State of Arizona v. George Benjamin Larin

310 P.3d 990, 233 Ariz. 202, 671 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 6, 2013 WL 5645155, 2013 Ariz. App. LEXIS 219
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedOctober 16, 2013
Docket2 CA-CR 2012-0156
StatusPublished
Cited by40 cases

This text of 310 P.3d 990 (State of Arizona v. George Benjamin Larin) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State of Arizona v. George Benjamin Larin, 310 P.3d 990, 233 Ariz. 202, 671 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 6, 2013 WL 5645155, 2013 Ariz. App. LEXIS 219 (Ark. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

VÁSQUEZ, Presiding Judge.

¶ 1 Following a jury trial, George Larin was convicted of one count each of first-degree burglary, armed robbery, and aggravated robbery and two counts of kidnapping. The trial court sentenced him to concurrent terms of imprisonment, the longest of which was eighteen years. On appeal, Larin argues the court erred by refusing to give his requested jury instructions for lesser-included offenses, denying his motion for a mistrial on the ground that the state sought to elicit an inadmissible in-eourt identification, and denying his motion for a new trial. The state cross-appeals, arguing the court erred by not allowing the jury to consider dangerous-nature sentencing allegations during the aggravation phase of trial. For the reasons that follow, we affirm Larin’s convictions but vacate his sentences and remand for proceedings consistent with this opinion.

Factual and Procedural Background

¶ 2 We view the facts in the light most favorable to upholding Larin’s convictions. See State v. Molina, 211 Adz. 130, ¶ 2, 118 P.3d 1094, 1096 (App.2005). On June 2, 2011, around 5:30 p.m., AA was at his home in Tucson working on a vehicle in his garage when he saw three masked men in a white car drive by in the alley. AA closed his garage door and called his neighbor to notify him of what he had seen. The neighbor’s wife eventually called the police.

¶ 3 Meanwhile, a few houses away, J.W. was leaving his friend AV.’s house where he had purchased heroin. J.W. left through the back door, and, as soon as he got into his vehicle, a masked man later identified as Aonzo Rada, who had been hiding in the back seat, pointed a gun at him. J.W. and Rada soon were joined by two other men, both of whom were wearing masks and holding handguns. The two men later were identified as Anthony Torre and Larin.

¶ 4 The three men walked J.W. at gunpoint to the rear of AV.’s house and directed him to knock on the back door. When AV. opened the door, Larin and the others forced their way in at gunpoint. AV.’s wife, S.B., *206 and the children were led into one of the bedrooms where they remained for the duration of the incident. AV. and J.W. were told to “go into the living room and sit on the couch [with their] hands on [their] heads.” AV., who understood that he “was being robbed,” told the men where the heroin was located. While Larin and Rada searched for the heroin, Torre held AV. and J.W. at gunpoint. After finding the heroin, Larin and Rada began collecting other items, including cash, a gun, televisions, and game consoles. The three men then decided to leave. Torre left through the back door but returned immediately after he saw police officers outside. After telling Larin and Rada about the officers, Torre left through the front door and officers immediately apprehended him. Larin and Rada then got rid of their guns, took off their masks, and, as they attempted to leave through the back door, were arrested.

¶ 5 Larin was charged by indictment with one count each of first-degree burglary, armed robbery, aggravated robbery, and possession of a deadly weapon by a prohibited possessor and two counts each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument and kidnapping. The state also alleged dangerous-nature sentence enhancements for each count of first-degree burglary, armed robbery, aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, and kidnapping. The jury found Larin guilty of first-degree burglary, armed robbery, aggravated robbery, and both counts of kidnapping and acquitted him of the remaining counts. He was sentenced as described above. Larin’s appeal and the state’s cross-appeal followed. We have jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. §§ 12-120.21(A)(1), 13-4031, 13-4032, and 13-4033(A)(1).

Discussion

Lesser-included Offenses

¶ 6 Larin contends the trial court erred in refusing to give his requested jury instructions on lesser-included offenses and denying his motion for a new trial on the same ground. We review a trial court’s denial of a requested instruction for an abuse of discretion, State v. Musgrove, 223 Ariz. 164, ¶ 5, 221 P.3d 43, 46 (App.2009), and will not reverse absent a clear abuse of that discretion and resulting prejudice, State v. Garfield, 208 Ariz. 275, ¶ 11, 92 P.3d 905, 908 (App.2004). Similarly, we review a trial court’s ruling on a motion for a new trial for an abuse of discretion. State v. Neal, 143 Ariz. 93, 97, 692 P.2d 272, 276 (1984). Such motions “ ‘are disfavored and should be granted with great caution.’ ” State v. Spears, 184 Ariz. 277, 287, 908 P.2d 1062, 1072 (1996), quoting State v. Rankovich, 159 Ariz. 116, 121, 765 P.2d 518, 523 (1988).

A. Denial of Lesser-included Jury Instructions

¶ 7 Larin contends the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury on second-degree burglary as a lesser-included offense of first-degree burglary. 1 The court denied La-rin’s request for the instruction, stating that “given ... the defense ... of mere presence, [and] ... given the state of the evidence presented [at] trial,” Larin was not entitled to a lesser-included instruction.

¶ 8 Rule 23.3, Ariz. R.Crim. P., requires the trial court to instruct the jury on “all offenses necessarily included in the offense charged.” “Although the terms are often used interchangeably, a ‘lesser included’ offense is not always a ‘necessarily included’ offense for purposes of Rule 23.3.” State v. Wall, 212 Ariz. 1, ¶ 14, 126 P.3d 148, 150 (2006). “[I]f the facts of the case as presented at trial are such that a jury could reasonably find that only the elements of a lesser offense have been proved, the defendant is entitled to have the judge instruct the jury on the lesser-included offense.” Id. We defer to the trial court’s assessment of the evidence. Id. ¶ 23.

¶ 9 Here, the indictment charged Larin with first-degree burglary of a residential structure, which requires proof that the defendant or an accomplice “enter[ed] or remain [ed] unlawfully in or on a residential *207 structure with the intent to commit any theft or any felony therein,” A.R.S. § 13-1507(A), and “knowingly possesse[d] ... a deadly weapon ... in the course of committing any theft or any felony,” AR.S. § 13-1508(A). The element that distinguishes first-degree burglary from the lesser-ineluded offense of second-degree burglary is the knowing possession of a weapon while committing a theft or felony inside the residence.

¶ 10 Citing Wall, Larin claims that, despite his all-or-nothing defense of mere presence, there was sufficient evidence to support the second-degree burglary instruction.

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Bluebook (online)
310 P.3d 990, 233 Ariz. 202, 671 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 6, 2013 WL 5645155, 2013 Ariz. App. LEXIS 219, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-arizona-v-george-benjamin-larin-arizctapp-2013.