State v. Brown

573 P.2d 675, 91 N.M. 320
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedNovember 8, 1977
Docket2890
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 573 P.2d 675 (State v. Brown) 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. Brown, 573 P.2d 675, 91 N.M. 320 (N.M. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

WOOD, Chief Judge.

Convicted of two counts of assault upon a police officer with intent to kill, defendant appeals. Section 40A-22-22(A), N.M.S.A. 1953 (2d Repl. Vol. 6). We discuss: (1) expert to aid in jury selection process; (2) excluded evidence; and (3) double jeopardy.

Expert to Aid in Jury Selection Process

The convictions resulted at defendant’s second trial; at the first trial the jury was unable to agree and a mistrial was declared. Prior to the first trial, defendant moved for the appointment of an expert witness to assist the defense in the jury selection process. The assistance was to be “in formulating questions for and analyzing the responses of prospective jurors on the issue of racial bias.” The racial bias contention is based on the fact that defendant is black. The trial court denied the motion. Defendant claims this was error.

One answer to this issue is that defendant never sought the expert assistance in connection with the second trial at which he was convicted. Another answer is that there is no claim that the jury which convicted defendant was not fair and impartial.

The purpose of voir dire is to enable a defendant to obtain a fair and impartial jury. See State v. Fransua, 85 N.M. 173, 510 P.2d 106, 58 A.L.R.3d 656 (Ct.App. 1973). Voir dire is not for the purpose of enabling defendant to obtain a desired jury. Compare State v. Ortiz, 88 N.M. 370, 540 P.2d 850 (Ct.App.1975). Absent a claim that the trial jury was not fair and impartial, defendant has no basis for complaint about the jury selection process. State v. Gonzales, 82 N.M. 388, 482 P.2d 252 (Ct. App.1971).

Excluded Evidence

(a) The witness Pinkston testified at the first trial. Defendant sought to introduce this first trial testimony at the second trial on the basis that Pinkston was “unavailable”. See Evidence Rule 804(b)(1). The basis of the unavailability claim was that defendant had been unable to procure Pinkston’s attendance at the second trial by process or other reasonable means. Evidence Rule 804(a)(5). There was no error in excluding Pinkston’s first trial testimony. The record shows that Pinkston was in the Hobbs area, that defendant made no attempt to subpoena Pinkston, and his efforts to secure Pinkston’s attendance were no more than two or three telephone calls to Hobbs during, the three-day period prior to the second trial. Defendant never personally contacted Pinkston. There was an insufficient showing of unavailability. See State v. Mann, 87 N.M. 427, 535 P.2d 70 (Ct.App.1975).

(b) The five other items of excluded evidence all involve testimony that was tendered and excluded at both trials. The rulings excluding evidence must be considered in context. It is undisputed that defendant shot the officers with a handgun. A defense, at both trials, was that the officers were not acting in the lawful discharge of their duties in the events leading to the shooting. Another defense was that defendant feared the officers and shot them in self-defense. See State v. Kraul, 90 N.M. 314, 563 P.2d 108 (Ct.App.1977).

In support of the above defenses, testimony was admitted concerning specific encounters between defendant and police officers. These encounters occurred between February, 1976 and the shootings on August 26, 1976. The defense view of these encounters was that the police hassled defendant and other blacks in the South Broadway area of Albuquerque. At least three of the incidents occurred between February and July, 1976. At least two incidents occurred on the day before the shooting and one occurred prior to the shooting on the evening of August 26, 1976. The specific incidents included identification checks, physical harassment, taking defendant to the police station and then releasing him without charges being filed, and threats to “get” the defendant. Defendant testified that he feared the police and that he avoided the police as much as possible because of their harassment.

Defendant tendered the testimony of two witnesses, Dozier and Andrade. Their testimony went to what defendant had told them in conversations. What defendant told them was that police officers threatened to get defendant “off the street”. To avoid the hearsay rule, defendant tendered the testimony under Evidence Rule 803(3) to show defendant’s then existing state of mind. We need not determine whether the tender was sufficient to show “state of mind”. The trial, court could properly exclude the tender because it was cumulative. Evidence Rule 403. There was an abundance of evidence, from witnesses other than defendant, concerning defendant’s state of mind toward the police. The evidence of specific acts of harassment and specific threats supported defendant’s “fear” claim. No substantial right of defendant was affected by the exclusion of the tendered evidence of these two witnesses. Evidence Rule 103(a).

Defendant also tendered evidence of two other witnesses concerning police conduct following the shooting. We need not consider defendant’s arguments as to why this post-shooting conduct was admissible. Even if the post-shooting conduct was relevant, which we do not decide, the trial court could properly exclude this evidence of police post-shooting conduct on the basis that it was an accumulation of testimony concerning specific conduct by the police. Evidence Rule 403. No substantial right of defendant was affected by the exclusion of the tendered testimony of these two witnesses. Evidence Rule 103(a).

The fifth item of excluded evidence was the tendered testimony of a social psychologist. As we understand the tender, the social psychologist studies one’s behavior as influenced by others. We are not concerned with the qualifications of the psychologist; when tendered as an expert in the field of social psychology, the prosecutor stated he had no objection. See State v. Ellis, 89 N.M. 194, 548 P.2d 1212 (Ct.App. 1976). The expert testified about certain reports and publications concerned with police conduct toward minority groups and the perception by minority groups, particularly blacks, that the police are a threat to minority group members. He testified that the method of analysis used in the reports and publications was a method reasonably relied on and that the reports and publications were “reputable sources”. The prosecutor did not cross-examine as to any of this foundation testimony. The result was that foundation testimony, used by the psychologist in forming an opinion, went unchallenged.

The psychologist testified that the results in the reports and publications on which he relied were consistent with a “limited” study made in the South Broadway area of Albuquerque, the area in which defendant lived and in which the shootings occurred. The psychologist testified that he had listened to defendant’s trial testimony (of the various specific instances of defendant’s police encounters).

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Bluebook (online)
573 P.2d 675, 91 N.M. 320, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-brown-nmctapp-1977.