People v. Gonzales-Quevedo

203 P.3d 609, 2008 Colo. App. LEXIS 1832, 2008 WL 4742329
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 30, 2008
Docket05CA2434
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 203 P.3d 609 (People v. Gonzales-Quevedo) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Colorado Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Gonzales-Quevedo, 203 P.3d 609, 2008 Colo. App. LEXIS 1832, 2008 WL 4742329 (Colo. Ct. App. 2008).

Opinion

203 P.3d 609 (2008)

The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Plaintiff-Appellee,
v.
Ivan A. GONZALES-QUEVEDO, Defendant-Appellant.

No. 05CA2434.

Colorado Court of Appeals, Div. V.

October 30, 2008.

*610 John W. Suthers, Attorney General, Roger G. Billotte, Assistant Attorney General, Denver, Colorado, for Plaintiff-Appellee.

Law Offices of Ingrid J. DeFranco, Ingrid J. DeFranco, Louisville, Colorado, for Defendant-Appellant.

Opinion by Judge GABRIEL.

Defendant, Ivan A. Gonzales-Quevedo, appeals the judgment of conviction entered on jury verdicts finding him guilty of first degree murder after deliberation, criminal attempt to commit first degree murder after deliberation, and accessory to a crime. We affirm.

I. Background

On March 23, 1998, defendant, his cousin, and several others were involved in an altercation with another group of men, including the two victims here, one of whom was shot to death and the other of whom was shot and seriously wounded. The shootings occurred when defendant drove a van, occupied by his cousin and others, into an alley and the car in which the victims were riding followed. One occupant got out of the car and approached the driver's side of the van. An occupant of the van (the evidence was disputed as to who it was) then pointed a gun at this man. The man shouted that there was a gun, and the occupants of the car began to retreat on foot. The prosecution's evidence showed that defendant then got out of the van and shot one of the men who had been in the car in the leg. Defendant's cousin then got out of the *611 van and shot this victim in the neck and face, seriously wounding him.

Defendant and his cousin then returned to the van, at which point one of the van's occupants (again, the evidence was disputed as to who) pointed a gun out of the passenger side window and shot another man who had been in the car in the knee. The prosecution's evidence was that defendant's cousin then got out of the van, walked over to this second victim, and shot him in the head, killing him.

As a result of this incident, defendant was tried and convicted of the first degree murder of the second victim, the attempted murder of the first victim, and accessory to a crime. Defendant appealed, and a division of this court affirmed the trial court's judgment. People v. Gonzales, (Colo.App. No. 99CA1619, June 7, 2001) (not published pursuant to C.A.R. 35(f)). Thereafter, defendant filed a Crim. P. 35(c) motion, arguing, among other things, that the jury had not been instructed on the issue of reasonable doubt. The prosecution conceded error, and the trial court ordered a new trial. Defendant was again convicted on all counts, and now appeals.

II. Admissibility of Antisocial Personality Disorder Evidence

Defendant asserts that the trial court impermissibly chilled his constitutional right to present a defense by entering an order that would have allowed the prosecution to present allegedly irrelevant and unfairly prejudicial evidence that defendant suffered from Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD). We disagree.

A. Mental Health Evidence

Prior to the retrial, a psychologist diagnosed defendant with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), caused by defendant's having witnessed his mother shoot his father at close range when defendant was eight years old. The psychologist opined that gunshots, blood, and sirens at the time of the incident in question caused defendant "to enter a panicked and confused state of mind in which he was unable to think clearly or to exercise adult judgment." The psychologist further concluded that flashbacks rendered defendant "unable to formulate or weigh alternatives" and "unable to make a reasoned decision about an appropriate course of action."

The prosecution moved in limine to preclude the psychologist's testimony, arguing that it was irrelevant and inadmissible because defendant had not entered a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity (NGRI). Defendant responded that he could introduce evidence of his mental capacity to act "after deliberation" without having to plead NGRI because at the time the crime was committed, "after deliberation" was not part of the culpable mental state for first degree murder. The trial court rejected defendant's argument and denied his motion. As a result, defendant pleaded NGRI.

Based on defendant's plea, the prosecution prepared to call a psychiatrist to testify as to defendant's mental state. Specifically, the psychiatrist planned to testify that defendant did not suffer from PTSD but rather suffered from APD, which would not have prevented him from forming the requisite mental state. Defendant objected to such evidence, arguing that (1) it was irrelevant because it did not rebut evidence that he suffered from PTSD, and (2) it would be unfairly prejudicial because it would result in the admission of testimony regarding defendant's criminal history.

The court overruled defendant's objection but noted that, per the parties' agreement, it would instruct the jury that the testimony of the prosecution's psychiatrist would be "admissible only as to the issues raised by the defendant's plea of [NGRI], which bear upon his capacity or incapacity to form culpable mental states." In light of this ruling, defendant chose to withdraw his insanity defense.

B. Analysis

A defendant has a constitutional right to present a defense, including the right to call witnesses on his or her behalf. People v. Kreiter, 782 P.2d 803, 805 (Colo. App.1988). When "the trial court erroneously rules on an evidentiary matter and thereby causes the defendant to refrain from presenting a defense, the ruling can cast `an *612 impermissible chill on the defendant's freedom of decision.'" Id. (quoting People v. Salazar, 44 Colo.App. 242, 246, 610 P.2d 1354, 1357 (1980), overruled on other grounds by People v. Shoffner, 627 P.2d 246, 246-47 (Colo.1981)).

The trial court has substantial discretion in deciding questions concerning the admissibility of evidence, and its evidentiary rulings will be affirmed absent an abuse of that discretion. People v. Quintana, 882 P.2d 1366, 1371 (Colo.1994). A trial court's decision may be upheld on any ground supported by the record, even if that ground was not articulated or considered by the trial court. Id.

Here, we first conclude that the prosecution's APD evidence was relevant. Defendant initially pleaded NGRI in this case. Section 16-8-101.5, C.R.S.2008, provides, in relevant part, that an insane person is defined as a "person who suffered from a condition of mind caused by mental disease or defect that prevented the person from forming a culpable mental state that is an essential element of a crime charged." § 16-8-101.5(1)(b), C.R.S.2008. Section 16-8-101.5(2)(b) states, "`Mental disease or defect' includes only those severely abnormal mental conditions that grossly and demonstrably impair a person's perception or understanding of reality ... but does not include an abnormality manifested only by repeated criminal or otherwise antisocial conduct." § 16-8-101.5(2)(b), C.R.S.2008 (emphasis added). Accordingly, by definition, proof that a defendant suffered only from APD is relevant to rebut a defense of NGRI. Cf. Arnold v. Commonwealth,

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
203 P.3d 609, 2008 Colo. App. LEXIS 1832, 2008 WL 4742329, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-gonzales-quevedo-coloctapp-2008.