State Of Washington, V. Seth C. Tapaka

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedJune 7, 2021
Docket80690-4
StatusUnpublished

This text of State Of Washington, V. Seth C. Tapaka (State Of Washington, V. Seth C. Tapaka) 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. Seth C. Tapaka, (Wash. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 80690-4-I Respondent, DIVISION ONE v. UNPUBLISHED OPINION SETH C. TAPAKA,

Appellant.

COBURN, J. — Seth Tapaka appeals his convictions for robbery in the first

degree and unlawful possession of a firearm in the first degree. Tapaka’s right to

confront the witnesses against him was violated when testimonial statements in

the robbery victim’s 911 calls were admitted at trial, but the error was harmless in

light of the overwhelming evidence against him. Tapaka’s ineffective assistance

of counsel claim fails because he does not show any prejudice stemming from

the allegedly deficient performance of counsel. We accept the State’s

concession that the trial court erred by imposing the fees of community custody

supervision on Tapaka. We affirm Tapaka’s convictions and remand to the trial

court to strike the community custody supervision fees.

FACTS

Early in the morning of November 24, 2018, around 4:20 a.m., a Circle K

convenience store clerk in south Seattle called 911 to report that he had just

Citations and pin cites are based on the Westlaw online version of the cited material. No. 80690-4-I/2

been robbed at the store. He described the robber as a white man, 25 or 30

years old, and wearing a white jacket. He said the man was armed with a gun

and took money and cigarettes.

An hour later, around 5:20 a.m., a 7-Eleven convenience store clerk in

West Seattle called 911 to report a similar robbery. He said he had just been

robbed at the store by a white man in his twenties wearing a white jacket and

armed with a gun who took money and cigarettes.

Seattle Police Department (SPD) Detective Michael Magan, along with

others from the SPD, responded to both convenience stores. He acquired the

surveillance videos from both stores and canvassed the surrounding

neighborhoods for additional surveillance videos. Based on the surveillance

videos he obtained from the area surrounding the 7-Eleven, he was able to

identify a suspect vehicle, which was a 1996-98 “dark in color” Honda 4-door

sedan with a “black-colored rim” on the front right tire and a “two-toned” gold and

silver rim on the right rear tire.

On November 27, 2018, Detective Magan spotted a vehicle matching the

suspect vehicle description—especially noting the distinctive tire rims—while he

was canvassing the area surrounding the 7-Eleven. Police pulled the vehicle

over and arrested both people in the vehicle subsequently identified as Seth

Tapaka and his girlfriend Florence Lyons. Police took Tapaka and Lyons to the

SPD headquarters. Detective Magan, along with another detective, interviewed

Lyons and Tapaka separately. The vehicle was impounded and secured at the

SPD processing room.

2 No. 80690-4-I/3

The State charged Tapaka with two counts of robbery in the first degree,

one count for the Circle K robbery and one count for the 7-Eleven robbery, and

alleged that Tapaka was armed with a firearm at the time he committed both

robberies. The State also charged Tapaka with unlawful possession of a firearm

in the first degree.

During a jury trial, the State introduced the audio recordings of both clerks’

911 calls, the surveillance videos from the robberies at both the Circle K and the

7-Eleven, still photographs taken from surveillance videos, a redacted video

recording of the detectives’ interview with Tapaka at SPD headquarters,

photographs of cigarettes and JUUL products found in Tapaka’s car after it was

impounded, and a gun that the police later discovered at Tapaka’s mother’s

house. Lyons testified that on the morning of the robberies, while they were

together in Tapaka’s car, Tapaka talked about robbing a store. He left the car

with a gun and came back with cigarettes, JUUL products, and money and told

her, “I robbed the store.” Tapaka did not testify at trial and neither did either of

the store clerks who called 911.

On October 3, 2019, the jury found Tapaka guilty as charged, including

both firearm enhancements.

Tapaka appeals.

DISCUSSION

Admission of Calls to 911

Tapaka argues that admission of both store clerks’ calls to 911 violated his

right to confront the witnesses against him because their statements were

3 No. 80690-4-I/4

testimonial, and neither store clerk testified at trial. We agree that the clerks’

statements on the 911 calls were testimonial but hold that any error was

harmless in light of the overwhelming evidence against Tapaka.

The confrontation clause of the Sixth Amendment states, “In all criminal

prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right . . . to be confronted with the

witnesses against him.” U.S. CONST. amend. VI. See also CONST. art. I, § 22

(accused shall have the right to meet the “witnesses against him” face to face).

The confrontation clause bars the admission of “testimonial” hearsay unless the

declarant is unavailable to testify and the defendant had a prior opportunity for

cross-examination. Crawford v. Washington, 541 U.S. 36, 53-54, 124 S. Ct.

1354, 158 L. Ed. 2d 177 (2004). We review de novo an alleged violation of the

confrontation clause. State v. Koslowski, 166 Wn.2d 409, 417, 209 P.3d 479

(2009).

In Davis v. Washington, 547 U.S. 813, 814, 126 S. Ct. 2266, 165 L. Ed. 2d

224 (2006), the United States Supreme Court set forth the primary purpose test

to determine if statements are testimonial or not.

Statements are nontestimonial when made in the course of police interrogation under circumstances objectively indicating that the primary purpose of the interrogation is to enable police assistance to meet an ongoing emergency. They are testimonial when the circumstances objectively indicate that there is no such ongoing emergency, and that the primary purpose of the interrogation is to establish or prove past events potentially relevant to later criminal prosecution.

Davis, 547 U.S. at 822 (emphasis added).

4 No. 80690-4-I/5

The Davis court adopted four factors that help to determine whether the

primary purpose of police interrogation is to enable police assistance to meet an

ongoing emergency or instead to establish or prove past events. Davis, 547 U.S.

at 827. First, was the speaker speaking about current events as they were

actually occurring, requiring police assistance, or was he or she describing past

events? Davis, 547 U.S. at 827. Second, would a “reasonable listener” conclude

that the speaker was facing an ongoing emergency that required help? Davis,

547 U.S. at 827. Third, what was the nature of what was asked and answered?

Do the questions and answers show, when viewed objectively, that the elicited

statements were necessary to resolve the present emergency or do they show

what happened in the past? Fourth, what was the level of formality of the

interrogation? Davis, 547 U.S. at 827.

In State v. Koslowski, 166 Wn.2d 409, 209 P.3d 479 (2009), the

Washington State Supreme Court applied the four factors set forth in Davis to

statements made by a home robbery victim to police officers who responded to a

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Related

Strickland v. Washington
466 U.S. 668 (Supreme Court, 1984)
Crawford v. Washington
541 U.S. 36 (Supreme Court, 2004)
Davis v. Washington
547 U.S. 813 (Supreme Court, 2006)
State v. Delmarter
618 P.2d 99 (Washington Supreme Court, 1980)
State v. Salinas
829 P.2d 1068 (Washington Supreme Court, 1992)
State v. Reed
278 P.3d 203 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2012)
State v. Watt
160 P.3d 640 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Koslowski
209 P.3d 479 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Sutherby
204 P.3d 916 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Thomas
83 P.3d 970 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Williams
150 P.3d 111 (Court of Appeals of Washington, 2007)
State v. Kyllo
215 P.3d 177 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Thomas
150 Wash. 2d 821 (Washington Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Watt
160 Wash. 2d 626 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Ohlson
168 P.3d 1273 (Washington Supreme Court, 2007)
State v. Sutherby
165 Wash. 2d 870 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Koslowski
166 Wash. 2d 409 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Kyllo
166 Wash. 2d 856 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. O'Hara
167 Wash. 2d 91 (Washington Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Grier
171 Wash. 2d 17 (Washington Supreme Court, 2011)

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