STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. JESUS AGUILAR (12-09-0931, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)

CourtNew Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division
DecidedFebruary 24, 2020
DocketA-5566-17T1
StatusUnpublished

This text of STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. JESUS AGUILAR (12-09-0931, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED) (STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. JESUS AGUILAR (12-09-0931, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED)) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

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STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. JESUS AGUILAR (12-09-0931, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED), (N.J. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

RECORD IMPOUNDED

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.

SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY APPELLATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. A-5566-17T1

STATE OF NEW JERSEY,

Plaintiff-Respondent,

v.

JESUS AGUILAR,

Defendant-Appellant. ___________________________

Submitted November 12, 2019 – Decided February 24, 2020

Before Judges Rothstadt and Moynihan.

On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law Division, Mercer County, Indictment No. 12-09-0931.

Joseph E. Krakora, Public Defender, attorney for appellant (Adam W. Toraya, Designated Counsel, on the brief).

Angelo J. Onofri, Mercer County Prosecutor, attorney for respondent (Laura C. Sunyak, Assistant Prosecutor, of counsel and on the brief).

PER CURIAM Defendant Jesus Aguilar appeals from the denial of his post-conviction

relief (PCR) petition without an evidentiary hearing. He argues:

POINT I

THE POST-CONVICTION RELIEF COURT ERRED IN DENYING THE DEFENDANT'S PETITION FOR POST-CONVICTION RELIEF WITHOUT AFFORDING HIM AN EVIDENTIARY HEARING TO FULLY ADDRESS HIS CONTENTION THAT HIS ATTORNEY WAS INEFFECTIVE IN FAILING TO ADVANCE HIS MOTION TO WITHDRAW HIS GUILTY PLEA.

A. THE PREVAILING LEGAL PRINCIPLES REGARDING CLAIMS OF INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL, EVIDENTIARY HEARINGS, AND PETITIONS FOR POST- CONVICTION RELIEF.

B. DEFENDANT RECEIVED INEFFECTIVE ASSISTANCE OF COUNSEL WHEN HIS ATTORNEY FAILED TO ADVANCE HIS MOTION TO WITHDRAW HIS GUILTY PLEA.

Unpersuaded, we affirm.

Absent an evidentiary hearing, our review of the factual inferences drawn

from the record by the PCR court is de novo. State v. Blake, 444 N.J. Super.

285, 294 (App. Div. 2016). Likewise, we review de novo the PCR court's legal

conclusions. Ibid.

A-5566-17T1 2 Originally indicted for five counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual

contact, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3(b) (counts one, two, four, five, and six); seven counts

of second-degree sexual assault, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(c)(4) (counts three, seven,

eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, and sixteen); four counts of second-degree sexual

assault by physical force or coercion, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(c)(1) (counts nine,

eleven, thirteen, and fifteen); and two counts of third-degree endangering the

welfare of a child, N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4(a) (counts seventeen and eighteen),

defendant pleaded guilty to second-degree sexual assault of a fifteen-year-old

girl by physical force or coercion, N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(c)(1) (count nine). The

plea, entered on the day trial was to begin, was open; that is the State did not

make a sentencing recommendation but reserved the right to argue for a sentence

in the second-degree range.

When given the opportunity to allocute at sentencing, defendant told the

judge: "I have many things that aren't clear and I'd like a motion to vacate [the]

guilty plea." He claimed he "never used force against the victim." Defendant's

counsel informed the judge that she was not aware of defendant's desire to

withdraw his plea. The judge granted a recess for defendant to consult with

counsel. Thereafter, counsel advised the judge defendant did not agree with her

assessment that defendant's basis for withdrawing his plea would not satisfy the

A-5566-17T1 3 test under State v. Slater, 198 N.J. 145, 150 (2009).1 Although defendant

admitted he "made a mistake," he reiterated his claim that he "never used force

against the victim" and averred he could prove that. When asked by the

sentencing judge what proof he had to support his proposed motion, defendant

replied:

In the discovery that [the victim] has and the statements that she has, she explains that we had a consensual relationship. And there are things that aren't clear and, as far as us having relations . . . how can I force somebody and then nevertheless afterward that person is a virgin[?] So the only thing that I would like to clarify is that I never used force against her in any way.

The judge, recounting the plea proceedings, found no basis for defendant's

proposed plea withdrawal and sentenced defendant to a five-year prison term,

subject to the No Early Release Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2, and other applicable

statutory requirements.

1 In Slater, the New Jersey Supreme Court created a four-factor test for determining whether a defendant should be allowed to withdraw his or her guilty plea, which requires the court to consider: "(1) whether the defendant has asserted a colorable claim of innocence; (2) the nature and strength of defendant's reasons for withdrawal; (3) the existence of a plea bargain; and (4) whether withdrawal would result in unfair prejudice to the State or unfair advantage to the accused." 198 N.J. at 150. A-5566-17T1 4 Defendant argues his trial counsel was ineffective for failing to advance a

motion to withdraw his plea, contending he told counsel, in a letter he sent prior

to sentencing and on other occasions, he was not guilty and the allegations of

sexual relations with the victim were false.

Although the PCR judge addressed the merits of defendant's PCR petition,

declining to address any procedural bars, we note defendant's appellate counsel

argued before our excessive sentencing panel:

[T]his is a situation where the defendant appeared for sentencing and . . . [asked] to have his plea back. The problem that I have with it is that [trial] counsel's response was, ["]my client has no basis for such a motion["] and as far as I'm concerned . . . he's entitled to something more than my client hasn't got a leg to stand on . . . please deny his motion.

So I think that a remand is in order for a proper Slater hearing.

In addition to affirming defendant's sentence, we determined, "[d]ef endant's

arguments pursuant to [Slater] . . . are without sufficient merit to warrant

discussion." State v. Aguilar, No. A-0612-14 (App. Div. July 29, 2015).

Rule 3:22-5 bars a defendant from raising an issue in a PCR petition that

is identical or substantially similar to an issue that was already raised and

adjudicated in the defendant’s direct appeal. State v. Marshall, 173 N.J. 343,

351 (2002). Inasmuch as the argument that trial counsel failed to advance a

A-5566-17T1 5 motion to withdraw defendant's plea was already made on appeal and rejected,

defendant is procedurally barred from presenting the same argument in this PCR

matter.

Moreover, we note defendant does not argue in his merits brief how he

would overcome the "formidable barrier" created by his own admissions during

the plea hearing in order to prevail at a Slater hearing. Slater, 198 N.J. at 156.

We agree with the State's argument before the excessive sentencing panel that

defendant would not be able to prevail on a motion to withdraw his plea because,

in claiming he never used force against the victim, he misapprehended that term

as it applies to sexual assaults under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2(c)(1).

In construing that statute, our Supreme Court held, "[t]he definition of

'physical force' is satisfied under N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2[(c)](1) if the defendant

applies any amount of force against another person in the absence of what a

reasonable person would believe to be affirmative and freely-given permission

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Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
State v. Cummings
728 A.2d 307 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 1999)
State v. Slater
966 A.2d 461 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 2009)
State v. Fisher
721 A.2d 291 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1998)
State v. Fritz
519 A.2d 336 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1987)
State v. Marshall
690 A.2d 1 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1997)
State v. Preciose
609 A.2d 1280 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1992)
State v. Marshall
801 A.2d 1142 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 2002)
State of New Jersey v. Horace Blake
132 A.3d 1282 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2016)
Sklodowsky v. Lushis
11 A.3d 420 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2011)
State ex rel. M.T.S.
609 A.2d 1266 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 1992)

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STATE OF NEW JERSEY VS. JESUS AGUILAR (12-09-0931, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) (RECORD IMPOUNDED), Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-new-jersey-vs-jesus-aguilar-12-09-0931-mercer-county-and-njsuperctappdiv-2020.