Saffold v. State
Saffold v. State
Opinion
The appellant, Bobby Aaron Saffold, was convicted of second degree rape, in violation of §
The state's evidence tended to show that the victim in this case was 13 years old at the time of the rape. During the summer of 1991, the victim was living with her father and her stepmother in Coosa County, Alabama. The appellant was the victim's stepbrother, and he was 30 years old at the time of the rape. The victim and the appellant were acquainted, and the appellant frequently visited the house where the victim lived.
On the morning of July 5, 1991, the victim was watching television alone at her father's house. At approximately 10:45 a.m., the appellant came into the house. A short time later, the appellant approached the victim and pushed her onto the couch. The victim testified that she tried to kick the appellant and that she screamed at him to get off of her. The victim said that the appellant pinned her legs down and held her wrists. The appellant then pulled the victim's shorts and panties off and unzipped his own pants. The appellant told the victim that he would let her go if she kissed him. She kissed him on the cheek. She stated that the appellant then said, "That wasn't good enough," and that he then penetrated her. Afterwards, the victim got up and put her clothes on. She went outside and sat down on the patio. The appellant approached her and told her that he was sorry and then left.
Audra Saffold, the appellant's sister, confirmed that she had left the victim alone on the morning of the rape. She testified that, as she was returning to the house, she saw the appellant driving away.
The victim's father later took the victim to be examined by Dr. Charles Camp. At approximately 3:00 or 3:30 p.m., on July 5, 1991, Dr. Camp performed a pelvic examination and collected evidence for the rape kit. He testified that the sperm he collected were nonmotile and he concluded that the victim had not had intercourse within three to four hours before he examined her. He admitted that a high level of acid in the victim's vagina could have killed the sperm in a shorter period of time. Dr. Camp did not note any physical signs of trauma other than a bruise on the victim's knee, but he said that he did not expect to find any signs of trauma if the rape occurred as the victim had described it.
Elaine Scott, a forensic serologist with the Department of Forensic Sciences, also testified for the state. She testified that she had performed a DNA analysis, comparing a sample of the appellant's blood with the semen included in the rape kit that had been given to her. She found a match between the blood sample and the semen on all three of the DNA sites tested.
The statute defining second degree rape, §
"(a) A male commits the crime of rape in the second degree if:
"(1) Being 16 years old or older, he engages in sexual intercourse with a female less than 16 and more than 12 years old; provided, however, the actor is at least two years older than the female."
When considering a sufficiency issue, a reviewing court views the evidence in the light most favorable to the state.Colvette v. State,
The "weight of the evidence" refers to " 'a determination [by] the trier of fact that a greater amount of credible evidence supports one side of an issue or cause than the other.' " Tibbs v. Florida,
Based on the facts recited above, there was sufficient evidence presented to the jury for it to find the appellant guilty of second degree rape. Therefore, no reversible error occurred here.
The appellant's trial began on September 1, 1992, only seven days after the results of the DNA test became available. However, the appellant did not request a continuance and there was no other discussion of the timeliness of the discovery until the second day of the trial. During this discussion, the appellant did not allege any error in the discovery proceedings. Also during the second day of trial, the trial court entertained the appellant's motion to suppress the state's DNA evidence. At this time the trial court granted the appellant's motion to suppress as to any testimony concerning population genetics or frequency statistics. However, the appellant withdrew his motion to suppress as *Page 1110 it related to the "matching" portion of the DNA test and that testimony was admitted without objection.
Therefore, any issue concerning the state's compliance with discovery as it relates to the results of the DNA test and the admission of those results is being raised for the first time on appeal and is therefore procedurally barred. Donahoo v.State,
The appellant also contends that the state failed to lay the correct foundation or predicate before the admission of the DNA test results. However, no objection was made concerning this issue and so this issue is being raised for the first time on appeal. Therefore, the issue is procedurally barred.Goodson, supra.
For the foregoing reasons, the judgment in this cause is due to be, and it is hereby, affirmed.
AFFIRMED.
All the Judges concur.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Bobby Aaron Saffold v. State.
- Cited By
- 14 cases
- Status
- Published