State v. Cooley

Nathaniel Cooley, a juvenile, appeals his conviction for first degree statutory rape. He contends that the trial court erred in (1) finding the child victim competent to testify, and (2) admitting hearsay statements under RCW 9A.44.120, the child victim hearsay statute, made by the child victim to his mother, a social worker, and a detective. He asserts that suggestive interview techniques employed during pretrial interviews with the social worker improperly influenced the victim's memory, rendering him incompetent and his statements to her and others unreliable. We affirm.

Defendant Nathaniel…