State v. Thompson , 250 N.C. App. 158 ( 2016 )


Menu:
  •               IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF NORTH CAROLINA
    No. COA16-94
    Filed: 18 October 2016
    Mecklenburg County, Nos. 12CRS055383-055394, 12CRS253233-253235,
    12CRS253237-253238
    STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA, Plaintiff,
    v.
    DRAYTON LAMAR THOMPSON, Defendant.
    Appeal by defendant from judgments entered 11 September 2015 by Judge
    Hugh B. Lewis in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.            Heard in the Court of
    Appeals 11 August 2016.
    Attorney General Roy Cooper, by Assistant Attorney General Catherine F.
    Jordan, for the State.
    Massengale & Ozer, by Marilyn G. Ozer, for defendant-appellant.
    ZACHARY, Judge.
    Defendant appeals from judgments entered upon the following convictions: (1)
    two counts of first-degree rape, one count of first-degree sex offense, and one count of
    second-degree kidnapping committed against “Alice”; (2) two counts of first-degree
    rape and one count of first-degree kidnapping committed against “Patricia”; and (3)
    two counts of first-degree sex offense, one count of first-degree kidnapping, one count
    of first-degree rape, and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree kidnapping
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    and first-degree rape, committed against “Louise”.1 The offenses were committed by
    two men in 1991. Defendant was charged in 2012, after forensic testing revealed a
    match between defendant’s DNA profile and DNA evidence collected at the time of
    the offenses. On appeal, defendant argues that the trial court erred by admitting the
    statements given by Patricia and Alice to a law enforcement officer and by denying
    his request for funds with which to retain an expert in order to retest the DNA
    samples. Defendant also asserts that the trial court committed plain error in its
    instructions to the jury. We conclude that the trial court did not err by admitting the
    witnesses’ statements or by denying defendant’s motion seeking funds with which to
    retain an expert to retest the DNA evidence, and did not commit error or plain error
    in its instructions to the jury.
    I. Factual and Procedural Background
    In 1991, Alice, Patricia, and Louise were kidnapped and subjected to sexual
    assault in separate incidents. On 17 December 2012, defendant was indicted for the
    following offenses:
    1. Three counts of first-degree rape, two counts of first-
    degree sex offense, and one count of first-degree
    kidnapping, committed against Patricia.
    2. Three counts of first-degree rape, one count of first-
    degree sex offense, and one count of second-degree
    kidnapping, committed against Alice.
    1   To preserve the privacy of the victims, we will use pseudonyms in this opinion.
    -2-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    3. One count of first-degree rape, three counts of first-
    degree sex offense, one count of first-degree kidnapping,
    and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree
    kidnapping and first-degree rape, committed against
    Louise.
    Defendant was tried before a jury beginning on 26 August 2015. Prior to trial,
    three different attorneys were appointed to represent defendant. The first two were
    removed at defendant’s request. When defendant expressed dissatisfaction with his
    third appointed counsel, the trial court ruled that defendant had forfeited his right to
    be represented by appointed counsel. Defendant represented himself at trial, with
    his third appointed attorney serving as standby counsel. Defendant does not raise
    any appellate issue regarding his pro se representation.
    At the outset of trial, the State sought to join for trial the charges pertaining
    to Alice, Patricia, and Louise. Although defendant opposed joinder of the charges, he
    has not challenged the joinder on appeal. The trial took place twenty-four years after
    the offenses were committed, during which time Alice and Patricia had died of natural
    causes. Louise testified at trial about the offenses committed against her. The
    evidence establishing the commission of criminal offenses against Alice and Patricia
    came from statements they made to medical personnel at the time of the assaults.
    The trial court also admitted as corroborative evidence the statements made by Alice
    and Patricia to Charlotte Police Major LaFreda Lester.
    -3-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    The trial evidence established factual similarities among the cases. All of the
    charged offenses occurred in Charlotte between May and August, 1991. In each case,
    an African-American woman in her twenties was walking in Charlotte late at night,
    and was kidnapped by two African-American men driving a car. In each instance,
    after the victim was in the car she was blindfolded, attacked, and threatened. The
    two men drove each of the women to a house in an unknown location, where both men
    sexually assaulted the victim. All three women were subjected to both forced vaginal
    intercourse and forced oral sex. Following the assaults, the men allowed the victims
    to get dressed, drove them to a different location, and let them out of the car. In each
    case, the victim did not recognize either of the attackers, and no suspects were
    arrested in 1991. Forensic examination later revealed a statistically significant
    match between defendant’s DNA profile and DNA evidence collected from each victim
    in 1991. Finally, in each case, the victim gave statements to medical personnel
    describing the kidnapping and sexual assaults. Additional factual details about the
    offenses are discussed below, as relevant to the issues raised on appeal.
    Prior to submitting the charges to the jury, the prosecutor dismissed one
    charge of first-degree rape committed against Alice, and the trial court dismissed one
    charge of first-degree rape and one charge of first-degree sex offense committed
    against Patricia, as well as one charge of first-degree sex offense committed against
    Louise. On 11 September 2015, the jury found defendant guilty of: (1) one count of
    -4-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    first-degree kidnapping and two counts of first-degree rape of Patricia; (2) one count
    of first-degree sex offense, one count of second-degree kidnapping, and two counts of
    first-degree rape of Alice; and (3) one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree
    kidnapping and first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sex offense, one count of
    first-degree kidnapping, and one count of first-degree rape of Louise. The jury found
    defendant not guilty of one count of first-degree sex offense of Patricia.
    Because the offenses were committed in 1991, defendant was sentenced under
    the Fair Sentencing Act. The trial court imposed three consecutive sentences of life
    imprisonment: a consolidated sentence in cases Nos. 12 CRS 55384-85 and 12 CRS
    55391; a second consolidated sentence of life imprisonment in cases Nos. 12 CRS
    55383, 12 CRS 253233, 12 CRS 25324, 12 CRS 253235, and 12 CRS 253237; and a
    third consolidated life sentence in cases Nos. 12 CRS 55387-89, and 12 CRS 55394.
    The court also ordered defendant to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his
    life and to enroll in satellite-based monitoring if he were released from prison.
    Defendant gave notice of appeal in open court.
    II. Admission of Statements by Deceased Witnesses to Major Lester
    Defendant argues first that the trial court erred by admitting the statements
    made by Alice and Patricia to Major Lester to corroborate the women’s statements to
    medical personnel. Defendant contends that the statements were “not corroborative
    as they were used by the State and the court for the truth of the matter asserted in
    -5-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    the statements” and that the admission of these statements “violated [defendant’s]
    constitutional guarantee to confrontation” under the North Carolina and United
    States Constitutions. Defendant does not challenge the admission of          Louise’s
    statement to Major Lester, as Louise was available for cross-examination at trial.
    Therefore, this issue pertains only to defendant’s convictions for offenses committed
    against Alice and Patricia. We conclude that the trial court did not err by admitting
    the witnesses’ statements as corroboration of their statements to medical personnel.
    A. Preservation of Constitutional Issue
    We first address the State’s argument that defendant failed to preserve for
    appellate review his argument that admission of these statements violated his rights
    under the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. When Major Lester
    was asked to read Patricia’s statement, defendant objected to the introduction of
    Patricia’s statement and asked to be heard outside the presence of the jury. The trial
    court overruled defendant’s objection and denied his request to be heard. After Major
    Lester read the statement, defendant addressed the trial court outside of the jury’s
    presence and moved for a mistrial on the grounds that he was unable to cross-
    examine Patricia.    Defendant read aloud from the discussion in Crawford v.
    Washington, 
    541 U.S. 36
    , 
    158 L. Ed. 2d 177
    (2004), concerning the constitutional right
    to cross-examine the declarant of a statement introduced for substantive purposes.
    The trial court ruled that Patricia’s statement to Major Lester was admissible to
    -6-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    corroborate her statements to medical personnel and denied defendant’s motions for
    a mistrial and to exclude the statement. Defendant also objected to the introduction
    of Alice’s statement to Major Lester. We conclude that defendant properly preserved
    this issue for our review.
    B. Standard of Review
    “When a defendant objects to the admission of evidence, we consider, whether
    the evidence was admissible as a matter of law, and if so, whether the trial court
    abused its discretion in admitting the evidence.” State v. Blackwell, 
    207 N.C. App. 255
    , 257, 
    699 S.E.2d 474
    , 475 (2010). “The standard of review for alleged violations
    of constitutional rights is de novo.” State v. Graham, 
    200 N.C. App. 204
    , 214, 
    683 S.E.2d 437
    , 444 (2009), disc. review denied, 
    363 N.C. 857
    , 
    694 S.E.2d 766
    (2010).
    C. Discussion
    Defendant argues that the trial court erred by admitting the statements of
    Alice and Patricia to Major Lester, on the grounds that the statements were not
    admitted as corroborative evidence. Defendant contends that the admission of these
    statements violated his right to confront the witnesses against him as guaranteed by
    the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution. We disagree.
    Hearsay is defined as “a statement, other than one made by the declarant while
    testifying at the trial or hearing, offered in evidence to prove the truth of the matter
    asserted.” N.C. Gen. Stat. § 8C-1, Rule 801(c) (2015). “As a general rule, hearsay is
    -7-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    inadmissible at trial.” State v. Morgan, 
    359 N.C. 131
    , 154, 
    604 S.E.2d 886
    , 900 (2004).
    In Crawford v. Washington, 
    541 U.S. 36
    , 
    158 L. Ed. 2d 177
    (2004), the United States
    Supreme Court held that the admission of an out-of-court testimonial statement
    made by an unavailable declarant who did not testify at trial and who was not
    previously available for cross-examination by the defendant is barred by the
    Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment. However:
    “[If] evidence is admitted for a purpose other than the truth
    of the matter asserted,” such as when evidence is admitted
    solely for purposes of corroboration, then “the protection
    afforded by the Confrontation Clause against testimonial
    statements is not at issue.” . . . According to our Supreme
    Court, North Carolina case law establishes “the rule that
    prior consistent statements are admissible even though
    they contain new or additional information so long as the
    narration of events is substantially similar to the witness’
    in-court testimony.”
    State v. Ross, 
    216 N.C. App. 337
    , 346-47, 
    720 S.E.2d 403
    , 409 (2011) (quoting State v.
    Walker, 
    170 N.C. App. 632
    , 635, 
    613 S.E.2d 330
    , 333 (2005), and State v. Williamson,
    
    333 N.C. 128
    , 136, 
    423 S.E.2d 766
    , 770 (1992)), disc. rev. denied, 
    366 N.C. 400
    , 
    735 S.E.2d 174
    (2012). “Prior statements admitted for corroborative purposes are not to
    be received as substantive evidence.” State v. Harrison, 
    328 N.C. 678
    , 681, 
    403 S.E.2d 301
    , 303-04 (1991) (citation omitted). “[A]dmission of nonhearsay raises no
    Confrontation Clause concerns.’ State v. Gainey, 
    355 N.C. 73
    , 87, 
    558 S.E.2d 463
    , 473
    (2002).
    -8-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    The trial court admitted statements by Alice and Patricia to the health care
    personnel who treated them at the time of the assaults, under the exception to the
    hearsay rule contained in Rule 803(4), for statements given for purposes of medical
    diagnosis or treatment. Defendant does not challenge the admission of these
    statements, and the witnesses’ statements to Major Lester were admitted to
    corroborate their statements to medical personnel. We conclude that the challenged
    statements meet the requirements for admission as corroborative evidence.
    Patricia was treated by Nurse Janet Gillespie, who testified at trial. Nurse
    Gillespie testified that Patricia told her that at around 2:30 a.m. on 7 May 1991, she
    was walking near a location in Charlotte known as The Plaza, when she accepted a
    ride with two African-American men whom Patricia did not know. When Patricia got
    into the front seat of the car, the man in the back seat put a towel over her head and
    an iron bar against her neck. The men drove to a house where they led Patricia inside
    with the towel over her head. The men forced her to engage in vaginal intercourse
    and fellatio. Patricia was also treated by Dr. David Maxwell Gray, who testified as
    an expert in emergency medicine. Dr. Gray’s testimony included the following
    summary of Patricia’s statements to him:
    Dr. Gray: She says she was walking home and accepted a
    ride in a car that had two men in it. One moved to the
    backseat when she got in the front seat, and she was
    attacked from behind with a crowbar across her neck. That
    part I remember. And she had a towel put over her head
    -9-
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    and was driven -- actually, I’ll read it word for word, I'm
    sorry.
    ...
    Dr. Gray: Was attacked from behind with a crowbar in
    front of neck. Attackers put a towel over patient’s head and
    took patient to house. . . . One placed a penis in her mouth
    and then had vaginal intercourse, and the second attacker
    repeated the same things as the first attacker but with the
    addition of attempting anal intercourse.
    Major Lester testified that on 7 May 1991, she took a statement from Patricia,
    who told Major Lester that she had accepted a ride with two unknown African-
    American men. After Patricia got into the car, the men put a towel over her head and
    choked her with an iron bar. The men took Patricia to a house where they forced her
    to engage in vaginal intercourse and fellatio. Patricia’s statement to Major Lester
    included additional details about the incident, but was substantially similar to her
    statements to medical personnel.
    Alice was treated by Nurse Gillespie and Dr. Russell Howard Greenfield. On
    19 July 1991, Alice told Nurse Gillespie that she had been sexually assaulted by two
    unknown African-American men a few hours earlier. The men had threatened her
    with a knife, choked and blindfolded her, and subjected her to forcible vaginal
    intercourse, anal intercourse, and fellatio. Dr. Greenfield testified as an expert in
    emergency medicine. Alice told Dr. Greenfield that she and her sister had voluntarily
    gotten into a car with two men. When Alice’s sister got out of the car at a convenience
    - 10 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    store, the passenger in the car covered Alice’s head, choked her, and threatened to
    stab her. The men took Alice to a house and raped her. Dr. Greenfield testified that
    the results of his pelvic examination of Alice were consistent with her having been
    sexually assaulted by two men.
    Major Lester took a statement from Alice on 16 July 1991. Alice told Major
    Lester that earlier that night she and her sister got into a car with two unknown
    African-American men. After a short drive, Alice’s sister got out of the car. A man in
    the car then covered Alice’s head, choked her, hit her with his fist, and threatened to
    stab her. They drove her to a house where both men forced her to engage in vaginal
    intercourse. One man also attempted to have anal intercourse and placed his penis
    in her mouth. We conclude that Alice’s statement to Major Lester was substantially
    similar to her statements to health care personnel.
    Based upon our review of the transcript of this case, we conclude that the
    statements by Patricia and Alice to Major Lester were properly admitted to
    corroborate their statements to the medical personnel who treated them shortly after
    each witness was sexually assaulted. In reaching this conclusion, we have carefully
    considered defendant’s arguments for a contrary result.
    On appeal, defendant does not argue that the statements of Patricia and Alice
    to Major Lester were inadmissible as corroborative evidence because the statements
    contradicted, rather than corroborated, the witnesses’ statements to medical
    - 11 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    personnel. Defendant contends, however, that the trial court “must not consider the
    corroborative nature of the statement when determining whether it qualifies as an
    exception to hearsay.” Defendant cites State v. Champion, 
    171 N.C. App. 716
    , 722,
    
    615 S.E.2d 366
    , 371 (2005), in support of this position. In Champion, however, the
    issue was whether a statement qualified under the residual hearsay exception in N.C.
    Gen. Stat. § 8C-1, Rule 804(b)(5). Champion does not hold that the trial court should
    not consider the corroborative nature of a statement in determining whether it falls
    within the exception for corroborative statements.
    Defendant’s primary argument is that the statements contained additional
    information not included in the witnesses’ statements to health care workers and that
    the statements were admitted as substantive evidence for the truth of these
    additional details, rather than as corroborative evidence. However, the mere fact
    that a corroborative statement contains additional facts not included in the statement
    that is being corroborated does not render the corroborative statement inadmissible:
    “In order to be admissible as corroborative evidence, a
    witness’ prior consistent statements merely must tend to
    add weight or credibility to the witness’ testimony.
    Further, it is well established that such corroborative
    evidence may contain new or additional facts when it tends
    to strengthen and add credibility to the testimony which it
    corroborates.” Moreover, “if the previous statements are
    generally consistent with the witness’ testimony, slight
    variations will not render the statements inadmissible, but
    such variations . . . affect [only] the credibility of the
    statement.”
    - 12 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    State v. Walters, 
    357 N.C. 68
    , 88-89, 
    588 S.E.2d 344
    , 356-57 (2003) (quoting State v.
    Farmer, 
    333 N.C. 172
    , 192, 
    424 S.E.2d 120
    , 131 (1993), and State v. Martin, 
    309 N.C. 465
    , 476, 
    308 S.E.2d 277
    , 284 (1983)).
    Defendant contends that the statements to Nurse Gillespie and the treating
    physicians were “bare-bones,” but that Patricia’s statement to Major Lester “provided
    the State with evidence, not available from the medical records, which was necessary
    to convict [defendant] of many counts.” Defendant does not identify any specific
    charge for which the evidence was insufficient without information in the statements
    to Major Lester, and our review of the evidence establishes that the statements of
    Patricia and Alice to health care personnel, in combination with the DNA evidence
    discussed below, provided sufficient evidentiary support for all of the charges that
    were submitted to the jury.
    When Patricia spoke with the health care professionals who treated her shortly
    after she was assaulted, she described being kidnapped and subjected to forcible
    sexual intercourse and forcible oral sex with two men. The charges pertaining to
    Patricia that were submitted to the jury were two charges of first-degree rape, one
    charge of first-degree sex offense, and one charge of first-degree kidnapping. These
    charges were adequately supported by Patricia’s statements to medical personnel.
    The charges submitted to the jury in which Alice was the alleged victim were two
    charges of first-degree rape, one charge of first-degree sex offense, and one charge of
    - 13 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    second-degree kidnapping. These charges were supported by the statements that
    Alice gave to medical personnel. Defendant does not specify which convictions
    required evidence contained only in the witnesses’ statements to Major Lester and
    does not argue that the State’s evidence was insufficient as to any element of any
    charged offense in the absence of Patricia’s or Alice’s statement to Major Lester. We
    conclude that this argument lacks merit.
    Defendant also argues that the “State’s dependence on the statements for
    substantive evidence is shown in the State’s . . . closing argument.” Defendant cites
    no authority, and we know of none, holding that the State’s reference in a closing
    argument to arguably inadmissible evidence establishes that the State had offered
    insufficient evidence to convict a defendant without the challenged evidence.
    Defendant additionally asserts that the trial court “used the police statements
    in charging the jury,” citing a quote from the transcript in which defendant contends
    that the trial court was discussing information that “was only available in [Patricia’s]
    statement to the police.” However, the quote identified by defendant came not from
    the trial court’s charge to the jury, but from a discussion between the trial court, the
    prosecutor, and defendant concerning which charges could properly be submitted to
    the jury. In fact, the prosecutor and the trial court dismissed those charges that were
    not adequately supported by the witnesses’ statements in the hospital. Defendant
    also argues that the introduction of the witnesses’ statements for substantive
    - 14 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    purposes is demonstrated by the fact that in the prosecutor’s argument for the joinder
    of offenses for trial, he referred to information from these statements:
    The court also depended on the testimonial statements to
    grant the State’s motion for joinder and for admission of
    404(b) evidence, by finding the State had established
    sufficient facts relating to mode of operation, similar
    scheme and location, based on the State’s list of similarities
    which was derived from the testimonial statements.
    N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-926(a) (2015) provides in relevant part that two or more
    offenses may be joined for trial when the offenses are based “on a series of acts or
    transactions connected together or constituting parts of a single scheme or plan.” In
    this case, the State’s motion for joinder included the following circumstances that
    were not, as contended by defendant, “derived from the testimonial statements.”
    1. Location – All offenses were committed in Charlotte.
    2. Date and Time – All offenses occurred late at night
    between May and August, 1991.
    3. Victims - All of the victims were African-American
    females in their 20s who had been drinking.
    4. Modus Operendi - In each case:
    a. The victim was walking before getting into a car
    with the assailants.
    b. The victim was physically assaulted in the car,
    and something was put on her head.
    c. Similar sexual assaults were perpetrated against
    each victim.
    d. All of the victims were taken by car to an unknown
    location where the sexual assaults occurred.
    - 15 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    5. DNA - In each case, defendant’s DNA matched the DNA
    taken from evidence collected at the time of the assaults.
    The circumstances noted above were sufficient to support the trial court’s
    decision to allow joinder of the offenses, notwithstanding the fact that the State’s
    motion for joinder also included the following circumstances included in the victims’
    statements to Major Lester, but not in their statements to medical personnel: (1) all
    of the victims were released at a location different from where they were abducted,
    and (2) the victims’ descriptions to Major Lester of the car and the assailants’
    appearance were similar.
    The record does not contain a formal written order allowing joinder, and “[t]he
    rule is that a trial judge sitting without a jury is presumed to have considered only
    the competent, admissible evidence and to have disregarded any inadmissible
    evidence that may have been admitted.” Woncik v. Woncik, 
    82 N.C. App. 244
    , 249,
    
    346 S.E.2d 277
    , 280 (1986) (citing City of Statesville v. Bowles, 
    278 N.C. 497
    , 
    180 S.E. 2d
    111 (1971)). We conclude that the trial court’s ruling allowing joinder was
    supported by the circumstances established from sources other than Patricia’s and
    Alice’s statements to Major Lester, and that the record contains no basis on which to
    assume that the trial court relied upon other factors.
    Defendant further contends that the admission of the testimony of Ms. Eva
    Fernandez pursuant to North Carolina Rule of Evidence 404(b) was dependent upon
    details found only in Patricia’s and Alice’s statements to Major Lester. Defendant
    - 16 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    argues that in the State’s argument to the trial court for admission of this evidence,
    the State referred to the specific location in Charlotte where Ms. Fernandez was
    picked up, and linked it to the location where Patricia had been dropped off, and that
    this information was only found in Patricia’s statement to Major Lester. However,
    there were significant similarities between the charged offenses and Ms. Fernandez’s
    experience. In 1991, Ms. Fernandez, like the other victims, was walking in Charlotte
    at night, was intoxicated, and accepted a ride from two unknown African-American
    men. Once she was in the car, the men hit her on the head with “something silver”
    and put a cloth over her head. Fortunately, Ms. Fernandez was able to escape from
    the car. We conclude that these similarities, not derived from Patricia’s statement to
    Major Lester, were sufficient to support the trial court’s admission of the evidence.
    The record does not contain a written or oral order indicating that the trial court
    relied upon inadmissible evidence, and we presume that the trial court based its
    ruling on admissible evidence. Therefore, even if the prosecutor improperly referred
    to the location where Patricia was released in his argument for admission of Ms.
    Fernandez’s testimony, there is no basis upon which to conclude that the trial court
    based its ruling in part upon this information. We also note that defendant did not
    object in the presence of the jury to Ms. Fernandez’s testimony, and does not argue
    on appeal that it was inadmissible.
    - 17 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    Defendant also argues that the statements given by Patricia and Alice to Major
    Lester provided the only evidence to support certain “indicted” charges. However, at
    the close of all the evidence the trial court, the prosecutor, and defendant reviewed
    the evidence and dismissed charges that were not supported by Patricia’s and Alice’s
    statements to health care personnel. Defendant specifically limits his argument to
    “indicted” offenses and does not challenge the evidentiary support for the charges
    that were actually submitted to the jury.
    The only basis for defendant’s argument that the statements were inadmissible
    is that they were admitted for the truth of the matters asserted. We have rejected
    this argument and conclude that (1) the statements were admissible to corroborate
    the witnesses’ statements to medical personnel, and (2) there was sufficient evidence
    to support submission of the various charges to the jury based on the witnesses’
    statements to medical personnel and on the overwhelming statistical likelihood that
    defendant’s DNA matched that found on the victims.
    Finally, defendant argues that the details in the statements increased the
    likelihood of a verdict based on emotion. We have concluded that it was not error to
    admit the witnesses’ statements. Accordingly, we do not reach defendant’s argument
    that the alleged error was a constitutional violation. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 15A-1443(a)
    provides that a criminal defendant is prejudiced by non-constitutional errors only if
    “there is a reasonable possibility that, had the error in question not been committed,
    - 18 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    a different result would have been reached at the trial out of which the appeal arises.
    The burden of showing such prejudice under this subsection is upon the defendant.”
    In this case, defendant has failed to establish that there is a reasonable possibility
    that he would have been acquitted if the statements had been excluded.
    For the reasons discussed above, we conclude that the trial court did not err by
    admitting the statements given by Patricia and Alice to Major Lester to corroborate
    the witnesses’ statements to the medical personnel who treated them at the time of
    the assaults. Defendant’s arguments to the contrary do not have merit.
    III. Denial of Defendant’s Motion for Retesting of DNA Samples
    Defendant argues next that the trial court erred by denying his motion seeking
    funds with which to hire an expert to retest the DNA samples. We disagree.
    In October 2009, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department DNA team leader
    Eve Rossi, who testified at trial as an expert in forensic DNA analysis, conducted
    DNA testing of evidence obtained in the assault cases of Patricia, Alice, and Louise,
    and found an unknown DNA profile that was common to all three cases. In March
    2011, defendant voluntarily provided a buccal swab from which a DNA profile could
    be established. In April 2011, Ms. Rossi conducted a DNA analysis of the sample
    obtained from defendant and found that it matched the DNA profile of the unknown
    subject identified in the three cases.
    - 19 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    When Ms. Rossi was asked to quantify the statistical probability that the DNA
    obtained from evidence collected in Alice’s case had originated from someone other
    than defendant, she testified that the “probability of selecting an unrelated person at
    random who could be the source of that major DNA profile within the vaginal swabs
    is approximately 1 in 60.6 trillion.” Ms. Rossi explained that this probability meant
    that she "would need to look at or do DNA typing on 60.6 trillion individuals to find
    somebody else who would have a DNA profile that also matched that DNA profile
    from the vaginal swabs.” Regarding the match between defendant’s DNA profile and
    the DNA samples obtained from Patricia, Ms. Rossi testified that the probability of
    selecting an unrelated person at random who could be the source of the major DNA
    profile obtained in that case was approximately 1 in 1.62 quadrillion. For Louise’s
    case, Ms. Rossi testified that the statistical probability of selecting an unrelated
    person at random who could be the source of that DNA profile was approximately 1
    in 323 billion. Ms. Rossi also testified that the earth’s population was approximately
    7.2 billion.
    Prior to trial, defendant retained Dr. Maher Noureddine to perform a review
    of Ms. Rossi’s analysis of the DNA samples and prepare a report summarizing the
    results of his examination. In his report, Dr. Noureddine criticized certain procedures
    used in the DNA analysis and took issue with some of Ms. Rossi’s characterizations
    of the degree of similarity between various DNA samples. However, Dr. Noureddine
    - 20 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    did not dispute the ultimate results of the DNA analysis. After Dr. Noureddine
    submitted his report, defendant filed a pro se motion for funding with which to hire
    another expert to retest the DNA samples. The trial court denied defendant’s motion
    in an order finding in relevant part that:
    1. The Defendant is charged with multiple felonies related
    to alleged sexual assaults that took place with three
    alleged victims in 1991.
    2. There is DNA evidence in all three cases which has been
    tested by the State and purports to link the Defendant to
    the alleged crimes.
    3. Defendant seeks to have the DNA evidence retested by a
    defense expert.
    4. Previously appointed counsel for the Defendant retained
    the services of a DNA expert, Dr. Noureddine.
    5. Dr. Noureddine reviewed the DNA analysis performed
    by the State and took exception to the some of the
    procedures followed by the State, but did not conclude that
    the DNA analysis, had it been performed differently, would
    have reached a different result.
    6. Dr. Noureddine did not recommend the use of a new,
    more accurate testing procedure that was not available at
    the time of the State’s DNA test.
    A trial court’s determination as to whether to provide funding for expert
    evaluation of evidence rests within the trial court’s discretion and will not be
    disturbed absent a showing of abuse of that discretion. State v. Gardner, 
    311 N.C. 489
    , 498-99, 
    319 S.E.2d 591
    , 598 (1984). Defendant argues that the trial court abused
    - 21 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    its discretion and challenges the evidentiary support for the trial court’s statements
    in Findings Nos. 5 and 6, that Dr. Noureddine “did not conclude that the DNA
    analysis, had it been performed differently, would have reached a different result”
    and that Dr. Noureddine “did not recommend the use of a new, more accurate testing
    procedure that was not available at the time of the State’s DNA test.” Defendant
    argues that because “Dr. Noureddine’s report finds procedures, analysis and
    conclusions of the CMPD crime laboratory to be contrary to accepted scientific
    practice, suggests re-testing evidence and finds one conclusion to be overreaching and
    absurd, the court’s findings of fact and conclusions of law are incorrect.” However, the
    criticisms that defendant notes from Dr. Noureddine’s report do not identify any
    statement or conclusion by Dr. Noureddine either that “the DNA analysis, had it been
    performed differently, would have reached a different result,” or that there currently
    exists “a new, more accurate testing procedure that was not available at the time of
    the State's DNA test.” As a result, defendant’s contentions do not establish that the
    trial court’s findings were not supported by the evidence.
    Dr. Noureddine had several criticisms of the procedures and methodology
    employed by the State’s analysts, including the following:
    1. Dr. Noureddine criticized the lab for performing the
    analysis of two cases at the same time, because this might
    increase the chance of contamination.
    2. Dr. Noureddine criticized the quality of the DNA sample
    obtained from Patricia and suggested that the lab should
    - 22 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    have “considered” repeating the analysis of the cheek swab
    from Patricia.
    3. Dr. Noureddine criticized the terminology used by the
    State lab in characterizing a particular DNA profile as a
    “major contributor” instead of a “partially predominant”
    contributor and in using the term “match” to describe the
    relationship between Louise’s DNA and that found in the
    evidence from Louise’s case.
    4. In Patricia’s case, Dr. Noureddine was concerned about
    whether the samples had been properly sealed.
    In Dr. Noureddine’s report, he summarized the procedures used to conduct the
    DNA analysis and noted that in each case the State had made statistical calculations
    regarding the match between defendant’s DNA and that obtained from the evidence
    collected in 1991. Significantly, in his report Dr. Noureddine does not express any
    doubt or concern regarding the statistical conclusions reached by the State. In other
    words, Dr. Noureddine’s report does not dispute the ultimate conclusion reached in
    each case that it was statistically all but impossible for anyone other than defendant
    to have been the source of the DNA profiles obtained from the evidence. Instead, Dr.
    Noureddine’s “Final Conclusion” is that “[b]ased on the forensic DNA and serology
    evidence that was developed by the CMPD Lab for case #s 1991-0507-040800, 1991-
    0716-000400, and 1991-0812-042601, it is my conclusion that Mr. Thompson cannot
    be excluded as a potential contributor of DNA in all three cases.”
    - 23 -
    STATE V. THOMPSON
    Opinion of the Court
    We conclude that the trial court accurately summarized the results of Dr.
    Noureddine’s analysis and did not abuse its discretion by denying defendant’s motion
    seeking funds with which to hire an expert to retest the DNA samples.
    IV. Instruction on Acting in Concert
    Finally, defendant argues that the trial court committed plain error by
    instructing the jury in such a manner that defendant “could be found guilty either by
    acting by himself or acting together with another in violation of the prohibition
    against double jeopardy.” Defendant cites State v. Graham, 
    145 N.C. App. 483
    , 
    549 S.E.2d 908
    (2001), in support of his contention. However, in Graham, the verdict
    sheets submitted to the jury included one verdict sheet asking the jury to determine
    whether the defendant was guilty of committing a particular offense alone and
    another, separate, sheet asking the jury to decide whether the defendant was guilty
    of the same offense, either acting alone or with another. On the facts of Graham, the
    jury might have convicted the defendant twice for the same offense, once for acting
    alone and once for acting either alone or with another. No such circumstance is
    present in this case.
    For the reasons discussed above, we conclude that defendant had a fair trial,
    free of reversible error.
    NO ERROR.
    Judges STEPHENS and McCULLOUGH concur.
    - 24 -