Carla Stalcup v. The State of Wyoming

2013 WY 114, 311 P.3d 104, 2013 WL 5423981, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 117
CourtWyoming Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 27, 2013
DocketS-12-0232
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2013 WY 114 (Carla Stalcup v. The State of Wyoming) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Wyoming Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Carla Stalcup v. The State of Wyoming, 2013 WY 114, 311 P.3d 104, 2013 WL 5423981, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 117 (Wyo. 2013).

Opinions

. KITE, Chief Justice.

[11] A jury found Carla Staleup guilty of aggravated vehicular homicide while driving under the influence of alcohol, a felony, and two related driving under the influence (DUI) misdemeanors. She appeals the convictions and sentence, claiming the district court improperly refused to allow her to call [107]*107an expert witness to testify concerning her theory of defense, incorrectly answered a jury question and imposed an illegal sentence. We conclude the district court erred in not allowing Ms. Staleup's expert witness to testify concerning her theory of defense to the aggravated vehicular homicide charge. We reverse that conviction and remand for a new trial. We further conclude the district court erred when it entered convictions and imposed sentences on two alternative DUI counts. We reverse those convictions and remand for entry of a new judgment and sentence convicting Ms. Staleup of one violation of Wyo. Stat, Ann. § 81-5-283 (Lexis-Nexis 2011) and imposing one sentence.

ISSUES

[12] Ms. Staleup presents the following issues for this Court's consideration:

1. The district court abused its discretion when it prohibited her from calling an expert witness to testify in her defense;
2. The district court committed reversible error when it incorrectly answered a jury question presented during deliberations; and
3. The sentence is illegal because the district court entered separate convictions and sentences on the DUI counts, which were the same criminal act and charged in the alternative.1

The State asserts the district court committed no error.

FACTS

[13] On May 24, 2011, the Laramie County district attorney filed an information charging Ms. Stalcup with aggravated vehicular homicide in violation of Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 6-2-106(b)(i) (LexisNexis 2011) and driving under the influence of alcohol to an extent rendering her incapable of safely driving in violation of § 31—5—233(b)(iii)(A). (Lexis-Nexis 2011). The affidavit of probable cause attached to the information alleged that on May 18, 2011, Ms. Stalceup was driving a vehicle eastbound out of Cheyenne, Wyoming on WY-210 (Happy Jack Road) when the vehicle left the highway and rolled.2 Ms. Staleup was ejected from the vehicle A passenger, Matthew Lorenz, was partially ejected through the sun roof and died at the scene.

[14] Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers smelled alcohol on Ms. Staleup and Mr. Lorenz and found an open bottle of alcohol in the vehicle. Various witnesses told the troopers that Ms. Staleup had admitted she was driving at the time of the crash. Upon learning that Mr. Lorenz was dead, Ms. Staleup also made statements to the effect that she had killed him. When questioned at the hospital after the crash, Ms. Staleup said that she and Mr. Lorenz were driving to the Bunkhouse Bar & Grill on Happy Jack Road for dinner, an argument ensued and they had turned around to go back to Cheyenne when the crash occurred. She said she did not remember anything about the crash itself.

[15] Prior to trial, Ms. Staleup informed the State and the district court that she intended to call her therapist to testify as an expert witness concerning his treatment of her and use of eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. She also indicated she intended to call a certified EMDR therapist to lay the foundation for her therapist's testimony. The gist of the testimony was that through the therapy, Ms. Stalcup was able to recall events prior to the crash that she had not remembered when questioned at the hospital. The State moved to exclude the expert testimony.

[16] Several days before trial began, the State filed an amended information to add an alternative count of misdemeanor DUI under § 31-5-233(b)(i), which makes it unlawful to [108]*108drive with a blood aleohol content of 0.08% or more. Thus, at the time of trial, Ms. Staleup was charged with felony aggravated vehicular homicide and two alternative misdemean- or DUI offenses.

[17] At trial, Ms. Stalcup's defense was that she did not cause the crash and Mr. Lorenz's resulting death. She intended to show that due to her injuries, the shock from being thrown from the vehicle, and the trauma of learning that Mr. Lorenz was dead, she was unable to remember immediately following the crash what had happened. She claimed that over time and with the help of her therapist and EMDR therapy, however, she was able to recall that Mr. Lorenz grabbed her arm, causing the vehicle to swerve off the highway and roll.

[18] On the second day of trial, out of the jury's presence, Ms. Staleup attempted to qualify Janice Schaad as an expert in EMDR therapy. After questioning by defense counsel and the State, the district court ruled that it would not allow Ms. Schaad to testify concerning EMDR therapy. She was allowed to testify generally concerning the effects of trauma. Defense counsel also sought Ms. Schaad's testimony concerning the human brain's ability to repress memory as a protective mechanism. Upon the State's objection, the court declined to allow the testimony.

[19] After Ms. Schaad's testimony, defense counsel called Ms. Staleup's psychologist to testify concerning his treatment of her after the crash and Mr. Lorenz's death,. In accordance with the district court's ruling concerning Ms. Schaad's testimony, defense counsel did not question the psychologist about his use of EMDR therapy in treating Ms. Staleup.

[¥10] Ms. Staleup testified in her own defense. She stated that after the crash, she was unable to remember what had happened just before it. She testified that months later, however, after her therapist began using EMDR therapy during her treatment, she was able to recall what happened. Specifically, she was able to recall Mr. Lorenz yelling at her to stop the car and grabbing her arm when she did not comply. The next thing she remembered was she had been thrown out of the car and Anne Coker, a friend of her daughter's, was there. Ms. Coker testified that she and some friends were driving to the Bunkhouse and came upon the crash seene before any emergency vehicles arrived. She testified that she thought she recalled Ms. Stalcup telling her at the crash scene that Mr. Lorenz had grabbed the wheel.

[T11] At the close of the evidence, the district court instructed the jury and provided it with the verdict form. The verdiet form required the jury to determine whether Ms. Staleup was guilty or not guilty of aggravated homicide by vehicle, driving under the influence of alcohol to a degree rendering her unable to drive safely and driving under the influence of alcohol with a BAC of .08%. In contrast to the amended information the State had filed, the verdict form did not treat the DUI charges as alternatives.

[T12] During deliberations, the jury sent a number of questions to the court, including the following: "Can we try the fact that neither wore a seat belt even though it was not brought up by either side?" The district court indicated to counsel that it intended to answer the question simply "no" or instruct the jury that it "may not consider use or nonuse of a seat belt by the defendant or the victim." Defense counsel objected and asked the court to instruct the jury that it could not answer the question and to rely solely on the jury instructions. Over defense counsel's objection, the district court answered the question simply, "No."

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2013 WY 114, 311 P.3d 104, 2013 WL 5423981, 2013 Wyo. LEXIS 117, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/carla-stalcup-v-the-state-of-wyoming-wyo-2013.