State v. Astorga

284 P.3d 279, 295 Kan. 339, 2012 WL 3764932, 2012 Kan. LEXIS 458
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedAugust 31, 2012
DocketNo. 103,083
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 284 P.3d 279 (State v. Astorga) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Astorga, 284 P.3d 279, 295 Kan. 339, 2012 WL 3764932, 2012 Kan. LEXIS 458 (kan 2012).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Moritz, J.:

Matthew Astorga appeals his conviction of premeditated first-degree murder, claiming the district court violated his right to present his theory of defense and his right to a trial by an impartial jury. Astorga also challenges the constitutionality of K.S.A. 21-3214(a), which limits a defendant’s ability to assert the justification of self-defense in some cases.

Additionally, Astorga asserts several challenges to his hard 50 sentence, including that the sentencing court erred in (1) finding the existence of several aggravating factors; (2) failing to properly weigh and consider mitigating circumstances; and (3) imposing aggravated presumptive sentences without requiring proof of aggravating factors to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt. Finally, Astorga challenges the constitutionality of the hard 50 sentencing scheme and claims he is entitled to resentencing under the identical offense doctrine. We affirm Astorga’s convictions and sentence but dismiss his challenge to his aggravated presumptive sentence.

[341]*341Factual and Procedural Background

On December 26, 2008, Matthew Astorga drove to tire home of Ruben Rodriguez, shot and tolled Rodriguez, and drove away. As-torga was arrested after a brief police pursuit. Astorga ultimately pleaded guilty to criminal possession of a firearm and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, and he was convicted by a jury of first-degree premeditated murder. We have briefly summarized the trial testimony below. Additional facts are discussed as relevant to our discussion of the issues.

Rodriguez’ girlfriend, Keira Moritz, testified that just before Rodriguez was shot, he was standing in the kitchen of his home and talking on the phone. Moritz’ 2-year-old child and Ryan Fowler were also present in the home. Moritz testified she heard Rodriguez’ truck alarm going off so she handed Rodriguez his keys, and he went to tire door to go out and turn off the alarm. Moritz stood near Rodriguez as he stood in the doorway. She heard a few words and then heard Rodriguez say, “ ‘I don’t play like this.’ ” Moritz looked outside and saw Astorga, whom she recognized from prior meetings, standing outside the house.

At some point, Moritz saw that Astorga had a gun in his hand. She testified she did not see Astorga fire the gun, but she believed she heard two gunshots. After the first shot, she begged Astorga not to shoot because her baby was inside. Moritz tried to protect her child, who stood behind her, by pushing the child under a futon couch. Moritz testified she believed Rodriguez fell after the second shot was fired. After Rodriguez was shot, Moritz and Fowler applied pressure to Rodriguez’ wound until the police arrived.

Kenneth Nichols, who lived across the street from Rodriguez, testified he was at home watching television in his living room and looking out his front door when he saw a black truck he did not recognize park across the street. Nichols testified that “a short stocky guy” got out of the truck and walked into Rodriguez’ yard. Nichols left his front door but returned after hearing what he described as “a gun going off.” Nichols saw the man return to the black truck with a pistol in his left hand, get back into the truck, and drive off. Nichols identified Astorga at trial as the man he saw on the night of the shooting.

[342]*342Stephanie Wharton, a neighbor one house away from Rodriguez’ home, and her sister, Tracey Wharton, had just arrived at Stephanie’s home when Tracey heard a car alarm. Tracey testified she looked out the window and saw a man leaning up against the hood of a white truck parked in the street and looking toward Rodriguez’ home. The man then pulled out a gun and walked toward Rodriguez’ home. At that point, Tracey went to the phone to call 911. Before she could press “send,” she heard a single gunshot. Tracey yelled at Stephanie to come to the front door. As Tracey spoke to the dispatch operator, she saw a black truck speed away.

Stephanie Wharton testified she was in the restroom and did not hear the car alarm or the gunshot. But she did hear Tracey say, “ ‘Oh my God, there’s a gun. Where’s your phone? Where’s your phone?’ ” Before her sister had hung up the phone after calling 911, Stephanie ran towards Rodriguez’ house, where she could hear Moritz and a child crying. As Stephanie walked inside the home, she saw Rodriguez lying on the floor and Moritz and Fowler hovering over him trying to render aid. Neither Moritz nor Fowler had a firearm, and Stephanie saw no firearm in the living room. Stephanie and Fowler went outside to flag down police.

Astorga testified in his own defense at trial. He admitted shooting Rodriguez, but his version of the shooting and the events preceding it differed materially from that of other witnesses.

Astorga claimed that for some time before he shot Rodriguez, Rodriguez had been pressuring Astorga to repay a drug debt. On December 22, 2008, Astorga went to visit Charlie Fowler, Ryan Fowler’s father. Rodriguez and a man Astorga identified as “Luis” were present at Charlie’s apartment. According to Astorga, Rodriguez confronted Astorga about tire debt, and Rodriguez and Luis kicked and stabbed Astorga. Astorga admitted that he refused to cooperate with law enforcement’s investigation of the stabbing.

Further, Astorga testified that he believed Rodriguez participated in a drive-by shooting of Astorga’s home in the early morning hours of December 26, 2008—the day he shot Rodriguez. Astorga claimed that the officer who responded to the shooting refused to investigate. Astorga admitted, however, that he refused to cooperate with the officer’s investigation.

[343]*343Astorga testified that about 4:30 p.m. on December 26, 2008, he traded his dune buggy for a .40 caliber pistol and three magazines containing 45 rounds of ammunition. According to Astorga, in order to ensure that the gun worked, he practiced firing it in his backyard, emptying one magazine of 15 rounds. About 8:30 p.m., Astorga drove to Rodriguez’ residence to repay his drug debt, taking the pistol with him for protection. According to Astorga, when he arrived at Rodriguez’ home, he parked his truck in front of Rodriguez’ truck, got out of his truck, and put his pistol in his waistband. Astorga admitted he set off Rodriguez’ truck alarm, although he implied he did so accidentally, saying, “I must have set the alarm off.”

Astorga claimed that when he got out of his truck, Rodriguez was already at the door “acting frantic” and holding a pistol. As-torga testified he shot Rodriguez in self-defense only after Rodriguez shot at him first. Astorga then got back in his truck and drove off at a high rate of speed.

Officer Wade Robinson testified he was on patrol when he heard a call about the shooting. As he headed toward Rodriguez’ house, Robinson saw a black truck traveling at a high rate of speed, and he began to chase it. Astorga eventually turned off on a side street and became stuck in mud. Robinson arrested Astorga and recovered a .40 caliber Glock, a plastic gun case, and three magazines of bullets from the floorboard of his truck. Robinson testified that one magazine was empty, the second contained 15 bullets, and the third held 14 bullets. According to Robinson, a magazine normally holds 15 bullets.

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Related

State v. Stanley
478 P.3d 324 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2020)
Astorga v. Leavenworth County Sheriff
Court of Appeals of Kansas, 2020
State v. Carr
331 P.3d 544 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2014)
State v. Astorga
324 P.3d 1046 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2014)
State v. Soto
322 P.3d 334 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2014)
State v. Herbel
299 P.3d 292 (Supreme Court of Kansas, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
284 P.3d 279, 295 Kan. 339, 2012 WL 3764932, 2012 Kan. LEXIS 458, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-astorga-kan-2012.