State Of Washington v. Paul Noah Espinoza

474 P.3d 570, 14 Wash. App. 2d 810
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedOctober 12, 2020
Docket79413-2
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 474 P.3d 570 (State Of Washington v. Paul Noah Espinoza) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State Of Washington v. Paul Noah Espinoza, 474 P.3d 570, 14 Wash. App. 2d 810 (Wash. Ct. App. 2020).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, DIVISION ONE Respondent, No. 79413-2-I v. PUBLISHED OPINION PAUL NOAH ESPINOZA,

Appellant.

DWYER, J. — Following a jury trial in San Juan County Superior Court,

Paul Noah Espinoza was convicted of a single count of felony harassment after

making threats to two different people. On appeal, he avers that he was denied

his right to a unanimous jury verdict because the State did not elect or designate

a victim for the count charged and the jury was given no unanimity instruction.

We agree that the trial court erred by not instructing on the need for jury

unanimity. Accordingly, we reverse the conviction and remand for a new trial.

I

For several years, Dennis Harshbarger employed Paul Noah Espinoza. In

March 2018, while the two men were driving in Harshbarger’s truck, Espinoza

told Harshbarger that his gun rights had been restored and that he would be

getting a gun. Espinoza then stated that when he obtained a gun, he would go to

the residence of Chris Wilson and Rina Tappan, and “put some caps in their

home.” Over the course of a 20 minute conversation, Espinoza also stated that No. 79413-2-I /2

he would “go over and shoot Chris Wilson.” Harshbarger later testified that

Espinoza was not laughing, his tone was “matter of fact,” he made these

statements several times, and he repeated them at work the next day.

Several days later, Harshbarger saw Wilson at Wilson’s workplace and

“mentioned something to him.” Wilson testified that Harshbarger told him that

Espinoza “was going to get a weapon and come shoot up [Wilson’s] house.”

Wilson felt intimidated. He repeated this information to his fiancée, Tappan,

when he got home that evening. Tappan was “[t]errified,” “went into panic

mode,” and “called the [police right] away.” Wilson and Tappan gave statements

to the police that evening and stayed in a hotel until the next day when they

learned that Espinoza had been arrested.

Wilson, Tappan, and Espinoza had all known each other for many years.

Tappan is a close friend of Espinoza’s sister. In the past, she had lived with

Espinoza as roommates. Espinoza was at one point in a romantic relationship

with Tappan’s sister. In December 2016, her sister called her and told Tappan

that Espinoza had hit her and that she had left the house. She asked Tappan to

go to the house and collect some of her belongings. Wilson accompanied

Tappan to the house. Tappan and Espinoza argued and Espinoza assaulted

Wilson. After this incident, although their families remained close, Tappan

attempted to avoid Espinoza. Wilson had no further contact with Espinoza after

December 2016.

Espinoza was charged by information with threatening to kill “Christopher

R Wilson and/or Rina Sue Tappan.” At trial, the State did not elect between the

2 No. 79413-2-I /3

two victims on the harassment charge. No unanimity instruction was given. The

to-convict instruction listed the elements of the crime as follows:

(1) That on or between 3/1/2018 - 3/7/2018, the defendant knowingly threatened to kill Chris Wilson and/or Rina Tappan immediately or in the future; (2) That the words or conduct of the defendant placed Chris Wilson and/or Rina Tappan in reasonable fear that the threat to kill would be carried out; (3) That the defendant acted without lawful authority; and (4) That the threat was made or received in the State of Washington.

A jury convicted Espinoza as charged. He now appeals.

II

Espinoza contends that because the jury was not provided with a

unanimity instruction, and the State did not elect whether Rina Tappan or Chris

Wilson was the victim of the crime, he was denied his right to a unanimous jury

verdict. Given the manner in which the crime was charged, we agree.

A

Under both the United States and Washington constitutions, a defendant

may not be convicted unless a unanimous jury concludes that the criminal act

charged in the information has been committed. Ramos v. Louisiana, ___U.S.

___, 140 S. Ct. 1390, 1396-97, 206 L. Ed. 2d 583 (2020); State v. Petrich, 101

Wn.2d 566, 569, 683 P.2d 173 (1984), abrogated on other grounds by State v.

Kitchen, 110 Wn.2d 403, 411, 765 P.2d 105 (1998). When the State charges

one count of criminal conduct, and presents evidence of more than one criminal

act, there is a danger that a conviction may not be based on a unanimous jury

finding that the defendant committed any given single criminal act. Kitchen, 110

3 No. 79413-2-I /4

Wn.2d at 756. To ensure that all 12 jurors agree that the same criminal act has

been proved beyond a reasonable doubt, either the State must elect a single act

or the jurors must be instructed that they must be unanimous in deciding that the

same underlying criminal act has been proved beyond a reasonable

doubt. Petrich, 101 Wn.2d at 572.

When a trial court does not properly instruct on jury unanimity, the error is

harmless only when all rational triers of fact would find that each alleged act was

proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Kitchen, 110 Wn.2d at 405-06.

Here, the State charged Espinoza with a single count of felony

harassment of “Christopher R Wilson and/or Rina Sue Tappan.” Harassing

Wilson and harassing Tappan are two distinct crimes that could have been

charged in separate counts. See State v. Vidales Morales, 174 Wn. App. 370,

387, 298 P.3d 791 (2013) (holding that the unit of prosecution for felony

harassment is determined by the number of victims, not the number of repeated

threats); cf. In re Pers. Restraint of France, 199 Wn. App. 822, 839, 401 P.3d 336

(2017) (multiple units of prosecution may exist when the same victim is subjected

to different types of threats of harm made at different times and places).

To prove Espinoza guilty of harassing Wilson in violation of RCW

9A.46.020(2)(b)(ii), the State was required to prove (1) that Espinoza threatened

Wilson by threatening to kill Wilson or any other person, and (2) that Wilson was

placed in reasonable fear that the threat would be carried out. Similarly, to prove

Espinoza guilty of harassing Tappan in violation of RCW 9A.46.020(2)(b)(ii), the

State was required to prove (1) that Espinoza threatened Tappan by threatening

4 No. 79413-2-I /5

to kill Tappan or any other person, and (2) that Tappan was placed in reasonable

fear that the threat would be carried out.

Our Supreme Court has clarified that the words “person threatened,” as it

appears in the harassment statute, mean the person who is the target of the

coercion, intimidation, or humiliation against which the statute intends to

protect. State v. J.M., 144 Wn.2d 472, 488, 28 P.3d 720 (2001). The statute

contemplates that a person may be threatened by a threat to another—for

example, a parent might be threatened by a threat to his or her child. J.M, 144

Wn.2d at 488. For a threat to kill to constitute felony harassment pursuant to

RCW 9A.46.020

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Rodriguez-Hernandez v. Garland
89 F.4th 742 (Ninth Circuit, 2023)
State Of Washington, V. Corey Dean Noble
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2023
State of Washington v. Nathan Ray Baker
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2022
State Of Washington, V. Cameron Joseph Cromoga
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2022
State Of Washington, V. Floyd Tayler
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2022
State Of Washington, V. Charles Freeman Christian
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2021

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
474 P.3d 570, 14 Wash. App. 2d 810, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-of-washington-v-paul-noah-espinoza-washctapp-2020.