Andy Sosa-Lopez v. State of Indiana (mem. dec.) ( 2017 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D),
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
FILED
regarded as precedent or cited before any Dec 21 2017, 9:18 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Ellen M. O’Connor Curtis T. Hill, Jr.
Marion County Public Defender Agency Attorney General of Indiana
Indianapolis, Indiana
Michael Gene Worden
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Andy Sosa-Lopez, December 21, 2017
Appellant-Defendant, Court of Appeals Case No.
49A02-1704-CR-729
v. Appeal from the Marion Superior
Court
State of Indiana, The Honorable Stanley E. Kroh,
Appellee-Plaintiff Magistrate
Trial Court Cause No.
49G03-1607-F4-26150
Crone, Judge.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1704-CR-729 | December 21, 2017 Page 1 of 5
Case Summary
[1] Andy Sosa-Lopez (“Lopez”) appeals his conviction following a jury trial for
level 4 felony child molesting. The sole issue presented for our review is
whether the State presented sufficient evidence to sustain the conviction.
Finding the evidence sufficient, we affirm.
Facts and Procedural History
[2] Lopez is the stepfather of Cesar Juarez. Juarez’s wife, Abigail Smiddy, has a
son, C.S., and a twelve-year-old daughter, N.S.1 Juarez considers himself to be
N.S.’s father. In July 2016, Juarez, Abigail, C.S., and N.S. lived in an
Indianapolis home with Lopez, his wife Maria, their two sons, and Maria’s
three sons. N.S. and C.S. shared a downstairs bedroom with their mother and
Juarez. The two children slept on a pull-out couch in that bedroom.
[3] On July 4, 2016, the entire family attended a fireworks show and then came
home and went to bed. The next morning, Abigail took Juarez to work around
7:30 a.m. While Abigail was gone, Lopez entered the downstairs bedroom and
fondled N.S.’s vagina while she was sleeping. The fondling woke N.S. up, and
she saw Lopez run out of the bedroom and go up the stairs. N.S. told her
mother about the incident when she returned home. Abigail immediately
called Juarez.
1
Abigail testified that she and Juarez were “engaged” and had “a commitment ceremony” four years ago.
Tr. Vol. 2 at 58-59. Juarez testified that he and Abigail were “married.” Id. at 85.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1704-CR-729 | December 21, 2017 Page 2 of 5
[4] That evening, the family confronted Lopez about the incident. Lopez admitted
that he went into the bedroom where N.S. was sleeping and stated that he
touched her to wake her up and to ask her if she knew where Juarez was.
Juarez did not believe this explanation because Lopez already knew that Juarez
was working that morning because they had just talked about it the Sunday
before. Abigail immediately called the police. When an officer arrived, Lopez
stood up, turned around, and placed his hands behind his back to be handcuffed
without any prior direction from the officer.
[5] The State charged Lopez with level 4 felony child molesting. Following a trial,
the jury found Lopez guilty as charged. The trial court sentenced Lopez to four
years’ imprisonment. This appeal ensued.
Discussion and Decision
[6] Lopez contends that the State presented insufficient evidence to support his
conviction. When reviewing a claim of insufficient evidence, we neither
reweigh the evidence nor assess witness credibility. Bell v. State, 31 N.E.3d 495,
499 (Ind. 2015). We look to the evidence and reasonable inferences drawn
therefrom that support the conviction, and will affirm if there is probative
evidence from which a reasonable factfinder could have found the defendant
guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Id. In short, if the testimony believed by the
trier of fact is enough to support the conviction, then the reviewing court will
not disturb it. Id. at 500.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1704-CR-729 | December 21, 2017 Page 3 of 5
[7] Indiana Code section 35-42-4-3(b) provides that a person who, “with a child
under fourteen (14) years of age, performs or submits to any fondling or
touching, of either the child or the older person, with intent to arouse or to
satisfy the sexual desires of either the child or the older person, commits child
molesting, a Level 4 felony.” “The intent element of child molesting may be
established by circumstantial evidence and may be inferred from the actor’s
conduct and the natural and usual sequence to which such conduct usually
points.” Bass v. State, 947 N.E.2d 456, 460 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011), trans. denied.
Moreover, a conviction can be sustained on only the uncorroborated testimony
of a single witness, even when that witness is the victim. Bailey v. State, 979
N.E.2d 133, 135 (Ind. 2012).
[8] N.S. testified that on the morning of July 5, 2016, when she was twelve years
old, she was sleeping wrapped in a blanket on the pull-out couch with her
brother. She awoke to the feeling of a hand touching her vagina in a circular
motion on the outside of her underwear. When she pushed the blanket off her
face, she saw Lopez running out of the bedroom and up the stairs. The jury
could reasonably infer from this testimony that Lopez touched N.S. and that he
did so with the intent to arouse or to satisfy his or her sexual desires. N.S.’s
testimony is alone sufficient to support Lopez’s conviction for level 4 felony
child molesting.
[9] Lopez suggests that perhaps N.S was “dreaming” or perhaps the sensations she
felt were related to her “eczema.” Appellant’s Br. at 14. This is merely a
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1704-CR-729 | December 21, 2017 Page 4 of 5
request for us to reweigh the evidence, a task not within our prerogative on
appeal. The State presented sufficient evidence to support Lopez’s conviction.
[10] Affirmed.
Robb, J., and Bradford, J., concur.
Court of Appeals of Indiana | Memorandum Decision 49A02-1704-CR-729 | December 21, 2017 Page 5 of 5