State v. Barefield

595 P.2d 406, 92 N.M. 768
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedApril 24, 1979
Docket3807
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 595 P.2d 406 (State v. Barefield) 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. Barefield, 595 P.2d 406, 92 N.M. 768 (N.M. Ct. App. 1979).

Opinion

OPINION

WOOD, Chief Judge.

Defendant was convicted of aggravated burglary, kidnapping, rape, two sodomies, and robbery while armed with a deadly weapon. These convictions, the subject of this appeal, are referred to hereinafter as Case 3. Only two of the issues listed in the docketing statement were briefed; other issues were abandoned because not briefed. State v. Ortiz, 90 N.M. 319, 563 P.2d 113 (Ct.App.1977). The two issues briefed concern: (1) defendant’s right to a speedy trial; and (2) credit on defendant’s sentence.

Defendant was committed to the penitentiary in 1966 for second degree murder. This is Case 1. He was paroled in 1973.

Defendant was indicted for armed robbery in March, 1974. This is Case 2. In June, 1974, he was found incompetent to stand trial in Case 2, and was committed to the State Hospital.

In August, 1974, defendant escaped from the State Hospital and committed the crimes involved in Case 3.

In September, 1974, defendant’s parole in Case 1 was revoked; he was remanded to the penitentiary.

In October, 1974, defendant was indicted for the Case 3 crimes. In November, 1974, defendant was found incompetent to stand trial in Case 3, but was returned to the penitentiary, where he was then confined in connection with Case 1. Although found incompetent, he was returned to the penitentiary because the testimony indicated he was extremely dangerous, a possible homicide or suicide, had escaped from the State Hospital, and psychiatric treatment was available at the penitentiary.

In February, 1978, defendant was found competent to stand trial. He was tried and convicted, in Case 3, in April, 1978.

Speedy Trial

A Supreme Court order, entered in April, 1975, extended the time to try defendant pursuant to Rule of Crim.Proc. 37 “to six months from the time Respondent is declared competent to stand trial.” Defendant was tried within this time period. Compliance with the Supreme Court order and with Rule of Crim.Proc. 37 is not an issue in the appeal.

Defendant’s speedy trial claim is based on the delay by the State in seeking a redetermination of his competency. State v. Santillanes, 91 N.M. 721, 580 P.2d 489 (Ct.App.1978). The factual basis for this contention involves reports which stated defendant was competent to stand trial. References to some of these reports appear in the file in Case 2, rather than Case 3. Both cases involve the same district attorney’s office. We disagree with the State’s contention that the prosecutor in Case 3 is not chargeable with knowledge of the reports in Case 2. Chacon v. State, 88 N.M. 198, 539 P.2d 218 (Ct.App.1975). Defendant seems to argue that the various reports were, in themselves, a determination that defendant was competent to stand trial. We disagree. Competency to stand trial is a matter to be determined either by the court or jury. Rule of Crim.Proc. 35(b); State v. Tartaglia, 80 N.M. 788, 461 P.2d 921 (Ct.App.1969).

Although the claim of denial of a speedy trial is a constitutional claim, see N.M. Const., art. II, § 14, the claim is based in part on a provision in § 31 — 9-1, N.M.S.A. 1978, which states:

Defendants determined to be incompetent under this section shall have the question of their mental capacity to stand trial redetermined * * * whenever the medical authorities of the institution to which the defendant was committed or any medical authority appointed by the court, report to the court that, in their opinion, the defendant is mentally competent to stand trial.

Technically, § 31-9-1, supra, is not applicable. Defendant was not committed to a mental institution after the incompetency determination in Case 3 in November, 1974. Defendant had already been committed to the penitentiary in Case 1, and had been returned to the penitentiary for parole violation. In addition, defendant had also been committed to the State Hospital in Case 2. All the November, 1974 order of incompetency did was direct that defendant be returned to the penitentiary.

Although not technically applicable, § 31-9-1, supra, supports the speedy trial claim because the statute contemplates a redetermination of competency when medical authorities are of the view that a defendant is competent to be tried.

The reports indicate a competency to stand trial. The speedy trial claim is based on the State’s delay in seeking a redetermination of competency. Accordingly, we consider the four factors involved in the question of denial of a speedy trial, and the balancing of those factors. State v. Tafoya, 91 N.M. 121, 570 P.2d 1148 (Ct.App.1977).

(a) Length of the Delay

When did the delay begin and when did it end? Defendant asserts the delay began in September, 1975 with a Clinic Psychological Report. We disagree. This report went only to the absence of a need for defendant to be hospitalized; it did not discuss competency. Testimony at the competency hearing supports defendant’s claim that there were reports in January, 1976 which indicated defendant was competent to stand trial. We consider the delay period to have begun in January, 1976. By oral motion in late November, 1977, the State requested that defendant be examined on the question of competency to stand trial. The examination was conducted in December, 1977, a competency hearing was held in January, 1978, and the order, declaring defendant competent, was entered in February, 1978. Thus, delay ended in November, 1977. The delay period to be considered is from January, 1976 through November, 1977, a maximum of twenty-three months.

What happened during the twenty-three-month period?

Defendant refers to the January, 1976 reports as being from the “Psychological Services Unit” at the penitentiary. An April, 1976 motion by the prosecutor referred to the January, 1976 reports and requested a court-ordered psychiatric examination. This motion was granted in April, 1976; however, the examination was not held until September, 1976. The report of the examination states that defendant was competent to stand trial.

A competency hearing was scheduled in May, 1977. Because “the evaluation was done back in September [1976],” the hearing. was postponed and another evaluation was ordered by the trial court. The context of the hearing indicates this was agreeable to the attorney who appeared for defendant. Apparently, the examination ordered in May, 1977 was not held.

In August, 1977, the trial court again ordered a psychiatric examination; we do not know who sought this examination, but the order was “approved” by counsel for the State and for the defendant. Testimony indicates the examination was conducted in September, 1977; the examiner was of the opinion that defendant was competent to stand trial.

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Bluebook (online)
595 P.2d 406, 92 N.M. 768, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-barefield-nmctapp-1979.