Commonwealth v. Bell

Opinion of the Court by

Justice NOBLE.

Appellee Eric Rae Bell was convicted in Jefferson Circuit Court of first-degree sodomy, tampering with physical evidence, and fourth-degree assault. Bell appealed his convictions to the Court of Appeals, which reversed the sodomy conviction on the grounds that the trial court abused its discretion by excluding statements the victim made to medical personnel about her history of drug use and addiction. On discretionary review, the sole issue before this Court is whether the Court of Appeals was correct that the victim’s statements should have been admitted.…