State v. Mark E. Nelson, 2006 WI App 124, PFR filed 6/22/06
For Nelson: Robert R. Henak; Amelia L. Bizzaro
Issue/Holding: The evidence was sufficient to sustain conviction under § 942.09 for videotaping into a bathroom notwithstanding that the window was open, under the following circumstances:
¶53 Applying this standard, we conclude the evidence was sufficient for the jury to find Nelson guilty of violating Wis. Stat. § 942.09 beyond a reasonable doubt, and, specifically, that the women videotaped had a reasonable expectation of privacy. If a jury accepted the testimony of the women and the investigating officers, there was evidence that the bathroom was on the second floor of the building; Nelson’s house appeared vacant and actually was generally vacant that summer; there was a tree, located between Nelson’s house and their own house, that blocked the view of the bathroom window from the ground during the summer; over ten feet separated Nelson’s house from the women’s house, and the women were located four or five feet from the window when Nelson videotaped them. In addition, given the detail visible on the videotapes, a reasonable jury could infer that Nelson was using a zoom feature to see the women and that he would not have been able to see them in any significant detail otherwise. Considering this evidence together, we conclude it is sufficient for a jury to find beyond a reasonable doubt that, despite opening the window, the women had a reasonable expectation of privacy when they were videotaped.
