State v. Lake
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The Supreme Court reversed the judgment of the district court finding Appellant guilty of attempted sexual intercourse without consent, a felony, holding that the district court erred by applying Montana's Rape Shield Law, Mont. Code Ann. 45-5-511(2), to exclude evidence of the presence of unidentified sperm cells that remained on B.J.'s underwear.
Appellant was convicted of attempted sexual intercourse without consent for pulling down B.J.'s underwear and ejaculating on them. The Montana State Crime Lab discovered sperm cell evidence and skin cells on B.J.'s underwear but concluded that the major profile of the sperm cells was from an unknown male. The crime lab further determined that the skin cells were a mixture of a major profile that matched B.J.'s DNA. The State sought to exclude the sperm cell evidence as evidence of B.J.'s prior sexual conduct pursuant to the Rape Shield Law, but Appellant sought to introduce the evidence to rebut the State's explanation that laundering accounted for the absence of Appellant's DNA on the underwear. The district court excluded the evidence. The jury subsequently found Appellant guilty. The Supreme Court reversed, holding that the district court incorrectly applied the Rape Shield Law when it failed appropriately to balance B.J.'s rights with Appellant's constitutional rights.
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