People v. Nozolino

2014 COA 95, 350 P.3d 940, 2014 WL 3767409, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 1258
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 31, 2014
DocketCourt of Appeals No. 12CA2308
StatusPublished
Cited by10 cases

This text of 2014 COA 95 (People v. Nozolino) 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. Nozolino, 2014 COA 95, 350 P.3d 940, 2014 WL 3767409, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 1258 (Colo. Ct. App. 2014).

Opinion

Opinion by

JUDGE DUNN

1 1 Defendant, Bruce Joseph Nozolino, appeals the judgment of conviction entered on jury verdicts finding him guilty of four counts of tampering with a witness. We reverse Nozgolino's convictions for counts 4 and 5 (the counts related to his mother and brother). The judgment of conviction is otherwise affirmed.

I. Background

T2 In 2001, someone fired shots into the home of Nozolino's ex-wife's divorce attorney. Later that year, shots were fired into the home of the Honorable Gilbert Martinez of the Fourth Judicial District, who presided over portions of Nozolino's divorce case. In 2002, the divoree attorney was shot in the face. And in 2008, a man who allegedly had an affair with Nozolino's ex-wife was fatally shot outside his home.

18 A statutory grand jury convened to investigate the shootings. The Honorable Kirk S. Samelson, then the Chief Judge of the Fourth Judicial District, presided over the grand jury. While the grand jury was [943]*943convened, Nozolino gave two friends, Wade Feller and Albert Shrecengost, the following pre-printed statement:

When forced into any kind of court appearance by subpoena, you have a constitutional right to not answer any (or all) questions posed to you. After giving your name and address, then politely, courteously, and respectfully state that you wish to exert your constitutional rights to remain silent and not incriminate yourself by not answering the question. You may say this after every question and may also state ahead of time that this will be your answer to all questions, You may also give this answer if you are asked if you were coached by anyone on how to respond. You also have a right to ask for a lawyer at any point in time. This right to a lawyer is absolute and the court can not overrule this request.

1 4 Nozolino also told another friend, Brad Collins, to notify him using a code phrase if law enforcement officials contacted Collins. And after learning that detectives with the Colorado Springs Police Department were interviewing his family members, Nozolino emailed his mother, telling her that "cooperation isn't recommended with the cops!" He similarly advised his brother via e-mail that if the brother received a visit from the police, "then I recommend not talking to them. Enough said?"

{5 Based upon these communications, the grand jury indicted Nozolino on five counts of witness tampering. A separate indictment was returned related to the shootings.

16 At a jury trial on the witness tampering charges, the district court granted Nozo-lino's motion for judgment of acquittal on the count involving Collins. The jury found No-zolino guilty of the remaining four witness tampering counts. The court sentenced No-zolino to consecutive terms in the custody of Department of Corrections, totaling sixteen years.

II. Sufficiency of the Evidence

T 7 Nozolino contends that there was insufficient evidence to support his convictions for counts 4 and 5, the witness tampering counts related to his mother and brother. We agree.

¶8 We review de novo whether the evi-dencé is both substantial and sufficient to sustain a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt. Dempsey v. People, 117 P.3d 800, 807 (Colo.2005). Evidence is sufficient when a rational trier of fact might accept the evidence, taken as a whole and in the light most favorable to the prosecution, as sufficient to support a finding of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Mata-Medina v. People, 71 P.3d 973, 983 (Colo.2003); People v. Warner, 251 P.3d 556, 564 (Colo.App.2010).

19 As relevant here, a person commits tampering with a witness if, without bribery or threats, he intentionally attempts to induce a witness or a person he believes is to be called to testify as a witness in any official proceeding to unlawfully withhold any testimony. § 18-8-707(1)(a), C.R.8.2018.

T10 The prosecution is neither required to present evidence that a witness has been legally summoned to an official proceeding, nor that the witness actually testified. People v. Cunefare, 102 P.3d 302, 306 (Colo.2004) (interpreting the terms "testimony" and "unlawfully withhold" to protect statements that may be offered in the future, not just those already sworn or received as evidence). Nonetheless, the prosecution must present evidence that the defendant attempted to induce a witness either to testify falsely or to unlawfully withhold testimony. See id. at 304-05; § 18-8-707(1)(a).

T11 Evidence was presented that while the grand jury was convened, El Paso County police officers interviewed Nozolino's mother and brother. Nozgolino's mother informed her son about the police visit via email. Nozolino responded, stating that she had confirmed his suspicion that he was the target of a grand jury investigation and recommending that she not cooperate with the police. Nozolino then sent a similar e-mail to his brother, recommending that the brother not talk to the police.

112 Standing alone, the e-mails neither advise nor advocate unlawful withholding of testimony. Indeed, an individual may lawfully refuse to speak with the police, and [944]*944it is not unlawful for a citizen to withhold cooperation during a consensual encounter with law enforcement. See People v. Martines, 200 P.3d 1053, 1057 (Colo.2009) (during a consensual encounter with a police officer, an individual is free to leave or disregard the officer's request for information); People v. Ray, 252 P.3d 1042, 1048 (Colo.2011) (prospective witnesses may decline to submit to a pre-trial interview with either the prosecution or the defense); see also United States v. Drayton, 536 U.S. 194, 201, 122 S.Ct. 2105, 153 L.Ed.2d 242 (2002) (although law enforcement officers may pose questions even when they have no basis for suspecting a particular individual, the individual may freely terminate the encounter, if not seized); accord Florida v. Royer, 460 U.S. 491, 497-98, 103 S.Ct. 1319, 75 L.Ed.2d 229 (1983).

113 At trial, no additional evidence was presented indicating that Nozolino did anything other than suggest that his mother and brother not cooperate or speak with the police. No evidence was presented that Nozoli-no told them either not to cooperate with a lawful subpoena or not to testify before the grand jury or at trial. And the People do not argue that voluntary cooperation with law enforcement is legally required, or that an individual is legally required to speak with police. Based on the evidence presented, we conclude that the prosecution did not meet its burden to prove that Nozolino attempted to induce his family members to unlawfully withhold testimony.

14 Nor does Cunefare, upon which the People rely, change our analysis. In Cune-fare, the defendant contacted the victim and convinced her to sign a letter recanting her truthful statements. 102 P.3d at 807. From this evidence, the supreme court concluded that it was reasonable to infer that the defendant intended to induce the victim to falsely claim that the events in question did not happen if the matter went to trial Id. Cunefare thus did not address statements that, facially, advocated lawful activity.

115 True, the police officers who interviewed Nozolino's mother and brother did so as part of the grand jury's investigation.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2014 COA 95, 350 P.3d 940, 2014 WL 3767409, 2014 Colo. App. LEXIS 1258, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-nozolino-coloctapp-2014.