State v. Rodney J. Furtick ( 2023 )


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  •                      THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA
    In The Court of Appeals
    The State, Respondent,
    v.
    Rodney Jerome Furtick, Appellant.
    Appellate Case No. 2019-001920
    Appeal From Lexington County
    Frank R. Addy, Jr., Circuit Court Judge
    Opinion No. 6032
    Heard December 6, 2022 – Filed November 8, 2023
    AFFIRMED
    Appellate Defender Joanna Katherine Delany, of
    Columbia, for Appellant.
    Attorney General Alan McCrory Wilson and Assistant
    Attorney General Joshua Abraham Edwards, both of
    Columbia, and Solicitor Samuel R. Hubbard, III, of
    Lexington, all for Respondent.
    MCDONALD, J.: Rodney Furtick appeals his second-degree criminal sexual
    conduct (CSC) conviction and sentence, arguing the circuit court erred in finding
    certain prior convictions admissible under Rule 609, SCRE. Furtick contends the
    circuit court applied an improper balancing test and eliminated any probative value
    the prior convictions may have once had by "sanitizing" them. Essentially,
    Furtick's position is that if the convictions needed sanitizing, the circuit court
    should have excluded them entirely. We disagree, and we affirm the circuit court's
    well-reasoned analysis.
    Facts and Procedural History
    In August 2015, J.H. (Victim), her then-husband (Husband), and their one-year-old
    daughter moved to Cayce. The couple did not own a vehicle, and they shared a
    cell phone. Husband generally worked a night shift and walked to work.
    In October 2015, Husband befriended Furtick, who could often be seen walking
    around the neighborhood. Victim testified at Furtick's trial that she told Husband
    she did not want Furtick around when Husband was not present because Furtick
    made her uncomfortable. By that time, Furtick was visiting the couple's home
    once or twice a week.
    At some point that same October, Victim reported to the police that Furtick or his
    girlfriend had stolen her Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card; however, at the
    time of Furtick's trial, Victim did not recall making this report. She explained, "I
    probably did, but I was basically a single mother. My husband didn't do anything
    for my daughter. I was more focused on my daughter than anything else." 1
    On November 18, 2015, Husband left the house shortly before dark to visit a
    hobby shop. Victim recounted that while she was getting Daughter ready for bed,
    she heard a knock at the back door and saw the door begin to open as she
    approached it. Although she tried to push the door closed, Furtick entered the
    home uninvited, and Victim asked him to leave. At that point, Victim instructed
    Daughter to go lie down in her bed, but Daughter instead moved in front of Victim.
    Furtick put down a plate of food he was carrying, walked toward Victim, and
    pushed Daughter into a corner, causing a red mark on Daughter's back. When
    Daughter began to cry, Victim carried her to Victim's bedroom and instructed her
    to cuddle with the pillows there. Furtick then pushed Victim backwards into
    Daughter's room and ordered her to lie down. During all of this, Victim was scared
    for Daughter because Daughter "started crying and screaming." While backing
    into the bedroom, Victim tripped over Daughter's toys and Furtick shoved her to
    the floor. He then began trying to kiss her and attempted to remove her tights at
    the feet but became frustrated and yanked the tights down from Victim's waist.
    Furtick then raped Victim while Victim stared at Daughter in an effort to try to
    1
    Victim and Husband have since divorced.
    keep her from approaching. Following the sexual assault, Furtick cleaned himself
    with baby wipes.
    When asked why she did not try "to fight him off," Victim explained she was
    afraid Furtick would hurt Daughter. Victim testified Furtick became annoyed
    because Daughter continued to cry and try to enter the room. At times, Furtick
    "kept turning to glare" at Daughter. Then, as he was leaving, Furtick told Victim
    that if she told anyone about what happened, "he would tell his friends that [her]
    house was free game."
    After Furtick left, Victim grabbed Daughter and ran across the street to a
    neighbor's house. She told the neighbor she had been raped, and the neighbor
    called 911. Neighbor testified Victim was very upset and visibly shaking.
    Shortly after receiving the dispatch, Sergeant John Robert Reese of the Cayce
    Department of Public Safety (CDPS) responded to the scene. Sergeant Reese
    testified Victim was very upset, her clothing was disheveled, and she identified her
    attacker as "a black male and the name was Rodney or Todd."2
    Paramedic Marilyn Sanchez treated Victim at the scene and observed she was
    "very anxious, nervous, paranoid, looking around like she was looking for
    someone or something." Victim was then transported to Prisma Health Richland,
    where a forensic nurse examiner completed a sexual assault evidence collection
    kit. Lieutenant Jason Merrill responded to the hospital and interviewed Victim; he
    then gave her a ride home. In his search of the home, Lieutenant Merrill collected
    crumpled baby wipes and black tights from the floor of Daughter's room.
    On December 10, Lieutenant Merrill and Sergeant Caleb Thomas questioned
    Furtick at CDPS headquarters. Lieutenant Merrill informed Furtick that CDPS
    was investigating a November 18 criminal incident at Victim's home. When
    Lieutenant Merrill asked Furtick if there was any reason his DNA might be found
    there, Furtick denied ever being inside the house. He further denied that he knew
    Husband or Victim, even after being shown a photograph of Victim bearing her
    name.
    On December 30, CDPS transported evidence from the scene and Victim's sexual
    assault kit to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), where it was
    2
    Victim provided Sergeant Reese with a description and a first name but did not
    know Furtick's last name.
    tested for semen and saliva. Vaginal and rectal swabs from the kit tested positive
    for the presence of semen; the swabs from Victim's arm, breasts, and cheeks were
    positive for saliva. Cuttings from Victim's underwear were also positive for
    components of semen. SLED forensic scientist Samuel Stewart later developed a
    DNA profile.
    CDPS then obtained a search warrant and collected Furtick's DNA, which matched
    the semen on the vaginal and rectal swabs. Stewart testified the probability of an
    unrelated individual matching the semen on these items was one in seventeen
    quintillion. He further noted Furtick was a minor contributor to some of the DNA
    found on other tested items.
    A Lexington County grand jury indicted Furtick for first-degree CSC and
    first-degree burglary. At Furtick's subsequent trial, the State notified the circuit
    court that if Furtick testified, it intended to introduce evidence of his prior
    convictions: a 2010 conviction for burglary, a 2012 petit larceny conviction, two
    2012 second-degree assault and battery convictions, and a 2015 conviction for a
    third-offense property crime.
    The circuit court noted the petit larceny and property offense were crimes
    involving dishonesty, and Furtick requested that the court reference larceny only,
    not "a third or subsequent offense," because this was a petit larceny with a
    sentencing enhancement. The State consented to this request.
    Furtick further argued that under Rule 609(a), SCRE, his convictions for burglary
    and assault and battery should be excluded due to their similarities to the crimes
    for which he was currently being tried. Furtick asserted that under Rule 403, the
    probative value of these prior convictions would be substantially outweighed by
    their prejudicial effect because the case "boils down to a swearing contest." The
    State countered that burglary was a crime of dishonesty and Furtick had frequently
    attacked Victim's credibility. The circuit court noted burglary was not a crime of
    dishonesty under State v. Bryant3 and the burglary conviction was indeed similar to
    one of the crimes for which Furtick was on trial. Thus, the court's "initial
    impression [was] to decline to allow the State to go into or specifically say a
    burglary."
    3
    
    369 S.C. 511
    , 517–18, 
    633 S.E.2d 152
    , 155–56 (2006).
    The circuit court noted the assault and battery convictions were likely admissible
    because their similarities to the CSC count were insufficient to warrant exclusion.
    Still, the circuit court explained that after an evening review of the State v. Colf4
    factors and recent caselaw, the court would revisit the admissibility of these
    convictions the following day before trial resumed.
    Upon reconvening the next morning, the circuit court explained:
    I have some further reflection on how to treat the assault
    charges or the assault convictions and after reviewing the
    caselaw, the Court has to conclude in order to allow those
    specific convictions to come in as assault and battery
    seconds that legally the Court would have to conclude
    that the probative value of that impeachment
    substantially outweighs any undue prejudice.
    And I've looked at the five factors, I've considered it.
    Doing a 403 balancing analysis, I think that the
    impeachment value mostly outweighs the danger of
    unfair prejudice but I cannot say it substantially
    outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice and the key to
    this—or the key to my reasoning is that by allowing the
    jury to hear that he was convicted of assault and battery
    second degree is tantamount to basically suggesting to
    the jury that the Defendant has a propensity towards
    violence, a propensity to assault people, and, of course,
    sexual assault is one of the charges he's facing.
    The circuit court instructed the State to limit its questions relating to the assault
    and battery and burglary convictions to reflect Furtick was convicted of "two
    misdemeanors in 2012 and a felony in 2010 that carried a possible punishment of
    more than one year in prison."
    Furtick's counsel responded,
    [O]ur position would be that if the rules don't allow it, if
    you can't fit a square box into a round hole, then why
    should we sand off the corners of the square box and now
    4
    
    337 S.C. 622
    , 627, 
    525 S.E.2d 246
    , 248 (2000).
    push it through the hole? I didn't see anything where that
    was addressed in any of the caselaw and so our position
    would be if the rules don't allow it, then it just shouldn't
    come in, it shouldn't be, quote unquote, sanitized.
    Furtick's counsel further noted, "I can't find any cases that talk about this whole
    hey, sanitizing it is okay, but I've seen it in this circuit and I've seen it in some
    other circuits, I've just not seen it challenged."
    The circuit court replied,
    [M]y opinion is that the prejudice flows from the similar
    nature of the crime, so calling something a burglary when
    you're on trial for burglary or calling something a rape
    when you're on trial for rape is what creates the prejudice
    if they have that prior conviction for that similar type of
    offense and the prejudice is substantially lessened if
    you're simply allowed to inquire as to a nameless felony
    or a nameless misdemeanor, and so that's—that's the
    reasoning that this Court is employing it and I think other
    judges [have] employed routinely.
    Furtick testified he met Husband in October 2015 when he saw him in his yard
    smoking a cigarette. He and Husband talked all afternoon, walked to a store, and
    Husband eventually invited Furtick into his home. Later, when Husband left for
    work, Furtick stayed and socialized with Victim. He claimed the two "became
    fond of one another" and had consensual sex that afternoon. Furtick further
    claimed Victim and Husband were friendly toward him when they saw him after
    this encounter. Although Furtick admitted he had Victim's EBT card at one point,
    he said Husband gave him the card and pin number and agreed for Furtick to sell it
    "and get them a few dollars."
    Furtick admitted he was present at Victim's home on November 18, 2015. He
    testified he had agreed to help Victim sell some baby food that she no longer
    needed, but he returned the food to her when he was unable to sell it. Furtick
    denied Victim ever asked him to leave; he claimed he and Victim talked for a
    while, he asked her if she wanted to have sex, and she said yes. 5 He then remained
    at the house for another five to ten minutes. On cross-examination, the State
    5
    During her testimony, Victim denied the two ever had consensual sex.
    brought out inconsistencies between Furtick's testimony at a pretrial hearing and
    his trial testimony, such as the location of the first alleged sexual encounter and
    what Victim was wearing.
    Furtick's trial testimony also contradicted his statements to law enforcement during
    the investigation—the most notable contradiction was Furtick's trial admission that
    he knew Husband and Victim and began regularly interacting with them in October
    2015. Furtick claimed that when law enforcement asked him if he knew Victim or
    Husband, he did not deny that he knew them but told the officers he could not see
    the pictures. He maintained he did not admit he knew Victim—despite being
    asked if he knew her by name—because he could not see her photo. He provided
    the same explanation as to Husband's photo and his initial denial. When asked
    why he did not identify the couple after the officers obtained a pair of glasses for
    him, Furtick claimed he ended the interview because the officers would not let him
    keep the glasses.
    Furtick was convicted of the lesser included offense of second-degree CSC but
    acquitted of burglary. The circuit court sentenced him to twenty years'
    imprisonment.
    Standard of Review
    "In criminal cases, appellate courts sit to review errors of law only." State v.
    Robinson, 
    426 S.C. 579
    , 591, 
    828 S.E.2d 203
    , 209 (2019). "The admission of
    evidence concerning past convictions for impeachment purposes remains within
    the trial [court's] discretion, provided the [trial court] conducts the analysis
    mandated by the evidence rules and case law." 
    Id.
     (alteration by court) (quoting
    State v. Dunlap, 
    346 S.C. 312
    , 324, 
    550 S.E.2d 889
    , 896 (Ct. App. 2001)).
    Law and Analysis
    Furtick argues the circuit court erred in allowing the State to impeach him with
    sanitized convictions otherwise inadmissible under Rule 609(a)(1) and the Colf
    factors. He contends this error was not harmless because his defense hinged on the
    credibility of his testimony that any sexual encounter with Victim was consensual.
    Rule 609(a), SCRE, provides:
    For the purpose of attacking the credibility of a witness,
    (1) evidence that a witness other than an accused has
    been convicted of a crime shall be admitted, subject to
    Rule 403, if the crime was punishable by death or
    imprisonment in excess of one year under the law under
    which the witness was convicted, and evidence that an
    accused has been convicted of such a crime shall be
    admitted if the court determines that the probative value
    of admitting this evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect
    to the accused; and
    (2) evidence that any witness has been convicted of a
    crime shall be admitted if it involved dishonesty or false
    statement, regardless of the punishment.
    For the purposes of this rule, a conviction includes a
    conviction resulting from a trial or any type of plea,
    including a plea of nolo contendere or a plea pursuant to
    North Carolina v. Alford, 
    400 U.S. 25
     (1970).
    In Colf, our supreme court delineated the following factors a circuit court must
    consider in a Rule 609 analysis when weighing the probative value of prior
    convictions against their prejudicial effect:
    1. The impeachment value of the prior crime.
    2. The point in time of the conviction and the witness's
    subsequent history.
    3. The similarity between the past crime and the charged
    crime.
    4. The importance of the defendant's testimony.
    5. The centrality of the credibility issue.
    
    337 S.C. at 627
    , 
    525 S.E.2d at 248
    .
    Our supreme court provided further guidance in Robinson, 6 explaining:
    6
    In Robinson, the circuit court admitted into evidence several prior convictions,
    including a burglary conviction the circuit court ruled "had to be referred to
    generically as a 'prior felony conviction carrying more than one year in prison.'"
    Rule 609(a) invokes three impeachment scenarios. First,
    under Rule 609(a)(1), evidence that a witness other than
    an accused has been convicted of a crime punishable by
    death or imprisonment for more than one year (in the
    jurisdiction where the conviction occurred) is admissible,
    subject to Rule 403, SCRE. Under Rule 403, evidence of
    such a conviction "may be excluded if its probative value
    is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair
    prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury,
    or by considerations of undue delay, waste of time, or
    needless presentation of cumulative evidence." The Rule
    403 test places the burden upon the opponent of the
    evidence to establish inadmissibility pursuant to Rule
    403. Second, under Rule 609(a)(1), when the accused
    chooses to testify during his trial, if the State seeks to
    introduce impeachment evidence that the accused has
    been convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment
    for more than one year, the evidence is admissible if the
    State establishes the probative value of admitting the
    evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect upon the
    accused. Third, under Rule 609(a)(2), if a witness, even
    an accused, has been convicted of a crime involving
    dishonesty or false statement, evidence of such a
    conviction shall be admitted regardless of the maximum
    punishment and regardless of the probative value or
    prejudicial effect of the evidence.
    ....
    Rule 609(a)(2) requires no balancing test for
    admissibility of a prior conviction for a crime involving
    dishonesty or false statement. However, Rule 609(a)(1)
    and Rule 609(b) require the trial court to balance—in
    three varying degrees—the probative value of evidence
    of a prior conviction and the degree of prejudice to the
    opponent of the evidence (as noted, the Rule 403 test also
    
    426 S.C. at 588
    , 
    828 S.E.2d at 207
    . The supreme court noted the admission of this
    conviction for the purpose of impeachment was not appealed. 
    Id.
    requires the trial court to consider confusion of the
    issues, misleading the jury, etc.). Even though these
    three Rule 609 admissibility tests differ from one
    another, we have, through State v. Colf, provided a
    uniform set of factors for the trial court to consider when
    applying each test.
    
    426 S.C. at
    593–94, 
    828 S.E.2d at 210
    .
    "The starting point in the analysis is the degree to which the prior convictions have
    probative value, meaning the tendency to prove the issue at hand—the witness's
    propensity for truthfulness, or credibility." Id. at 597, 
    828 S.E.2d at 212
     (quoting
    State v. Black, 
    400 S.C. 10
    , 21, 
    732 S.E.2d 880
    , 886 (2012)). "The tendency to
    impact credibility . . . determines the impeachment value of the prior conviction.
    Impeachment value refers to how strongly the nature of the conviction bears on the
    veracity, or credibility, of the witness." 
    Id. at 598
    , 
    828 S.E.2d at
    212–13 (quoting
    Black, 400 S.C. at 21–22, 732 S.E.2d at 887) (omission by court). "Although prior
    convictions for robbery, burglary, theft, and drug possession are not crimes of
    dishonesty or false statement, which would result in automatic admissibility under
    Rule 609(a)(2), such convictions may still have impeachment value under Rule
    609(a)(1)." Id. at 599, 
    828 S.E.2d at 213
    .
    "[U]nder Rule 609(a)(1), if the witness is the accused and has a prior conviction of
    a crime punishable by death or imprisonment for more than one year, the trial court
    must balance the Colf factors and determine whether the probative value of the
    conviction outweighs its prejudicial effect to the accused." Id. at 595, 
    828 S.E.2d at 211
    . "An on-the-record balancing test is particularly important for prior similar
    convictions under Rule 609(a)(1) because the 'similarity of a prior crime to the
    crime charged heightens'" its prejudicial nature. State v. Howard, 
    384 S.C. 212
    ,
    221, 
    682 S.E.2d 42
    , 47 (Ct. App. 2009) (quoting State v. Elmore, 
    368 S.C. 230
    ,
    239, 
    628 S.E.2d 271
    , 275 (Ct. App. 2006)).
    Relying on United States v. Boyce, 
    611 F.2d 530
    , 530 (4th Cir. 1979), our appellate
    courts have seemingly approved the sanitization of prior convictions in cases
    addressing Rule 609. In Boyce, a defendant convicted of defrauding a federally
    insured bank appealed his conviction in part because the prosecutor asked on
    cross-examination whether he had been convicted of a felony and inquired as to the
    nature and number of such convictions. 
    Id. at 530
    . The Fourth Circuit noted Rule
    609(a), FRE,7 allows a defendant to be impeached by proof of his prior felony
    convictions; a defendant may be asked matters including the name of the crime, the
    time and place of the conviction, and the punishment. 
    Id.
     The Fourth Circuit
    found "[i]t follows that there was no plain error in permitting the United States
    Attorney to inquire about the number and nature of defendant's felony convictions,
    particularly since the defendant himself had already testified that he had been
    convicted of a felony and there was no objection at trial." 
    Id.
     at 530–31. The court
    stated in a footnote, "In the special case, where the prior conviction is for the same
    offense as that for which the defendant is being tried, the trial court generally will
    not permit the Government to prove the nature of the offense on the ground that to
    do so would amount to unfair prejudice." 
    Id. at 530, n.1
    .
    In Green v. State, our supreme court referenced the Boyce footnote, stating, "One
    tactic the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals employs is to allow the prosecutor to ask
    7
    Rule 609(a), FRE states:
    The following rules apply to attacking a witness's
    character for truthfulness by evidence of a criminal
    conviction:
    (1) for a crime that, in the convicting jurisdiction, was
    punishable by death or by imprisonment for more than
    one year, the evidence:
    (A) must be admitted, subject to Rule 403, in a civil case
    or in a criminal case in which the witness is not a
    defendant; and
    (B) must be admitted in a criminal case in which the
    witness is a defendant, if the probative value of the
    evidence outweighs its prejudicial effect to that
    defendant; and
    (2) for any crime regardless of the punishment, the
    evidence must be admitted if the court can readily
    determine that establishing the elements of the crime
    required proving — or the witness's admitting — a
    dishonest act or false statement.
    the defendant about the existence of prior convictions, but not their nature." 
    338 S.C. 428
    , 433 n. 5, 
    527 S.E.2d 98
    , 101 n.5 (2000). The Green court also
    explained:
    Federal courts have held that prior convictions for the
    same or similar crimes are highly prejudicial and should
    be admitted sparingly. While some federal circuits have
    held such convictions admissible if, after consideration of
    other factors, their probative value outweighs their
    prejudicial effect, the Fourth Circuit has been one of the
    stricter circuits, refusing to permit impeachment with
    similar prior convictions. We decline to hold similar
    prior convictions inadmissible in all cases. Trial courts
    must weigh the probative value of the prior convictions
    against their prejudicial effect to the accused and
    determine, in their discretion, whether to admit the
    evidence.
    Id. at 433, 
    527 S.E.2d at
    100–01 (internal citations omitted) (footnote omitted).
    Two years later, in State v. Rollins, this court found the circuit court did not abuse
    its discretion in admitting evidence of a defendant's prior convictions because:
    In this case, the trial judge reviewed Rollins' history of
    convictions and adopted the tactic mentioned in the
    Green footnote. In addition to limiting the amount of
    detail about the prior convictions, the trial judge
    instructed the jury that the prior convictions could only
    be considered in determining Rollins' credibility. This
    procedure minimized the prejudice to Rollins.
    
    348 S.C. 649
    , 653, 
    560 S.E.2d 450
    , 452 (Ct. App. 2002).
    The court of appeals again referenced this approach in its 2006 Elmore opinion,
    explaining:
    One permissible approach, advocated by the United
    States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, is to allow the
    prosecutor to ask the witness about the existence of a
    prior similar conviction under Rule 609(a)(1) without
    disclosing to the jury the nature of the prior offense. See
    Boyce, 
    611 F.2d at
    531 n. 1. The Boyce approach was
    approvingly referenced by our supreme court in Green,
    
    338 S.C. at
    433 n. 5, 
    527 S.E.2d at
    101 n. 5. The Boyce
    approach still requires a meaningful balancing of the
    probative value and prejudicial effect before admission of
    the prior conviction, although the prejudice occasioned
    by the similarity of the prior crime to the crime charged
    is removed.
    368 S.C. at 239 n.5, 628 S.E.2d at 276 n.5.
    In Furtick's case, we acknowledge the circuit court used a different balancing test
    when it stated, "Doing a 403 balancing analysis, I think that the impeachment value
    mostly outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice but I cannot say it substantially
    outweighs the danger of unfair prejudice." Under Rule 609(a)(1), the Rule 403
    balancing test is used in determining the admissibility of prior crimes of a witness
    other than the accused. When determining whether an accused's prior convictions
    may be admitted under Rule 609(a)(1), evidence of a defendant's prior convictions
    carrying more than one year of imprisonment "shall be admitted if the court
    determines that the probative value of admitting this evidence outweighs its
    prejudicial effect to the accused." Thus, it appears the circuit court's use of a
    balancing test requiring the impeachment value to substantially outweigh the
    danger of unfair prejudice actually inured to Furtick's benefit.
    The circuit court also indicated it considered the Colf factors, though it did not
    specifically reference each factor. Still, the court clearly considered the similarities
    of the various crimes and the centrality of the credibility issue at trial. The record
    demonstrates the circuit court weighed the prejudicial effect of admitting the
    convictions, finding any prejudice was due to the similarity of the convictions to
    Furtick's current charges. The circuit court then sought to mitigate this prejudice
    through sanitization—barring any reference to the specific similar crimes for
    which Furtick had been previously convicted. In requiring sanitization, the court
    referenced the dates of Furtick's various prior convictions; the oldest admitted
    conviction occurred five years before Victim's sexual assault. Considering the
    impact of the prior convictions on credibility, the circuit court explained credibility
    was "quite important in this case" and thus declined to allow the State to introduce
    the nature of the convictions. We find the circuit court's sanitization approach was
    appropriate and that its analysis satisfied the requirement of a meaningful
    on-the-record balancing of the Colf factors.
    Moreover, even if the circuit court erred in sanitizing or discussing its balancing of
    Furtick's prior convictions, such error would be harmless. When the circuit court
    admitted Furtick's two larceny convictions, Furtick's only request was that one of
    the convictions be called "larceny" with no "subsequent offense" or enhancement
    reference. Because evidence of two convictions for crimes of dishonesty had been
    admitted, the prejudicial effect of admitting other convictions referenced only as
    "two misdemeanors in 2012 and a felony in 2010 that carried a possible
    punishment of more than one year in prison" was low. See Black 400 S.C. at 27–
    28, 732 S.E.2d at 890 (finding erroneous admission of a witness's remote
    manslaughter conviction harmless due to the unchallenged admission of another
    prior conviction for shooting/throwing a deadly missile). Of further significance is
    the fact that when law enforcement initially questioned Furtick, he denied that he
    knew Victim or Husband. Furtick alleged a consensual sexual relationship with
    Victim only after SLED's analysis revealed his DNA was a match for the DNA
    recovered from her sexual assault examination kit. For these reasons—and due to
    the other evidence detailed above, such as Furtick's odd claims about the reading
    glasses and not recognizing Victim or Husband in their photos—this was far from
    a "he said, she said" case. See State v. Phillips, 
    430 S.C. 319
    , 342, 
    844 S.E.2d 651
    ,
    663 (2020) ("As part of our harmless error analysis, we review 'the materiality and
    prejudicial character of the error' in the context of the entire trial."); State v. Stukes,
    
    416 S.C. 493
    , 501, 
    787 S.E.2d 480
    , 484 (2016) (Kittredge, J., dissenting) (in which
    the dissent noted it would find harmless the erroneous jury charge because "[i]n
    addition to the evidence corroborating the victim's testimony, the jury was
    presented with Stukes's inconsistent statements. Stukes initially denied knowing
    the victim, much less having had sex with her. When pressed with the evidence,
    including the DNA match, Stukes remembered the victim and that they had
    consensual sex."). 8
    For these reasons, Furtick's conviction and sentence are
    AFFIRMED.
    GEATHERS, J. and HILL, A.J., concur.
    8
    We note that despite the admission of the sanitized convictions, the jury acquitted
    Furtick of the first-degree burglary charge and convicted him of the lesser included
    offense of second-degree CSC, not the first-degree CSC for which he was indicted.
    

Document Info

Docket Number: 6032

Filed Date: 11/1/2023

Precedential Status: Precedential

Modified Date: 11/8/2023