Johnson v. StateJohnson v. State
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Eriс Henry Johnson was found guilty by a jury of four counts of rape, two counts of incest, and one count of child molestation. Judgments of conviction and sentences were entered thereon and Johnson’s motion for new trial was denied.
1. Johnson contends the evidence was insufficient to support his convictions. Johnson lived in Savannah with his wife, her daughter from a previous marriage, and two daughters from this marriage. He also had three sons from a previous marriage. Construed to support the jury’s verdict, the evidence presented at trial showed that Johnson molested his stepdaughter and the older of his two biological daughters from this marriage over an extended period of time. In 1993, when the girls were 18 and 16, each girl learned that Johnsоn was also molesting the other, and they immediately told their mother, who notified the police. She immediately separated from Johnson.
Both victims testified at trial. The older girl, who was Johnson’s stepdaughter, testified that Johnson began touching her on her chest and between her legs while she was in bed when she was about nine years old. The molestation progressed to intercourse when she was about 12 and continued after she turned 14. It usually occurred in *723 the basement of their home or in her bedroom, approximately every other day. The house consisted of three levels: the basement; the first floor, on which Johnson and his wife operated a record and tape store; and the second floor, where the family’s living quarters were located, including six or seven bedrooms. Before having intercourse with her, Johnson would show her magazines depicting intercourse in “different positions.”
The younger girl, Johnson’s daughter, testified that she was ten when her father began touching her on her breasts and genitals and that these incidents usually occurred in her room or the kitchen. The girls’ mother worked nights as a nurse at а local hospital at the time, and the touching occurred at night when their mother was working. Johnson’s daughter testified that she protested, but Johnson persisted, telling her that her mother would kill him if she told. The molestation began with touching but progressed to intercourse when she was 12; it continued, against her will, after she turned 14. Although she could not say the exact number of times this occurrеd, she testified it was more than ten times.
The State also presented evidence of a number of similar transactions. Five witnesses were Johnson’s stepdaughters from a previous relationship. Each testified that Johnson had molested her when she was a child while he lived with her mother, who worked nights. All testified to fondling, and one testified to intercourse. The State also presented the testimony of another of Johnson’s adult daughters, who never lived with him. She testified that Johnson showed her pictures of a sexual nature and fondled her during visits, when she was 11 or 12 years old.
Johnson’s wife, in addition to testifying about her daughters’ revelations that Johnson had been molesting them, testified that he had forced her many years ago to have sexual relations with a 13-year-old girl who worked in their shop, while he took Polaroid photographs of them. The girl, who was an adult at the time of trial, testified that Johnson essentially “blackmailed” her into having sexual relations with his wife and with another woman by taking pictures of her while she used the restroom at his shop. She testified that Johnson had been having sex with her from the time she was 11 until she left when she was 17 and thаt he threatened to reveal this to his wife.
A police officer testified that in a search of Johnson’s home, x-rated videos and pornographic magazines were found in the shop and the basement, and other x-rated videos were found in the bedroom, along with a Polaroid camera and various items of sexual paraphernalia. The State also introduced into evidence the Polaroid photographs taken by Johnson depicting the sexual activity between his wife and the 13-year-old girl.
This evidence was more than sufficient to authorize the jury to
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convict Johnson of the crimes charged under the standard set forth in
Jackson v. Virginia,
2. Johnson contends the trial court erred in admitting into evidence the Polaroid photographs depicting sexual activity between his wife and a 13-year-old girl.
Johnson gave the photographs to the attorney representing him in the divorce action filed against him and instructed him to use them “as needed.” In the midst of the divorce action, Johnson was arrested on these charges. His divorce attorney testified that although he did not represent Johnson in the criminal action, he did file a bond motion in order to get Johnson released from jail so that he could deal with the domestic relations case.
At the bond hearing, that attorney showed the district attorney the Polaroid photographs Johnson had given him. He testified that he did so in order to compromise the credibility of Johnson’s wife, who he believed would be the State’s “star witness.” He was unaware at that time that Johnson had taken the photographs. When the district attorney insisted that the photographs be turned over as contraband, Johnson’s attorney realized he was holding what he referred to as a “hot potato.” He moved the court to seal the photographs and place them in the superior court clerk’s оffice. The court granted the motion and the photographs were sealed. 1 The court subsequently granted the State’s motion to unseal the photographs and turn them over to the police department to be held as evidence in this case.
Johnson argues that the photographs were confidential communications protected by the attоrney-client privilege and should not have been admitted in evidence. We do not agree.
Nor were the photographs protected by any privilege. The fact that Johnson gave them to his attorney did not make them privi
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leged. “It is axiomatic that one cannot render privileged that which is not privileged merely by placing it in the hands of his attorney.” (Citations and punctuation omitted.)
Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Daugherty,
3. Johnson does not challenge the similarity of the acts presented in the similar transaction evidence, but he contends they should not have been admitted because they were too remote in time, citing
Gilstrap v. State,
The similar transactions here, however, were more analogous to those held admissible in
Bryson v. State,
Contrary to Johnson’s argument, the similar transaction evidence here clearly shows a continuous course of criminal conduct on Johnson’s part involving close family members and others, focusing on children of a particular age. The fact that Johnson’s conduct with the victims of the similar transactions began many years ago only illuminates in striking fashion the pattern of Johnson’s deviant behavior that culminated in the crimes for which he was on trial. They were clearly admissible.
4. Johnson moved for mistrial based on the admission of the sexually oriented videоtapes and magazines, which motions were denied. He does not, however, enumerate as error the rulings on those motions for mistrial. Instead, he challenges on appeal only the admission of those sexually oriented videotapes and magazines. *726 Johnson made no specific objection to their admission at trial, 3 and therefore technically did not preserve this issue for review. Nevertheless, because it is clear that Johnson took issue with the admission of these items, we address this enumeration on the merits.
These items were properly admitted. The older victim testified that he showed her pornography before molesting her.
Henson v. State,
5. The State questioned a witness about Johnson’s attempt to purchase additional insurance on the life of his wife after their separation. Johnson contends the trial court erred in denying his motion for mistrial based on such questioning. The record, however, does not show such a motion was made. Johnson objected on relevancy grounds, and the State made an offer of proof, stating that the testimony tended to show an attempted obstruction of justice and implied that Johnson intended to kill his wife to prevent her from testifying. During the colloquy that ensued, the single word “mistrial” was at one point uttered by defense counsel, 4 but that does not constitute a motion. The prosecutor asked no further questions of this witness.
Although Johnson now complains that the testimony was inadmissible for additional reasons, including prejudice and failure of the State to notify him under USCR 31.1 and 31.3, these grounds were not raised below. We are limited on appeal to considering those grounds raised and ruled upon below.
Ellison v. State,
6. In his brief, Johnson complains certain comments by the trial court conveyed to thе jury the impression that the trial court intended to hurry the trial to conclusion and that, in the words of Johnson’s counsel at trial, “justice would be swift.” Johnson also contends the trial court erred in denying a motion for mistrial based upon the court’s remarks. He argues that the trial court’s remarks violated
This contention is patently absurd and totally unsupported by
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the record. The remаrks referred to by Johnson were made by the trial judge at the outset of the trial on a Monday. In discussing scheduling and procedure during trial, the judge informed the jury that he had an appointment out of town on Friday, and he would therefore keep breaks in the trial as brief as possible. He also mentioned that if the jury had not begun deliberations by Friday, it was possible they would have tо return the following week. “
7. Johnson maintains that the evidence was insufficient to convict him of the forcible rape of the older victim because although she testified that intercourse with Johnson continued after she turned 14, 5 she never testified that it was against her will.
Defense counsel moved for a directed verdict of acquittal on this count. In denying Johnson’s motion, the trial court noted that the older victim “never came right out and said it, but I think the jury could infer from her demeanor and the general circumstances that it was against her will.” We agrеe with the trial court that this victim’s. testimony authorized the jury to find that Johnson was guilty of forcibly raping her. It is true that the State’s questioning of Johnson’s biological daughter was more specific in this respect. But the older girl testified that she cried when her sister told her of Johnson’s molestation because he “did the same thing to me.” He began his sexual advances when she was only nine years old and began having intercourse with her when she was twelve. Nothing in her testimony indicated that their relationship became consensual when she became 14. Here, as in
Richardson v. State,
8. Contrary to Johnson’s contention, the State did not exhaust all allegations of sexual intercourse in proving rape. Both victims testified to multiple acts of sexual intercourse with Johnson, and consequently, the counts of rape and incest did not merge. The trial court did not err in sentencing Johnson separately fоr those crimes.
Marcello v. State,
9. Johnson alleges the trial court erred in denying his motion for new trial on the ground that his trial counsel was ineffective. He *728 identifies several actions or inactions on the part of trial counsel that he asserts demonstrate ineffectiveness. These include counsel’s failure to file a motion to suppress the evidence found in the search оf his home and failure to call certain witnesses. Even assuming that these assertions are correct, however, and that trial counsel was ineffective, we find no error in the trial court’s denial of the motion for new trial.
Johnson’s claim was presented below and ruled on by the trial court, whose finding of effectiveness must be upheld unless clearly erroneous.
Capers v. State,
In this case, given the direct testimony of the victims in the charged crimes and the similar transactions alone, it is highly unlikely that the jury would have found Johnson not guilty even had counsel performed in the manner alleged by Johnson to be effective. He cannot, therefore, establish a reasonable probability that the result of the trial would have been different, and his claim must fail. See id.;
Rogers v. State,
10. We do not agree with Johnson that the trial court cоnfused the jury by mentioning statutory rape in its charge. In support of his argument for reversal, Johnson cites
Robinson v. State,
11. Johnson contends the trial court erred in failing to grant his motion for a mistrial when during her testimony, his former wife stated that he had beaten her after he learned she had obtained the Polaroid pictures. Johnson immediately moved for a mistrial, which was denied. On appeal, Johnson contends the mоtion should have been granted because this constituted evidence of a similar transaction for which the State had not given him notice pursuant to USCR 31.1 and 31.3. Johnson did not object on this ground below, however, and he may not raise this ground for the first time on appeal.
Kincer v. State,
Johnson also contends that the testimony was prejudicial, a ground which was raised below. The grant or dеnial of a motion for mistrial, however, is within the discretion of the trial court. Unless it is clear that a mistrial was essential to the preservation of a fair trial, this Court will not interfere with the exercise of that discretion.
Jones v. State,
Finally, givеn the unresponsive nature of the answer and the overwhelming evidence presented of Johnson’s guilt, it is highly improbable that the testimony contributed to the verdict. Even if error, therefore, Johnson would not be entitled to a reversal on this ground. Id. at 474-475.
Judgment affirmed.
Notes
Johnson discharged this attorney.
In addition, because both Johnson’s wife and the other person depicted in the photograph testified to the acts рortrayed in the photographs, even if the admission of the photographs were error it would be harmless.
Riggins v. State,
His objection was merely “we’ve already expressed our objection.”
Johnson objected to the testimony on relevancy grounds. A long colloquy followed at the bench, at the end of which the trial court overruled the objection. Counsel for Johnson then noted his exception for the record, and stated: “Counsel: [0]ne final. . . whether or not there was any implication of any attempt to kill his wife. There’s no evidence concerning that. District Attorney: This is ... Counsel:... mistrial. District Attorney: No, I don’t intend to do anything of the sort. This is all that we’re going to present.” The bench conference then concluded.
We note that the age under which force need not be shown was changed in 1995 to 16.
Contrary to Johnson’s assertion, the rape conviction in Robinson was not reversed.