State v. Archuleta

New Mexico Court of Appeals·Decided July 22, 2019·Unpublished

Opinion

This decision of the New Mexico Court of Appeals was not selected for publication in the New Mexico Appellate Reports. Refer to Rule 12-405 NMRA for restrictions on the citation of unpublished decisions. Electronic decisions may contain computergenerated errors or other deviations from the official version filed by the Court of Appeals.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

STATE OF NEW MEXICO,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v. No. A-1-CA-35990

JUSTIN STONE ARCHULETA,

Defendant-Appellant.

APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF RIO ARRIBA COUNTY Jennifer L. Attrep, District Judge

Hector H. Balderas, Attorney General Maris Veidemanis, Assistant Attorney General Santa Fe, NM

for Appellee

Bennett J. Baur, Chief Public Defender Aja Oishi, Assistant Appellate Defender Santa Fe, NM

for Appellant

MEMORANDUM OPINION

VANZI, Judge.

{1} Defendant Justin Stone Archuleta appeals his convictions for two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, in violation of NMSA 1978, Section 30-3-2(A) (1963), and one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, in violation of NMSA 1978, Section 30-3-5(C) (1969), on several grounds. We conclude that Defendant’s convictions for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon must be vacated because one count was not supported by substantial evidence and the other violated double jeopardy. We affirm Defendant’s conviction for aggravated battery.

BACKGROUND {2} Defendant’s convictions arise out of an altercation he had with his cousins, Isaiah and Isaac Archuleta, at their house. The following facts are pieced together from the trial testimony of Isaiah and Isaac, as well as that of Arlene and Terry Garcia, their aunt and mother, respectively. Defendant and Isaac got into an argument late one night when Defendant refused to go to sleep. Defendant escalated the argument into a physical fight by swinging at Isaac and pulling him to the floor in the hallway. Defendant then pinned Isaac down and began “thr[owing] some punches.” At that point, Isaiah tried to pull Defendant off Isaac. When he could not pull Defendant off Isaac, Isaiah ran to the fireplace, picked up a foot-long piece of railroad tie, and threw it at Defendant’s head. After Isaiah hit Defendant with the railroad tie, Defendant went into one of the bedrooms and retrieved a hi-hat1 from a drum kit. Defendant returned from the bedroom and started swinging the hi-hat at Isaiah, striking him once on the arm. When Defendant hit Isaiah with the hi-hat, Isaiah told Isaac to get a rifle to help stop the fight. As Isaiah was retreating into the kitchen, Defendant threw the hi-hat at Isaiah, although the hi-hat did not hit him. The altercation then moved into the kitchen, where Isaac pulled out a rifle and told Defendant to “get the f--- out of my house.” Defendant left the house and the altercation ended.

{3} After listening to the testimony, the jury convicted Defendant of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for swinging the hi-hat at Isaiah and Isaac and one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon for hitting Isaiah with the hi- hat. Defendant now appeals.

DISCUSSION

{4} Defendant appeals his convictions on several grounds. First, Defendant claims that the district court committed fundamental error in failing to instruct the jury on self- defense. Second, Defendant argues that trial counsel was ineffective for failing to request an instruction on self-defense. Third, Defendant argues there was insufficient evidence of the charge for aggravated assault against Isaac. Last, Defendant contends that his convictions for aggravated assault and aggravated battery of Isaiah violate double jeopardy. We address each argument in turn.

I. Defendant Was Not Entitled to an Instruction on Self-Defense

{5} Defendant argues that the district court committed fundamental error by failing to instruct the jury sua sponte that Defendant had the right to use self-defense. “The propriety of the jury instructions given by the district court is a mixed question of law and fact requiring de novo review.” State v. Candelaria, 2019-NMSC-004, ¶ 31, 434 P.3d 297. Because Defendant did not preserve any error with respect to instructing the jury on self-defense, we review only for fundamental error. See Rule 12-321(B)(2) NMRA (providing appellate court discretion as an exception to the preservation rule to review questions involving fundamental error or fundamental rights). We will not reverse for fundamental error unless the error results in a conviction that is “so doubtful that it

1A “hi-hat” is a pair of cymbals mounted on a metal stand with a foot pedal. See Hi-hat, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hi-hat (last visited June 28, 2019).

would shock the judicial conscience to allow the conviction to stand.” State v. Simmons, 2018-NMCA-015, ¶ 9, 409 P.3d 1030 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted).

{6} In order to determine whether failing to instruct the jury on self-defense constitutes fundamental error, we must first determine whether Defendant would have been entitled to the instruction had he requested it. See State v. Barber, 2004-NMSC- 019, ¶ 9, 135 N.M. 621, 92 P.3d 633 (stating that, in a fundamental error analysis for failure to give a jury instruction, the first question is whether the defendant would have been entitled to the instruction had he requested it). Defendant does not dispute that he was the initial aggressor. While Defendant acknowledges that an initial aggressor generally cannot claim self-defense, he argues that he regained his right to use self- defense when Isaiah threw the piece of railroad tie at him, escalating the fight with deadly force. See State v. Lucero, 1998-NMSC-044, ¶ 7, 126 N.M. 552, 972 P.2d 1143 (“Self defense is not available to the defendant if he or she started the fight unless: 1. The defendant was using force which would not ordinarily create a substantial risk of death or great bodily harm; and 2. victim responded with force which would ordinarily create a substantial risk of death or great bodily harm[.]” (alterations, internal quotation marks, and citation omitted)). Defendant also argues that he was entitled to use self- defense under a multiple assailant theory after Isaac retrieved the rifle. See State v. Sandoval, 2011-NMSC-022, ¶ 18, 150 N.M. 224, 258 P.3d 1016 (“A multiple assailant defense instruction should be issued when more than one assailant is involved in creating an immediate danger of death or great bodily harm toward the defendant.”). However, even assuming, arguendo, that Defendant regained his right to use self- defense despite being the initial aggressor, we fail to see how Defendant was entitled to a self-defense instruction.

{7} “A defendant is only entitled to jury instructions on a self-defense theory if there is evidence presented to support every element of that theory.” State v. Baroz, 2017- NMSC-030, ¶ 14, 404 P.3d 769. For Defendant to be entitled to a non-deadly force self- defense instruction, he was required to present evidence supporting each of the following elements:

1. There was an appearance of immediate danger of bodily harm to [D]efendant as a result of [Isaiah and Isaac’s actions]; and

2. [D]efendant was in fact put in fear of immediate bodily harm and [swung the hi-hat at Isaiah and Isaac] because of that fear; and

3. [D]efendant used an amount of force that [D]efendant believed was reasonable and necessary to prevent the bodily harm; and

....

[4]. The apparent danger would have caused a reasonable person in the same circumstances to act as [D]efendant did.

UJI 14-5181 NMRA (2009).

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