Commonwealth v. Benedito
Commonwealth v. Benedito
Opinion
*548 While the defendant was naked, he kissed his girlfriend's sister on the mouth, without insertion or attempted insertion of the tongue, while she was sleeping and without her consent. The question is whether such circumstances present sufficient evidence for a conviction of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of fourteen, in violation of G. L. c. 265, § 13H. We conclude that they do and affirm the judgment.
Background
. Viewed in the "light most favorable to the Commonwealth," the jury could have found as follows. See
Commonwealth
v.
Latimore
,
At some point in the night, the victim awoke to the defendant kissing her on the lips. The defendant was naked, kneeling next to the couch, and hovering over the victim. The victim stood up and shouted, "What are you doing? Why are you doing this?" The defendant replied, "I couldn't help myself. I didn't know what I was doing."
The victim immediately went to Maricel's bedroom for help. Maricel, who was woken up by the victim's screaming, went into the living room and saw the defendant unclothed, who by that time had a towel wrapped around his waist. 3 The defendant then apologized. The victim did not feel comfortable remaining in the apartment and left within minutes of informing Maricel about the incident. The victim and Maricel reported the incident to the police. The defendant was convicted of indecent assault and battery on a person over the age of fourteen.
Discussion
. The defendant contends that his motion for a required finding of not guilty should have been allowed because the Commonwealth failed to offer
*144
sufficient evidence to prove the element of indecency. "To prove indecent assault and battery on a person age fourteen or older, the Commonwealth is required to establish that the defendant committed 'an intentional, unprivileged, and indecent touching of the victim.' "
Commonwealth
v.
Kennedy
,
The defendant argues that our case law has given examples of facts and circumstances giving rise to an indecent assault not present here, including: forced insertion of a tongue during a kiss; considerable disparity in age (where the defendant was an adult and the victim was a minor), experience or sophistication between the defendant and alleged victim; disparity in authority (where the defendant was in a familial authority over the victim); the defendant's hands on a victim's chest or "private area"; the victim telling the defendant to stop; forced contact; and sexually aggressive behavior. See
Castillo
,
Our case law recognizes the mouth is an "intimate part of the body," as "the vast majority of people are very discriminating in who they allow to touch ... this bodily orifice."
Commonwealth
v.
Rosa
,
The victim awoke to the defendant hovering over her, naked, and kissing her on the mouth. The victim and the defendant were not in a dating relationship; the defendant was in a relationship with the victim's older sister. See
Colon
,
In addition, when the victim questioned the defendant's actions, the defendant responded, "I couldn't help myself. I didn't know what I was doing." See generally
Rosa
,
The defendant's reliance on
Cruz
is not persuasive. In
Cruz
, a nearly sixty year old man hugged the thirteen year old victim multiple times, initially with permission and then a third time without, and kissed her on the neck once. The victim described the latter hug as "tight, like a hug that her parents would give her"; thus, "tending to suggest that ... the contact itself was not sexual."
We conclude that under the circumstances presented by this case, there was sufficient evidence to allow the jury to determine that the defendant's actions were indecent. Accordingly, the judge did not err in denying the defendant's motion for a required finding of not guilty; thus, the judgment is affirmed.
So ordered .
A pseudonym.
There was no testimony as to the defendant's age at trial. However, the jury could observe his appearance and the criminal complaint states his date of birth and the date of the offense.
The dimensions of the towel were unspecified other than the statement, "[I]t wasn't that big of a towel." The defendant contends that he was wearing a towel during the kiss. The victim, however, testified that the defendant was not clothed during the kiss, and said that the defendant had "a towel around him" after she and her sister returned, but that "[h]e didn't have anything [on] before." Maricel also testified that the defendant was naked while they were in bed before the incident. Either way, the defendant was not clothed. Moreover, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the Commonwealth, the defendant was naked.
We need not get tangled in whether a fully clothed prince may kiss Sleeping Beauty or revive Snow White. At least while one is naked, when one is not in a preexisting intimate relationship, kissing a sleeping woman, a spellbound princess, or otherwise, is not consistent with our "contemporary moral values."
Mosby
,
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.