People v. Rivas

77 P.3d 882, 2003 Colo. App. LEXIS 1316, 2003 WL 21939665
CourtColorado Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 14, 2003
Docket00CA1948
StatusPublished
Cited by198 cases

This text of 77 P.3d 882 (People v. Rivas) 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. Rivas, 77 P.3d 882, 2003 Colo. App. LEXIS 1316, 2003 WL 21939665 (Colo. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

Opinion by

Judge TAUBMAN.

Defendant, Henry Guadalupe Rivas, appeals the judgment of conviction entered upon a jury verdict finding him guilty of second degree assault and engaging in a riot. He also appeals the trial court's denial of his postconviction motion alleging ineffective assistance of counsel. We affirm.

Evidence at trial established the following facts, The victim and several of his friends were walking along a street when a van carrying defendant and several others drove by. The victim was a member of a gang, and defendant was a member of a rival gang. The groups yelled their gang names at each other. The van stopped, and a group of boys jumped out, including defendant. There was testimony that defendant got out of the van carrying a baseball bat.

As fights broke out, several girls who were with the victim's group ran away and hid. One fight involving the driver of the van took place in an alley. The main fight involved the victim and four or five occupants of the van, including the defendant. The victim testified that he picked up a large rock and was hit when he ran toward the van. There was testimony that the victim fell to the ground and the group continued to kick and hit him until he was unconscious. One witness testified that defendant hit the victim with a bat. The police recovered several shattered bottles, three or four large rocks, and blue and red bandanas at the scene. However, the police did not recover a baseball bat.

After a trial, a jury convicted defendant of the crimes charged.

I. Second Degree Assault

Defendant contends the jury instruction on second degree assault did not accurately re-fleet the charge or the law, thus violating his fundamental constitutional rights. We disagree.

When no contemporaneous objection is made to an asserted error, appellate review is limited to determining whether there is plain error. Plain error "casts serious doubt upon the basic fairness of the trial itself...." Wilson v. People, 743 P.2d 415, 419-20 (Colo.1987).

A trial court must instruct the jury correctly on the law applicable to the case. People v. Stewart, 55 P.3d 107, 120 (Colo.2002). "Failure to instruct properly on an element of a crime does not constitute plain error where that element is not contested at trial[.]" People v. Cowden, 735 P.2d 199, 202 (Colo.1987).

The second degree assault instruction given to the jury provided, in pertinent part:

The elements of the crime of assault in the second degree with a deadly weapon are:
1. That the defendant....
3. with the intent to cause bodily injury to another person,
4. caused or attempted to cause such injury to any person,
5. by means of a deadly weapon.

(Emphasis added.)

A. Attempt

Defendant argues that the jury instruction lessened the prosecution's burden of proof, requiring it only to prove that defendant attempted to commit second degree assault. We conclude there was no reversible error.

Our review is limited to plain error because defendant did not object to this jury instruction. See Wilson v. People, supra.

*887 The People agree that the trial court improperly included the "attempted to cause" language in the instruction. The instruction given here followed the pattern jury instruction for second degree assault. See CJI-Crim. 10:08 (1988). However, in 1995, the second degree assault statute was amended to omit attempt. See Colo. Sess. Law 1995, ch. 240, § 18-8-208(1)(b) at 1251.

At trial, neither the prosecution nor the defense argued about whether defendant attempted to assault the victim. The disputed factual issue at trial was whether defendant was guilty of second degree assault as a principal or as a complicitor, not for having attempted to assault the victim,. As noted, one witness testified that she saw defendant hit the vietim with a baseball bat.

Further, at trial, defendant's theory of defense was mistaken identity. He did not dispute that the victim had been assaulted. Thus, defendant did not contest the attempt element at trial, and the attempt language in the assault jury instruction was surplusage under the cireumstances. See People v. Cowden, supra.

In light of our disposition, we need not address defendant's related contentions that reversal is required because (1) the second degree assault charged in the information was broadened when the court instructed the jury on attempted assault; and (2) the trial court did not define "attempt" for the jury.

B. Verdict

Defendant also contends that the verdict form for second degree assault failed to require the jurors to agree unanimously on a theory of culpability. In particular, he argues that, pursuant to the erroneous instruction on second degree assault, he was charged with assault based on four theories of culpability: (1) as the principal; (2) as one who made an attempt; (8) as a complicitor; and (4) as a complicitor to attempt. We are not persuaded.

"[Wlhile the jury must unanimously agree on all the elements of a crime, the jury is not required to unanimously agree on the evidence or theory by which a particular element is established." People v. Palmer, - P.3d -, -, 2003 WL 21403220 (Colo.App. No. 01CA0937, June 19, 2003).

Here, the jury was specifically instructed that, "In order to reach a verdict, it is necessary that each juror agree to it. Your verdicts must be unanimous." Thus, the jury was not required to agree unanimously on a theory of culpability. See People v. Palmer, supra.

C. Serious Bodily Injury

Defendant next contends the trial court erred in not defining "serious bodily injury" to supplement the instruction defining the term "deadly weapon." We do not agree.

Defendant relies on the notes on use in the Colorado Criminal Jury Instructions, which state that when the deadly weapon instruction is given, "it should be followed by Instruction 5:01-5(23), Serious Bodily Injury." CJI-Crim. 5:01-5(10) (1998 Supp.).

However, as noted, defendant did not object to the second degree assault instruction at trial. Additionally, at trial, defendant did not request a definition of serious bodily injury, nor did he contest that the victim sustained serious bodily injury. Evidence was presented that the victim was knocked unconscious, suffered blunt trauma to the face and head, and complained of pain in his head and ribs.

Because defendant did not contest that the victim suffered serious bodily injury, any failure to instruct the jury on that point did not amount to plain error. See People v. Cowden, supra.

II. Culpable Mental State

Defendant next contends the jury instructions on engaging in a riot and second degree assault erroneously limited the application of the mental state requirements in violation of his constitutional right to due process of law.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
77 P.3d 882, 2003 Colo. App. LEXIS 1316, 2003 WL 21939665, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-rivas-coloctapp-2003.