State v. Baca

804 P.2d 1089, 111 N.M. 270
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 20, 1990
Docket11514
StatusPublished
Cited by21 cases

This text of 804 P.2d 1089 (State v. Baca) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Baca, 804 P.2d 1089, 111 N.M. 270 (N.M. Ct. App. 1990).

Opinion

OPINION

FRED T. HENSLEY, District Judge.

The state indicted defendant for conspiracy to commit armed robbery, armed robbery, and aggravated burglary, all with use of a firearm. After trial, a jury found him guilty of all counts. The court imposed judgment and sentence on the convictions. Defendant abandoned two issues he raised in his docketing statement by not arguing them in his briefs. See State v. Fish, 102 N.M. 775, 701 P.2d 374 (Ct.App.1985). He raises two issues pursuant to a timely motion to amend his docketing statement. See State v. Rael, 100 N.M. 193, 668 P.2d 309 (Ct.App.1983).

We discuss six issues on appeal: (1) the propriety of defendant’s motion to amend his docketing statement; (2) the trial court’s refusal to excuse a particular juror for cause; (3) the state’s comment at trial on defendant’s silence when asked to identify himself upon arrest; (4) the sufficiency of evidence to support defendant’s conviction for aggravated burglary; (5) the trial court’s refusal to exclude evidence of unindicted crimes and a high speed chase; and (6) the trial court’s refusal to exclude evidence of a co-defendant’s arrest. We allow the motion to amend defendant’s docketing statement and affirm on all issues. FACTS

Defendant and another co-defendant (his father), arrived at the victim’s apartment in the early hours of the morning after Thanksgiving. Defendant and his father knocked loudly on the door. One of the victims answered the door and testified that the defendant and his father, who were both armed, forced their way into the apartment. The victim screamed and another victim came out of a bedroom where he was sleeping. When the first victim screamed, defendant’s father struck her with a firearm.

Once defendant and his father gained entry, they stated that they were looking for a particular third party, and inquired whether he was present. The victims insisted that the third party did not live there. One of the victims testified that “they,” defendant and his father asked for money. The second victim produced some cash from his wallet and defendant’s father took it. When defendant’s father asked for money, defendant was standing next to one of the victims with a gun pointed at the male victim. As defendant and his father were leaving, defendant suggested that they take the victims’ television set. Co-defendant disagreed and said they should depart immediately and defendant concurred. DISCUSSION

1. Defendant’s Motion to Amend the Docketing Statement

Defendant moved to amend his docketing statement to include issues (3) and (4) described above. When this case was originally calendared, this court directed that the state address the merits of defendant’s motion to amend the docketing statement. The state did not do so and thereby waived any specific objections it may have had to the motion to amend. We therefore rely only on defendant’s motion together with his points and authorities to determine whether it complied with Rael.

We note that defendant adequately explained how he preserved error or why he did not need to do so on the issues he seeks to add. In State v. Moore, 109 N.M. 119, 782 P.2d 91 (Ct.App.1989), we outlined what it was we sought in the Rael requirement that the movant state why the issues sought to be added were not included in the original docketing statement. We suggested that a clerical error might be an appropriate reason for allowing amendment. Here, defendant argues that his trial counsel, a sole practitioner, was representing another defendant charged with a capital offense during the time that he prepared and filed the docketing statement in the instant case. Defendant also asserts that his trial counsel basically copied the docketing statement filed in the appeal pursued separately by defendant’s father. Trial counsel candidly admits that he simply overlooked the issues which appellate counsel moved us to consider. We believe these to be reasons justifying amendment to the docketing statement. We conclude that defendant has established ample grounds for amending his docketing statement. In addition, the discussion of the issues defendant seeks to add will amply demonstrate their viability.

To deny defendant review of the viable issues he raises would defeat the holding in Rael by again resorting to the mechanistic formulas that Rael tried to obviate, in determining when amending a docketing statement will be allowed. State v. Moore, 109 N.M. 119, 782 P.2d 91, 100 (Ct.App. 1989) (“the more substantive provisions make the time limitation set forth in [State v. ] Jacobs [91 N.M. 445, 575 P.2d 954 (Ct. App.1978) ] appear technical and mechanistic.”). Defendant’s attorney’s attention to the capital case is a legitimate consideration within our discretion and, together with other considerations, overcomes our policy of preventing the raising of issues by the appellate attorney after picking through the transcript for possible error. Id. We therefore allow the motion.

2. The Trial Court’s Failure to Excuse Juror for Cause

During the trial court’s voir dire, one prospective juror, Eloise K., stated she was the victim of a robbery some twenty years ago. She stated she was inclined to sympathize with the state. However, during voir dire by the state and co-defendants, the juror stated she had thought the matter over and concluded she “felt confident” she could make a decision based on the evidence heard in court. Both co-defendants moved to excuse this juror for cause but the trial court denied the motion.

Another juror, John K., stated he was the victim of two armed holdups and was not entirely satisfied with the way law enforcement officials handled the matters. This was because he pointed one perpetrator out to a police officer without results and in part because the second perpetrator was posing as a police officer. Another juror, Sandra G., stated her daughter was the victim of a forcible rape. She knew who the perpetrator was but, because the victim had bathed after the attack, law enforcement officials did not pursue the matter. These two jurors affirmed repeatedly that they would not likely be prejudiced in favor of the prosecution. The trial court granted co-defendants’ motions to excuse these two jurors.

Still another juror, Julie D., stated someone robbed her house while her child was there alone. The child escaped apparently without the perpetrator’s knowledge, and the juror was confident the police did all they could. Another juror’s (Sharon R.) spouse was a law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty nearly seventeen years in the past. By all appearances, this juror had successfully rebuilt her life. Jurors Julie D. and Sharon R. also affirmed their ability to judge this case on the facts. In contrast to jurors John K. and Sandra G., the trial court denied co-defendants’ motions to excuse jurors Julie D. and Sharon R. for cause.

Defendant argues that the trial court should have excused juror Eloise K. for cause.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
804 P.2d 1089, 111 N.M. 270, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-baca-nmctapp-1990.