United States v. Doyle ( 2020 )


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  • This opinion is subject to administrative correction before final disposition.
    Before
    KING, GASTON, and STEPHENS
    Appellate Military Judges
    _________________________
    UNITED STATES
    Appellee
    v.
    Jason S. DOYLE
    Lieutenant Commander (O-4), U.S. Navy
    Appellant
    No. 201900190
    Decided: 31 August 2020
    Appeal from the United States Navy-Marine Corps Trial Judiciary
    Military Judges:
    Ann K. Minami (arraignment)
    Colleen Glaser-Allen (trial)
    Sentence adjudged 2 April 2019 by a general court-martial convened
    at Naval Base Kitsap, Bremerton, Washington, consisting of military
    judge alone. Sentence approved by the convening authority: a repri-
    mand, confinement for nine months, and a dismissal.
    For Appellant:
    Lieutenant Commander Christopher Riedel, JAGC, USN
    For Appellee:
    Major Kyle Meeder, USMC
    Lieutenant Kimberly Rios, JAGC, USN
    Lieutenant Kevin G. Edwards II, JAGC, USN
    Lieutenant Joshua C. Fiveson, JAGC, USN
    31 August 2020: Administrative correction, counsel updated.
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    Senior Judge KING delivered the opinion of the Court, in which Sen-
    ior Judge GASTON and Senior Judge STEPHENS joined.
    _________________________
    This opinion does not serve as binding precedent, but
    may be cited as persuasive authority under
    NMCCA Rule of Appellate Procedure 30.2.
    _________________________
    KING, Senior Judge:
    Appellant was convicted, pursuant to his plea, of one specification of ag-
    gravated assault with means likely to produce death or grievous bodily injury
    in violation of Article 128, Uniform Code of Military Justice [UCMJ], 10
    U.S.C. § 928 (2012 & Supp. IV 2017) for “strangling” his girlfriend, D.G.
    Pursuant to United States v. Grostefon, 
    12 M.J. 431
    (C.M.A. 1982), Appel-
    lant asserts both that the sentence to be dismissed from the Naval Service
    was inappropriately severe and that the trial counsel “enflamed the military
    judge with improper sentencing argument” by referring to dismissed charges
    and by referring to Appellant as a “monster.” Having carefully considered
    these assignments of error, we find them to be without merit. See United
    States v. Matias, 
    25 M.J. 356
    , 363 (C.M.A. 1987), cert. denied, 
    485 U.S. 968
    (1988).
    During the course of our review, we specified the following issue:
    whether there is an adequate factual basis in the record of trial
    to support Appellant’s guilty plea to aggravated assault when
    Appellant admits to “strangling” D.G. but that term is neither
    defined by the military judge nor used in a context to indicate
    grievous bodily harm was the “natural and probable conse-
    quence” of that action? Record at 174, 177; United States v.
    Gutierrez, 
    74 M.J. 61
    , 66 (C.A.A.F. 2015); Manual for Courts-
    Martial, United States (2016 ed.), Part IV ¶ 54.c(4)(a)(ii). See
    United States v. Care, 
    40 C.M.R. 247
    (C.M.A. 1969). See gener-
    ally United States v. Herrmann, 
    76 M.J. 304
    (C.A.A.F. 2017).
    After considering the parties’ briefs, we set aside Appellant’s conviction and
    sentence, return the case to the convening authority, and authorize a rehear-
    ing.
    2
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    I. BACKGROUND
    Appellant met D.G. in Jacksonville, Florida in April 2016 through an
    online dating site and they were engaged approximately seven months later.
    D.G. had two minor sons from a previous relationship. Appellant received
    permanent change of station orders and, in March 2017, he moved to Whid-
    bey Island, Washington. Despite this fact, in June 2017, he and D.G. pur-
    chased a house together in Jacksonville, into which D.G. and her sons moved.
    Appellant planned to visit D.G. regularly.
    In December 2017, Appellant returned to Jacksonville for his Christmas
    leave period and stayed in their home, although, by then, the relationship
    had turned “difficult” and D.G. had stopped wearing her engagement ring.
    While at the home, Appellant realized that the couple were “not on the same
    terms” regarding the relationship and he slept on the couch. While the rela-
    tionship was troubled, Appellant was hoping to work to improve it. But the
    week before Appellant assaulted D.G., Appellant found an overnight bag from
    an unknown male in their bathroom.
    On the night he assaulted D.G., Appellant went alone to play trivia with
    her parents while D.G. stayed home to watch her two children. When Appel-
    lant returned, D.G. told Appellant he would need to make plans for himself
    on 22 and 23 December because she would not be home. These were the two
    days that D.G.’s children would be with their father and D.G. told Appellant
    that she would be going out with a man whom she had been seeing since
    October, the man whose bag Appellant had found in their bathroom. Alt-
    hough D.G. was seeing another man, she assured Appellant that “they could
    still do Christmas together.” Appellant was devastated and a confrontation
    ensued.
    During the providence inquiry, the military judge asked Appellant how
    the confrontation turned physical. Appellant explained:
    ACC: She was—saying certain things to me and she was
    calling, and excuse my language, but calling me a
    “passive pussy” and “not an aggressive man,” and I
    wasn’t an asshole and this had been a recurring theme
    in our relationship. That I was too nice. That I wasn’t
    aggressive enough, that, you know, she was attracted
    to assholes and I was not that. And I was, you know,
    too passive and always too nice, you know, and she
    needed a bad boy and I—I’m not. I wasn’t that. So in
    that moment, you know, this is all coming back. She’s
    saying these things and I, you know, I wanted the re-
    lationship to work. I would, like I said, I love this
    3
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    woman. I would do anything for her and so I reacted
    and—and did what—I thought, you know, she wanted
    to see. Now, obviously I’m not saying that she asked
    for it, or that—that she told me to do this. I’m—I’m
    wrong what I did. But, you know, I thought okay, well,
    she wants me to be aggressive so maybe—maybe this
    will work or maybe I can show her that I can be ag-
    gressive. So we were sitting on the back patio couches,
    you know, in our backyard. And I put my hands
    around her neck and—and, asking her if that’s what
    she wanted and it clearly wasn’t and—[emotional] you
    know, and then just more pain and—and sadness fear
    [emotional] and just utter—I mean, devastation. 1
    The military judge explained to Appellant the following:
    MJ: You have pled guilty to the charge of aggravated as-
    sault with means or force likely. That’s under Article
    128 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The ele-
    ments of that offense are as follows:
    One, that, on or about 19 December 2017 . . . you did
    bodily harm to Ms. [D.G.];
    Two, that you did so with a certain force by strangling
    her, by placing your hands around her neck and
    squeezing;
    Three, that the bodily harm was done with unlawful
    force or violence; and
    Four, that the force was used in a manner likely to
    produce death or grievous bodily harm.
    ....
    MJ: An act of force or violence is unlawful if done without
    legal justification or excuse and without the lawful
    consent of the victim.
    “Grievous bodily harm” means serious bodily injury.
    Grievous bodily harm does not mean injuries such as a
    black eye or bloody nose, but does mean fractured, 
    dis- 1 Rawle at 172
    .
    4
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    located bones, deep cuts, torn members of the body,
    serious damage to internal organs or other serious
    bodily injuries.
    “Force” may mean—may be any means or object not
    normally considered a weapon, a force is used in a
    manner likely to produce death or grievous harm
    where—when the natural and probable consequences
    of its particular use would be death or grievous bodily
    harm. It is not necessary that death or grievous bodily
    harm actually was the result.
    An “assault” is an attempt to offer with unlawful force
    or violence to do bodily harm to another. An assault in
    which bodily harm is inflicted is called a battery.
    A “battery” is unlawful and an intentional application
    of force or violence to another.
    The term “bodily harm” means any physical injury to
    or offensive touching of another person, however
    slight. 2
    Appellant informed the military judge that he understood the information
    and that he had no questions about that information. The following clarifying
    colloquy ensued:
    MJ:    So you said you put your hands around her neck, and
    I understand that there was this ongoing discussion
    about you being more aggressive or whatever the
    things that were being said. But did you put your
    hands around her neck?
    ACC: Yes, I did, Your Honor.
    MJ: And did you squeeze her neck?
    ACC: I did, Your Honor.
    MJ: I have to ask you this again. So you said you strangled
    her, that’s what you’re describing, correct?
    ACC: 
    Yes. 2 Rawle at 157-58
    .
    5
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    MJ: And why did you do that? Did you do that because you
    were angry? Did you that because you were frustrat-
    ed? Why?
    ACC: No, I was not angry, Your Honor. I—I was, you know,
    it—it was reacting to what I’d been told for the last 20
    months about how I needed to act a certain way.
    And—and it was maybe a—it was a— trying to show
    her that that I—maybe I could be an asshole or I could
    be this bad boy. You know, it was purely reactionary
    to try to [scoffs] trying to show someone that maybe
    you could be this kind of person that, that they want-
    ed. I mean, clearly not the right way to do it, obviously
    wrong.
    MJ: Did you intend to do bodily harm to her?
    ACC: I did not in—[conferring with counsel.]
    MJ: And just to take a minute here. So “bodily harm” is an
    offensive touching, right?
    ACC: Yes, I—
    MJ: However slight.
    ACC: I did, Your Honor. I—yes.
    MJ: So you intended to strangle her. You intended to do
    bodily harm to her, correct?
    ACC: Yes.
    MJ: Did you strangle her with a certain force?
    CIVDC: Your Honor, Lieutenant Commander Doyle is pleading
    guilty to bodily harm with a means likely to cause
    grievous bodily harm.
    MJ: Right.
    CIVDC: And so this would loop in the standard definition of
    “unlawful force,” which is without legal justification or
    excuse, not any elevated degree of force beyond that.
    MJ: Okay.
    CIVDC: Although he—[clearing throat], he has already testi-
    fied that he did squeeze.
    MJ: Right. I’m not disagreeing with you here, but also, I
    define “force” as a manner likely to produce death or
    6
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    grievous bodily when the natural and probable conse-
    quence of its particular use would be the grievous bod-
    ily harm. It’s not necessary that that harm actually
    result.
    CIVDC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: I think we’re saying the same thing.
    CIVDC: Yes, we are. It’s a little murky between force and
    means, Your Honor.
    MJ: I understand. So I just want to make sure that we’re
    clear and that [Lieutenant] Commander Doyle under-
    stands what I’m asking him.
    CIVDC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: [Lieutenant] Commander Doyle, when I ask about
    “certain force”, it means what I just said, that basical-
    ly it’s something that, in that context of what you did,
    that it could have potentially resulted in—
    ACC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: —harm.
    ACC: Yes.
    MJ: Do you agree with that?
    ACC: I do, Your Honor.
    MJ: All right. Do you believe that you had any legal excuse
    or legal justification for your conduct?
    ACC: No, Your Honor.
    MJ: Now, based on what you’ve told me, I understand
    there was this conversation back and forth about this
    behavior that you said that maybe she wanted you to
    be more aggressive, but did she consent to you stran-
    gling her on this occasion?
    ACC: No, Your Honor.
    MJ: Okay. 
    3 3 Rawle at 172-75
    .
    7
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    After Appellant told the military judge that he believed that neither con-
    sent nor defense of another applied to his case, the military judge continued:
    MJ: And when you strangled her, was that in a way that
    could have or was likely to produce grievous bodily
    harm as I’ve defined that term for you?
    ACC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: And why do you think that?
    ACC: I think that because I put my hands around her neck
    against her will and I was squeezing and it, you know,
    means likely to produce grievous bodily harm, wheth-
    er or not it occurred is—is irrelevant, I mean, it could
    happen.
    MJ: And so when you think, say things that it could have
    done, do you mean, like it could have cut off her blood
    flow, potentially?
    ACC: Sure.
    MJ: Or it could have cutoff her oxygen flow?
    ACC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: Those kinds of things?
    ACC: Yep.
    MJ: Then do you believe and admit that you used unlawful
    force against Ms. [D.G.] by strangling her, in a man-
    ner likely to produce grievous bodily harm?
    ACC: Yes, I do, Your Honor. 4
    After discussing the maximum punishment based on Appellant’s guilty
    plea and taking a short recess, the military judge returned to the providence
    inquiry:
    MJ: I want to clarify one thing from the providence in-
    quiry. Commander Doyle, you talked about this con-
    frontation that you were having with Ms. [D.G.] and I
    understand it was very emotional for you and there
    was a lot of things that were being said back 
    and 4 Rawle at 177-78
    .
    8
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    forth. I explained the assault consummated by a bat-
    tery and means likely, this whole idea of offensive
    touching, right?
    ACC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: I just have one more question to make sure that the
    record is absolutely clear on this. How did you know it
    was offensive to her?
    ACC: [Pause.]
    MILDC: [Softly.] Reaction.
    MJ: Exactly, what was her reaction?
    ACC: I mean, her reaction, fear. You could see it in her eyes,
    I mean, it was almost an immediate like, obviously
    you’re—you’re crossing a boundary here. And so just
    that look on her face and you know, and just kind of
    that realization of—how are you here—you know, how
    are you doing—I mean, speaking to yourself, how are
    you doing this, why are you—how are you here? And
    so, I guess just kind of that—that that realization that
    what you were doing was so egregiously wrong and
    seeing her face and her look. This was not okay, nor,
    you know, acceptable. [Sniffs.]
    MJ: And so having built that relationship with her over
    the 20 months you described, you knew instantly that
    after you put your hands around her neck, that this
    was not something she was consenting to?
    ACC: Yes, Your Honor.
    MJ: And was there any physical reaction? I mean, was
    there gasping or choking or any of those kinds of
    things that you might remember?
    ACC: You know, after it, Your Honor, I mean, she went
    inside the house and so I, I mean, I was crying on the
    back patio. So I—nothing I observed in that moment.
    I, you know what—but—
    MILDC: Just a moment, Your Honor.
    MJ: Of course.
    CIVDC: [Conferring with Appellant.]
    9
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    ACC: So in that moment, Your Honor, I’m not too sure but
    I’ve read the report. I’ve seen the photos. You know, I
    know that there was harm done, physical harm done
    to her that I committed. [Pause.] Yeah. 5
    The stipulation of fact stated, in relevant part:
    I agree and admit that, in the course of our argument, I did
    bodily harm to Ms. [D.G.] I did this by means of strangulation
    with my hands. I agree and admit that I used my hands in a
    way that was . . . likely to produce grievous bodily harm, as it is
    the natural and probable result of strangulation. Strangulation
    can cause serious bodily injury by closing the airway and/or the
    blood flow to and from the brain. 6
    During the sentencing hearing, the Government offered evidence in ag-
    gravation that Appellant’s actions caused Ms. D.G. to “lose the ability to
    breathe freely.” 7 Additionally, over Defense objection, the Prosecution called
    J.M., a forensic nurse, who described strangulation as the “external force to
    the neck with sufficient enough pressure to be able to block either the blood
    flow to and from the brain, or the airway, or a combination of both of those
    things.” 8 J.M. also testified that, depending upon “the amount of force ap-
    plied, the location of the force, the duration of that force, and then the surface
    area of that applied force,” other “serious” injuries could occur, including,
    “tear into the walls of the arteries where blood leaks through and that blood
    can clot, that clot can release and go to the brain . . . or some of the underly-
    ing fractures to the structures in the neck and whatnot.” 9
    II. DISCUSSION
    Before accepting a guilty plea, a military judge must ensure the plea is
    supported by a factual basis. UCMJ art. 45(a). See also United States v. Care,
    
    40 C.M.R. 247
    (C.M.A. 1969); Rule for Courts-Martial [R.C.M.] 910(e) (“The
    military judge shall not accept a plea of guilty without making such 
    inquiry 5 Rawle at 180-82
    .
    6   Pros. Ex. 1.
    7   Pros. Ex. 2 at 3.
    8   R. at 
    253. 9 Rawle at 257
    , 259-60.
    10
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    of the accused as shall satisfy the military judge that there is a factual basis
    for the plea.”).
    Article 45(a), UCMJ, requires military judges to reject a plea of
    guilty “if it appears that [an accused] has entered the plea of
    guilty improvidently.” To prevent the acceptance of improvi-
    dent pleas, [the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces] has
    long placed a duty on the military judge to establish, on the
    record, the factual bases that establish that “the acts or omis-
    sions of the accused constitute the offense or offenses to which
    he is pleading guilty.” If the military judge fails to establish
    that there is an adequate basis in law and fact to support the
    accused’s plea during the Care inquiry, the plea will be improv-
    ident.”
    United States v. Nance, 
    67 M.J. 362
    , 365 (C.A.A.F. 2009), (quoting 
    Care, 40 C.M.R. at 253
    ) (citing United States v. Inabinette, 
    66 M.J. 320
    , 321-22
    (C.A.A.F. 2008).
    We review a military judge’s decision to accept a guilty plea for an abuse
    of discretion. United States v. Eberle, 
    44 M.J. 374
    , 375 (C.A.A.F. 1996) (citing
    United States v. Gallegos, 
    41 M.J. 446
    (C.M.A. 1987). Military judges abuse
    their discretion when they accept a guilty plea without first obtaining from
    the accused “an adequate factual basis to support the plea.” United States v.
    Inabinette, 
    66 M.J. 320
    , 322. Military judges are afforded “significant defer-
    ence” in this area.
    Id. “A plea is
    provident so long as Appellant was ‘convinced
    of, and [was] able to describe, all of the facts necessary to establish [his]
    guilt.’ ” United States v. Murphy, 
    74 M.J. 302
    , 308 (C.A.A.F. 2015) (altera-
    tions in original) (quoting United States v. O’Connor, 
    58 M.J. 450
    , 453
    (C.A.A.F. 2003)).
    Here, the military judge failed to elicit an adequate factual basis during
    the Care inquiry to support Appellant’s guilty plea to aggravated assault. The
    specification alleged that Appellant did bodily harm to D.G. and that he did
    so “by strangling her with his hands with a means likely to produce death or
    grievous bodily harm, to wit: strangulation.” The military judge, therefore,
    was required to elicit a factual basis that “strangling” or “squeezing” was a
    means or force “likely” to produce death or grievous bodily harm. Here, the
    military judge articulated that harm as cutting off D.G.’s air or blood supply,
    the “natural and probable consequence” of which would be to deprive the
    brain of oxygen, likely resulting in death or grievous bodily harm.
    But while the military judge recited the correct standards and law, she
    failed to elicit from Appellant that the force he applied when he “squeezed”
    D.G.’s throat was sufficient to make death or grievous bodily harm the “like-
    11
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    ly” result of the use of such force. Instead, when she asked Appellant “did you
    strangle her with a certain force,” Appellant’s civilian defense counsel
    [CIVDC] responded, “Your Honor, [Appellant] is pleading guilty to bodily
    harm with a means likely to cause grievous bodily harm. . . . And so this
    would loop in the standard definition of ‘unlawful force,’ which is without
    legal justification or excuse, not any elevated degree of force beyond that.”
    The military judge replied,
    Right. I’m not disagreeing with you here, but also, I define
    “force” as a manner likely to produce death or grievous bodily
    [harm] when the natural and probable consequence of its par-
    ticular use would be the grievous bodily harm. It’s not neces-
    sary that that harm actually result. . . . I think we’re saying the
    same thing. 10
    We think they were not. Instead, when the CIVDC answered the military
    judge’s question to Appellant about the amount of force used by essentially
    reducing that force to an offensive touching, the Defense injected an incon-
    sistency into Appellant’s plea to aggravated assault. When such inconsisten-
    cies arise, “the military judge must either resolve the apparent inconsistency
    or reject the plea.” United States v. Hines, 
    73 M.J. 119
    , 124 (C.A.A.F. 2014)
    (quoting United States v. Goodman, 
    70 M.J. 396
    , 399 (C.A.A.F. 2011)). That
    was not done, leaving unanswered on this record whether Appellant agreed
    that he used a “certain force” likely to produce serious bodily harm.
    Nor will we accept the Government’s invitation to rely upon the “everyday
    commonsense understanding” of strangulation. 11 Military judges have a duty
    “to accurately inform [an a]ppellant of the nature of his offense,” and “[a]n
    essential aspect of informing . . . is a correct definition of legal concepts.”
    United States v. Negron, 
    60 M.J. 136
    , 141 (C.A.A.F. 2004); see also 
    Care, 40 C.M.R. at 541
    . Here, the military judge failed to define this term beyond an
    implication that it entailed “placing your hands around her neck and squeez-
    ing.” When she asked Appellant why he believed “strangling” was likely to
    produce grievous bodily harm, Appellant replied only: “I think that because I
    put my hands around her neck against her will and I was squeezing and it,
    you know, means likely to produce grievous bodily harm, whether or not it
    occurred is—is irrelevant, I mean, it could happen.” 12 When the 
    military 10 Rawle at 174
    .
    11   Gov’t Supp. Br. at 14.
    12  The Government’s claim that “Appellant stated that he squeezed hard enough
    to cut off her blood and oxygen flow” is not supported by the record.
    12
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    judge asked, “like it could have cut off her blood flow, potentially” and “it
    could have cut off her oxygen flow,” Appellant agreed that his force could
    have been likely to produce grievous bodily harm, not that the force he used
    was sufficient to render that harm likely. It is applying force sufficient to cut
    off blood or air flow that renders strangulation “a means likely to produce
    death or serious bodily harm.” Simply squeezing a neck—without evidence of
    the amount of force used—does not ipso facto establish an aggravated as-
    sault. See United States v. Knowles, 2016 CCA LEXIS 236, at *4-5 (N-M Ct.
    Crim. App. Apr. 19, 2016) (unpub. op.) (“We find ample evidence in the record
    that death or grievous bodily harm was a likely consequence of the appel-
    lant's battery of his wife. The appellant did not merely place a hand on her
    throat: he pinned her down, used both hands and thumbs to cut off all oxy-
    gen, and choked her long enough for her to fade in and out of conscious-
    ness.”). 13
    Because the military judge failed to resolve the inconsistency injected by
    the CIVDC’s response to a question directed to Appellant during the Care
    inquiry, and thereafter failed to establish a factual basis that Appellant used
    force sufficient to make death or grievous bodily harm likely, acceptance of
    Appellant’s guilty plea was an abuse of discretion. See United States v. Jor-
    dan, 
    57 M.J. 236
    , 238 (C.A.A.F. 2002) (“In order to establish an adequate
    factual predicate for a guilty plea, the military judge must elicit ‘factual
    circumstances as revealed by the accused himself [that] objectively support
    that plea[.]’ ”) (quoting United States v. Davenport, 
    9 M.J. 364
    , 367 (C.M.A.
    1980)).
    III. CONCLUSION
    The Appellant’s guilty plea was improvident. As a result, the finding and
    sentence are SET ASIDE. A rehearing is authorized.
    13   The stipulation of fact does little to clarify this point, simply reiterat-
    ing,“[s]trangulation can cause serious bodily injury by closing the airway and/or the
    blood flow to and from the brain.” Pros. Ex. 1. Italics added.
    13
    United States v. Doyle, No. 201900190
    Opinion of the Court
    Senior Judge GASTON and Senior Judge STEPHENS concur.
    FOR THE COURT:
    RODGER A. DREW, JR.
    Clerk of Court
    14
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 201900190

Filed Date: 8/31/2020

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 9/1/2020