People v. Dickerson CA4/2

I.

INTRODUCTION

A jury convicted defendant and appellant Mark Lavell Dickerson of committing

various sex crimes against two of his step-daughters, and the trial court sentenced him to

30 years to life. He claims the trial court committed two instructional errors. We

disagree and affirm.

II.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Defendant’s wife, M.W., has three daughters from a previous marriage: N.W.,

J.W., and K.W. In July 2021, defendant got into a physical altercation with J.W. and

M.W. when trying to break up a fight between them. When defendant left the house after

the fight, J.W., N.W., and K.W. told M.W. about defendant’s abuse.

According to K.W., defendant molested her repeatedly between 2018 and 2021.

On different occasions, defendant slapped her buttocks, kissed her on the lips and neck,

rubbed her breasts, tried to get her to touch his penis, and tried to rub her vagina as she

slept. On one occasion, he “grind[ed] on [her] butt” while they lay together under a

blanket.

J.W. similarly testified that defendant molested her repeatedly over the years.

Defendant slapped J.W.’s buttocks “almost daily.” On more than one occasion, defendant

1 Given that…