State Of Washington, V Warren Diego Blockman

CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedApril 19, 2022
Docket54242-1
StatusUnpublished

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Bluebook
State Of Washington, V Warren Diego Blockman, (Wash. Ct. App. 2022).

Opinion

Filed Washington State Court of Appeals Division Two

April 19, 2022

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

DIVISION II STATE OF WASHINGTON, No. 54242-1-II

Respondent,

v.

WARREN DIEGO BLOCKMAN, UNPUBLISHED OPINION

Appellant.

CRUSER, J. – Warren Blockman met Katrina Mandera on a dating website shortly after

Mandera moved to Tacoma. One night when the two of them were together, Blockman got angry

when he saw that another man had sent Mandera a text message. Blockman choked Mandera,

kicked her in the head, and threatened to kill her friends if she left his residence. Blockman was

convicted of felony harassment, unlawful imprisonment, and second degree assault.

Blockman appeals his convictions, arguing that (1) the trial court erred by overruling his

objection under GR 37 to one of the State’s peremptory challenges; (2) he was denied effective

assistance of counsel because Mandera’s medical records contained a sentence that was

inadmissible hearsay; (3) the trial court’s “knowledge” instruction deprived him of due process;

(4) the trial court’s “threat” instruction violated the First Amendment; and (5) the trial court erred

by imposing a community custody supervision fee. No. 54242-1-II

We hold that Blockman’s GR 37 argument is waived, that he was not denied effective

assistance of counsel, that his challenges to the jury instructions are waived, and that his

community custody supervision fee should be stricken based on the State’s concession.

Accordingly, we affirm Blockman’s convictions but remand to the trial court to strike the

supervision fee.

FACTS

I. UNDERLYING INCIDENT

Blockman and Mandera met on a dating website about two weeks after Mandera moved to

Tacoma. At the time, Blockman was staying with his daughter, Bianca Newton.

One night, Mandera went to Newton’s apartment to visit Blockman and stayed overnight.

The next day, Blockman’s friends were visiting at the apartment, and Mandera made a comment

that Blockman “didn’t like.” 3 Verbatim Report of Proceedings (VRP) at 386. Mandera went to

the bathroom to get ready to leave, and Blockman “cornered” her in the bathroom. Id. He stood in

front of the door and told her that she couldn’t leave. Later that night, one of Mandera’s male

friends texted her around midnight. Blockman saw Mandera’s phone light up, took the phone, and

began texting the friend pretending to be Mandera.

Mandera tried to get her phone back, and Blockman threw the phone across the room.

Blockman then held Mandera down, put one of his hands around her neck, and threatened to kill

her. Mandera testified that she could not breathe and that she lost consciousness. When Mandera

awoke, Blockman was still texting her friend, and she asked Blockman once again to give her

phone back so she could leave. When she sat up, Blockman kicked her in the head. Blockman held

Mandera down and told her that she was “not going nowhere” and was “going to stay here.” Id. at

2 No. 54242-1-II

392-93. Blockman told her that if she left, he would go to Mandera’s friend’s house “and kill

everybody.” Id. at 393.

Mandera believed Blockman’s threats, so she stayed at Newton’s apartment the entire next

day. Newton was also at the apartment all day, but Blockman was not. Blockman told Mandera

that she could not leave until he found someone to come pick her up. Blockman eventually texted

Mandera that one of his friends was going to meet her outside.

Once outside, Mandera located Blockman’s friend and got into her car. Mandera and the

friend spent all night together and drove to various places. The following morning, Blockman

called Mandera and told her to walk home. After arriving at home, Mandera took herself to the

hospital and subsequently made a report with law enforcement.

Blockman was charged with second degree assault, two counts of felony harassment,

unlawful imprisonment, and first degree robbery.

II. JURY SELECTION

During jury selection, both Blockman and one of the jurors expressed concern about the

lack of diversity on the venire. Following the State’s first peremptory challenge, defense counsel

objected under GR 37. Outside the presence of the venire, the trial court stated it was “a bit taken

aback” by the objection. 1 VRP at 181. The court noted that the defense was “operating under a

presumption, it would seem, that Juror Number 9 is a person of color. And he is not perceptively

so to the Court, which really puts [it] in a bit of quandary right here.” Id.

Defense counsel explained that he asked Blockman, “Does Juror Number 9 look like he’s

a minority to you? That he’s not Caucasian? And he said: Yes.” Id. at 182. Despite being uncertain

that Juror 9 was a person of color, defense counsel objected because he “felt it incumbent upon

3 No. 54242-1-II

[him] to raise that issue on behalf of [Blockman].” Id. In response, the State indicated that it did

not anticipate a GR 37 challenge because “Juror Number 9 appears to be a Caucasian, white male,”

and the State did not believe that the issue fell under GR 37. Id. The State used a peremptory

challenge for Juror 9 because “[h]e didn’t seem to be paying attention.” Id. at 183.

Defense counsel explained that the State’s basis for the peremptory was not legitimate “if

the Court has felt the first prong of the [GR 37] analysis has been satisfied,” meaning that the

potential juror “is a member of an ethnic group.” Id. at 185. The court stated that “this person does

not appear to be a person of color,” but decided to bring Juror 9 into the court under the guise of

individual questioning so that the court could “lay eyes on him.” Id. at 189. After the individual

questioning, the court again stated that “[t]his person, to the Court, is just not a person of color.”

2 VRP at 205. The court concluded: “I do not find that an objective observer could view race or

ethnicity as a factor in the use of this peremptory challenge because there’s nothing noteworthy

about the race or ethnicity of this person.” Id. at 206-07.

III. TRIAL

1. Testimony

Mandera testified to the facts set forth above.

Sharon Lemoine, a nurse practitioner, treated Mandera at Tacoma General Hospital.

During Lemoine’s testimony, the State offered Mandera’s medical records into evidence. Defense

counsel did not object to the admission of the medical records, and the records were admitted.

Lemoine used the medical records to describe Mandera’s injuries and treatment. She explained

that Mandera had a hematoma, or swelling, on the side of her head. She also said that “everything

4 No. 54242-1-II

[about Mandera’s neck] looked normal, with the exception that there was noted bruising and

swelling to the left side of the neck.” 3 VRP at 361.

The State asked Lemoine to explain why there was a line in her notes that read, “Status

post-assault with choking,” even though her initial notes did not include anything about choking.

Id. at 359. Lemoine explained that sometimes, as patients are being treated, they give more

information, and she assumed that “at some point . . . something must have been said” for her to

put in her order of the CAT scan of Mandera’s neck. Id.1

On cross examination, Lemoine again stated that she had to “assume something was said”

about choking. Id. at 365.

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