

We recite the facts in the light most favorable to the jury’s verdict. Beginning in 2005, White Bull lived in a home on the Standing Rock Indian Reservation in Fort Yates, North Dakota, with his girlfriend, Danielle Plenty Chief. Plenty Chiefs children also lived in the home, including the victim of the convicted offenses, S.C.G.l.

On March 9, 2009, White Bull and Plenty Chief were married. The morning after the wedding, Plenty Chief awoke in her bedroom and could not find White Bull. Plenty Chief then asked one of her children, S.C.G.2., to look for White Bull. Eventually, S.C.G.2. walked into the basement of the Fort Yates home, where she observed S.C.G.l., who was nine years old at the time, lying on the floor with White Bull on top of her. S.C.G.l.’s pants were “by her knees,” and White Bull was leaning over her with his pants “below his thighs somewhere.” S.C.G.l. testified that during this incident, her pants and underwear were down and that White Bull was touching her “private part.”

After S.C.G.2. discovered White Bull with S.C.G.l., she immediately took S.C.G.l. to Plenty Chiefs bedroom to explain what she had seen. White Bull followed, and when Plenty Chief asked him what had happened, he denied having been in the basement with S.C.G.l. At some point during the discussion in the bedroom, S.C.G.l. said, “Mom. This wasn’t the first time.” Neither Plenty Chief nor anyone else in the Fort Yates home called the police that morning and White Bull continued to live with Plenty Chief and her children.

On April 26, 2009, Plenty Chief again asked White Bull about the incident with S.C.G.l. This discussion led to a physical altercation, and Plenty Chief called the police. After the police arrived, Plenty Chief told them about the March 10 incident.

Three days later, Paula Condol, a forensic interviewer at the Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center in Bismark, North Dako *1087 ta, interviewed S.C.G.l. regarding the allegations of sexual abuse. During this interview, S.C.G.l. wrote on a sheet of paper that “it happen [sic] when we went horse riding and on the weit [sic] bench 3 times and on the floor in the basement.” S.C.G.l. also circled the genital area of a gender-neutral body diagram to indicate where White Bull had touched her. The Government then filed an indictment against White Bull, charging him with five counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child which represented the five separate incidents described by S.C.G.l. After a two-day trial, the jury returned a guilty verdict for each of the five counts.

II.

White Bull claims the district court committed trial error by: 1) denying his motion for judgment of acquittal based on insufficient evidence; 2) admitting prejudicial hearsay testimony; and 3) failing to conduct an evidentiary hearing into possible juror misconduct.

A.

White Bull argues that the evidence at trial was insufficient to convict him of five counts of aggravated sexual abuse under section 2241(e). We review the denial of a motion for a judgment of acquittal under a de novo standard of review. United States v. Espinosa, 585 F.3d 418, 423 (8th Cir.2009). “In reviewing for sufficiency of the evidence, we view the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, and we will ‘overturn a conviction only if no reasonable jury could have concluded that the defendant was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt on each essential element of the charge.’ ” United States v. Kenyon, 397 F.3d 1071, 1076 (8th Cir.2005) (quotation omitted). Moreover, we consider “the same quantum of evidence” that was presented at trial, even if some of the evidence was improperly admitted. Id. (quoting Lockhart v. Nelson, 488 U.S. 33, 40-42, 109 S.Ct. 285, 102 L.Ed.2d 265 (1988)); see also United States v. Peneaux, 432 F.3d 882, 889 (8th Cir.2005). Finally, “we note that a victim’s testimony alone can be sufficient to prove aggravated sexual abuse.” United States v. DeCoteau, 630 F.3d 1091,1097 (8th Cir.2011).

An individual violates section 2241(c) if he or she “knowingly engages in a sexual act with another person who has not attained the age of 12 years ... or attempts to do so.” 18 U.S.C. § 2241(c). The statute defines a “sexual act” to include “contact between the penis and vulva” which “occurs upon penetration, however slight” as well as “the intentional touching, not through the clothing, of the genitalia of another person who has not attained the age of 16 years with an intent to abuse, humiliate, harass, degrade, or arouse or gratify the sexual desire of any person.” 18 U.S.C. § 2246(2)(A), (D).

In this case, the jury did not specify whether it found White Bull guilty of “knowingly engaging in a sexual act” or merely attempting to do so. As a result, we may uphold the verdict if the evidence is sufficient to support White Bull’s conviction under either theory. See United States v. Papakee, 573 F.3d 569, 574 (8th Cir.2009).

1.

Count 5 of the indictment alleged that White Bull committed aggravated sexual abuse on March 10, 2009, in the basement of the Fort Yates home. White Bull argues that the evidence to support his conviction for count 5 was insufficient because the evidence of actual or attempted touching, not through the clothing, of S.C.G.l.’s genitalia was conflicting and not anatomi *1088 cally specific enough to support his conviction. 1

White Bull’s first contention — that the evidence at trial was insufficient for a conviction of aggravated sexual abuse because it was conflicting — can be quickly dismissed. At trial, S.C.G.l. testified that her clothes were “on all the way” while she was lying down on the floor of the basement and White Bull was touching her with his “middle.” A few questions later, however, S.C.G.l. said that her pants and her underwear were down at this time. S.C.G.l. further testified that while her pants and underwear were down, White Bull was touching her “private part.”

Even assuming this testimony is inconsistent, it can still constitute sufficient evidence to support White Bull’s conviction for count 5. See United, States v. Lohnes, 554 F.3d 1166, 1169 (8th Cir.2009); Kenyon, 397 F.3d at 1076.

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Bluebook (online)
646 F.3d 1082, 85 Fed. R. Serv. 1235, 2011 U.S. App. LEXIS 15369, 2011 WL 3055305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-white-bull-ca8-2011.