Steadham v. State
| Docket Number: | 2006-KA-01960-COA | |
| Court of Appeals: |
Opinion Link Opinion Date: 10-21-2008 Opinion Author: BARNES, J. Holding: Affirmed |
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| Additional Case Information: |
Topic: Sexual battery - Medical evidence - Sufficiency of evidence Judge(s) Concurring: King, C.J., Lee and Myers, P.JJ., Irving, Chandler, Griffis, Ishee, Roberts, and Carlton, JJ. Procedural History: Jury Trial Nature of the Case: CRIMINAL - FELONY |
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| Trial Court: |
Date of Trial Judgment: 06-06-2006 Appealed from: SCOTT COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT Judge: Marcus D. Gordon Disposition: CONVICTED OF SEXUAL BATTERY AND SENTENCED TO THIRTY YEARS AS A HABITUAL OFFENDER IN THE CUSTODY OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS WITHOUT ELIGIBILITY FOR PAROLE OR PROBATION District Attorney: Mark Sheldon Duncan Case Number: 06-CR-002-SC-G |
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| Party Name: | Attorney Name: | Brief(s) Available: | ||
| Appellant: | BOBBY RAY STEADHAM |
MATTHEW SHEPHERD POOLE |
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| Appellee: | STATE OF MISSISSIPPI | OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BY: JOHN R. HENRY | ||
Synopsis provided by:  If you are interested in subscribing to the weekly synopses of all Mississippi Supreme Court and Court of Appeals hand downs please contact Tammy Upton in the MLI Press office. |
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| Topic: | Sexual battery - Medical evidence - Sufficiency of evidence |
| Summary of the Facts: | Bobby Steadham was convicted of sexual battery and was sentenced to thirty years without the possibility of parole. He appeals. |
| Summary of Opinion Analysis: | Issue 1: Medical evidence Steadham argues that he was not given adequate notice of the medical testimony given by the examining physician at trial; therefore, the evidence should have been excluded. This issue is barred, because Steadham cites no authority nor did he make a contemporaneous objection to the testimony at trial. In addition, Steadham was provided the physician’s medical report in discovery, which clearly indicated a finding that C.D. was a victim of sexual abuse. The physician’s subsequent testimony, which was merely a detailed account of his medical examination of the victim, was in no way contradictory to his medical report. Issue 2: Sufficiency of evidence Steadham correctly argues that no physical or biological evidence existed to link him to the alleged crime. Nor did the prosecution present any evidence that he possessed pornographic materials, as alleged by the victim. The unsupported word of the victim of a sex crime is sufficient to support a guilty verdict where that testimony is not discredited or contradicted by other credible evidence, especially if the conduct of the victim is consistent with the conduct of one who has been victimized by a sex crime. The victim’s testimony, which was corroborated by the examining physician’s testimony that the results of the victim’s examination were consistent with sexual abuse, was sufficient to support Steadham’s conviction. |
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