State of Conn. v. Paredes

139 Conn.App. 135

54 A.3d 1073

STATE Of Connecticut

v.Jesse PAREDES.

No. 33529.

Appellate Court of Connecticut.

Argued Sept. 25, 2012.

Decided Nov. 13, 2012.

Norman A. Pattis, Bethany, with whom, on the brief, was Daniel M. Erwin, for the appellant (defendant).

Rocco A. Chiarenza, deputy assistant state's attorney, with whom, on the brief, were Brian Preleski, state's attorney, and John H. Malone, senior assistant state's attorney, for the appellee (state).

LAVINE, SHELDON and MIHALAKOS, Js.

LAVINE, J.

The defendant, Jesse Paredes, appeals from the judgment of conviction, rendered after a jury verdict, of two counts of sexual assault in the second degree in violation of General Statutes § 53a–71 (a)(1) and (5), and two counts of risk of injury to a child in violation of General Statutes § 53–21(a)(2). On appeal, the defendant claims that the trial court improperly (1) failed to order an adequate remedy in the face of inadmissible hearsay and (2) admitted into evidence a video recorded interview (video) of the victim. We affirm the judgment of the trial court.¹

The jury reasonably could have found the following facts. In May, 2008, the thirteen year old female victim was living in the junior unit of a residential treatment center (center) that provided twenty-four hour supervision for children with a variety of issues. Members of the center staff were responsible for assisting the children with the activities of daily living and ensuring that each child complied with his or her treatment plan. At the time, the defendant was employed as a per diem child development assistant at the center. His responsibilities required him to ensure the children's safety and to supervise their daily activities.

On the afternoon of May 4, 2008, the defendant was one of three staff members on duty in the junior unit. While the other two staff members were engaged in activities with three other children, the defendant suggested to the victim that they take a walk. Instead of taking her for a walk, the defendant took the victim to the “sensory room.” ² The victim understood the purpose of going to the sensory room was to have sex. In the sensory room, the victim removed her pants and underwear, and the defendant unzipped his trousers. When the defendant inserted his penis into the victim's vagina, the victim experienced pain and asked the defendant to stop. The defendant stopped momentarily, but again entered the victim despite her complaints of pain. Subsequently, the defendant ejaculated onto the victim's back. The defendant instructed the victim not to tell anyone what they had done. The victim and the defendant then went to the lounge at the center.

When they entered the lounge, the defendant informed another staff member, Melissa Ann Levack, that he and the victim had taken a walk. Levack thought that the defendant's comment was unusual because he ordinarily told staff members that he was taking a walk with a child before, not after, the fact. ³ Later, the defendant and the victim went to the gymnasium where staff member Eric Roccapriore was playing basketball with other children. Roccapriore invited the victim to join the game, but she declined. Roccapriore observed the victim pace around the doorway looking confused. He previously had observed the victim with that affect when she was anxious and did not want to engage in activities.

A staff shift change occurred at approximately 3 p.m. Justin Paxton, the junior unit supervisor, observed that the victim's demeanor was abnormal. The victim was standoffish rather than acting as her usual friendly, boisterous self. Paxton approached the victim and asked if something was bothering her. The victim did not want to discuss “it....” After conferring with another staff member, Paxton again approached the victim, this time with another child who encouraged the victim to talk to Paxton. The victim responded that she did not “want to get this person in trouble.... I don't want to get this person fired....” The victim's statements caused Paxton concern. He inquired further, and the victim told him that she and a staff member had engaged in intercourse and that she was afraid of being pregnant. The victim also stated that she had vaginal bleeding.⁴ Paxton consoled the victim and then reported the victim's allegation to his supervisor.

At 11 p.m. that day, the victim was taken to a hospital. Before she went to the hospital, her underwear was placed in a plastic bag; at the hospital, it was given to a police officer. The victim was referred to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center where Renee Richard, a registered nurse trained as a sexual assault nurse examiner, obtained the victim's medical history and biological samples, which also were given to the police. During her examination of the victim, Richard discovered a tear in the victim's hymen, which caused bleeding. James Parker, a physician, testified that clinical observations of the victim's injuries were consistent with the victim's report of sexual assault.

The police subsequently seized a beanbag chair from the sensory room because it contained what appeared to be potential evidence. The soiled portion of the beanbag chair and the victim's underwear were sent to the state forensic laboratory for testing. Testing results revealed human seminal fluid consistent with a DNA profile consistent with the defendant's on the victim's underwear and a mixed biological sample with DNA profiles consistent with the defendant's and the victim's on the beanbag chair. Additional facts will be set forth as necessary.

I

The defendant's first claim is that the court failed to order a mistrial in response to a witness' report of inadmissible hearsay by the victim in violation of his right to due process.⁵ We disagree.

The following facts are relevant to this claim. Paxton testified that on May 5, 2008, the victim went about her usual activities at the center and that he was observing her during breakfast. When asked to describe the victim's behavior at that time, Paxton testified that the victim “was really troubled. She, at one point, actually kind of stood up and started screaming, Jesse [the defendant] raped me last night, Jesse raped me last night.” Defense counsel objected generally to the testimony and asked that it be stricken from the record.⁶

The court held a sidebar conference and then excused the jury. The court stated for the record: “We had a sidebar. [Defense counsel] indicated that the nature of his objection was that the response went beyond the question, that the response was outside the parameters of the question and elicited more information than what was called for. The question I had is, did you watch her behavior in the cafeteria, what was her behavior and what did you observe? The question didn't specifically call for hearsay. The state then claimed that it would seek to get it in under [the] state of mind exception to the hearsay rule. [Defense counsel] then added that he was also objecting on the basis of hearsay. So, let me hear from you [prosecutor] further on this issue. The objection is that it's hearsay. Your response is that it falls within the ... state of mind exception?” The prosecutor argued that Paxton's testimony regarding the victim's statement in the cafeteria was admissible pursuant to the state of mind exception to the rule against hearsay. The court disagreed that the victim's statement, “Jesse raped me,” was admissible under the state of mind exception to the hearsay rule, noting that it was too prejudicial, and sustained the defendant's objection.

Thereafter, the following colloquy transpired between the court and defense counsel:

“The Court: ... I will instruct the jury that they're to disregard the last—to disregard the question and do you want me to remind them of the statement or just to tell them that they are to disregard the last answer?

“[Defense Counsel]: Your Honor, I would ask the court to remind them of the answer and to indicate that is—you have ruled on that, that is stricken ... and they're not to consider that.

“The Court: That I'm striking the portion of the response that-you want me to tell them that I'm striking the portion of the response that [the victim] said, ‘Jesse raped me’?

“[Defense Counsel]: Yes, Your Honor.

“The Court: And you want me to use those words, specifically?

“[Defense Counsel]: Yes, Your Honor.”

When the jury returned to the courtroom, the court stated, in part: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I'm going to instruct you that the witness' response to the last question, the portion of the response that stated that [the victim] yelled, ‘Jesse raped me,’ that portion of the response is stricken from the record. You're not to consider that.” ⁷

On appeal, the defendant claims that the court's failure to order a mistrial on the basis of Paxton's testimony that the victim stated, “Jesse raped me,” violated his right to due process. The defendant properly acknowledges that he did not request a mistrial and therefore that the issue is not preserved for our review. He argues, however, that his claim is reviewable under State v. Golding, 213 Conn. 233, 239–40, 567 A.2d 823 (1989), because the record is adequate for review, the claim is of constitutional magnitude, the constitutional violation clearly exists and deprived him of a fair trial, and the error is not harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The state argues that the defendant's claim is not reviewable because he waived it.⁸ We agree with the state that the defendant waived his constitutional claim. ⁹

“[W]aiver is the intentional relinquishment or abandonment of a known right.” (Internal quotation marks omitted.)State v. Wilson, 52 Conn.App. 802, 810, 729 A.2d 778 (1999); see also State v. Kitchens, 299 Conn. 447, 482–84, 10 A.3d 942 (2011) (waiver of right to challenge jury instruction). “[A] valid waiver calls into question the existence of a constitutional violation depriving the defendant of a fair...