State v. Watson

• Court: Missouri Court of Appeals
• Writing for the Court: McMILLIAN; WEIER, P.J., and RENDLEN
• Citation: State v. Watson, 536 S.W.2d 59 (Mo. App. 1976)
• Decision Date: 06 April 1976
• Docket Number: No. 37106,37106
• Parties: STATE of Missouri, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Ernest E. WATSON, Defendant-Appellant. . Louis District, Division One

Page 59

536 S.W.2d 59

STATE of Missouri, Plaintiff-Respondent, v. Ernest E. WATSON, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 37106.

Missouri Court of Appeals, St. Louis District, Division One.

April 6, 1976.

James C. Jones, Asst. Public Defender, St. Louis, for defendant-appellant.

John C. Danforth, Atty. Gen., Preston Dean, Philip M. Koppe, Asst. Attys, Gen., Jefferson City, Brendan Ryan, Circuit Atty., Thomas Rost, Asst. Circuit Atty., St. Louis, for plaintiff-respondent.

McMILLIAN, Judge.

The defendant was found guilty of child molestation by a jury and sentenced to two years imprisonment. Defendant appeals claiming that the court erred in finding the victim, age 5, to be a competent witness and permitting her to testify, § 491.060(2), RSMo 1969. We disagree and affirm the judgment.

Both Janice Evans and her father testified that defendant kneeled and placed his hand into Janice's pants. Although defendant admits that he offered Janice a dime in exchange for a hug as testified to by Janice, he denies placing his hand into her pants. The dime that he gave Janice was turned over to the police.

Section 491.060(2) was enacted to protect an accused from testimony by a child of tender age who may have lacked the mental capacity to observe an event and later truthfully and accurately relate what, in fact, was observed. In State v. Jones, 360 Mo. 723, 230 S.W.2d 678 (1950), our Supreme Court quoted with approval the test set forth in Burnam v. Chicago Great Western R. Co., 340 Mo. 25, 100 S.W.2d 858 (1936). The test given to determine the competency of a child of tender age was (1) present understanding of or intelligence to understand, on instructions, an obligation to speak the truth; (2) mental capacity at the time of the occurrence in question to truly observe and to register such occurrence; (3) memory sufficient to retain an independent recollection of the observations made; and (4) capacity truly to translate into words the memory of such observations.

Each case must be determined upon its own facts. And the determination of competency reposes in the discretion of the trial court and its discretion is not open to review unless there is a clear abuse. State v. Headley, 224 Mo. 177, 123 S.W. 577 (1909).

Before reaching the issue tendered by defendant, we consider the question raised by the state as to what issues have been properly preserved for appellate review. First, we note that at the hearing on competency prior to trial, defendant's specific objection was based on Janice's lack of 'an independent recollection of the events that took place on January 18' and on her lack of understanding of the obligation to tell the truth. At trial, defendant's specific objection was based upon the single ground that 'she had no understanding of the significance' of the oath. It was not until the filing of the new trial motion that defendant objected to competency of the witness on the basis of the four pronged test set out in the Burnam case, as approved by the court in State v. Jones, supra. A party may not alter or broaden on appeal the scope of his trial objection, State v. Atkins, 494 S.W.2d 317, 319 (Mo.1973); therefore, since defendant's sole objection at trial was limited to Janice's understanding of the oath and the obligation to speak the truth, we hold that is the only question preserved for our consideration. See Hildreth v. Key, 341 S.W.2d 601, 608--613 (Mo.App.1960) where the appellate court held that a trial judge may not be convicted of error in overruling an objection on a theory or ground not brought to his attention at the time.

In reviewing the trial court's determination of competency for abuse, we look to all the testimony given at the preliminary examination and the trial testimony. State v. Hastings, 477 S.W.2d 108, 112 (Mo.1972) and State v. Tillett, 233 S.W.2d 690, 693 (Mo.1950). Here, at the pretrial hearing, counsel and the court had an opportunity to question Janice, and the court had an opportunity to consider her demeanor on the stand. Janice knew her age and grade in school, the name of her school and her method of transportation, the names of her brothers and sisters and the age of her younger sister, and her address and...