State v. Cervantes-Puentes

303 P.3d 258, 297 Kan. 560, 2013 WL 2712134, 2013 Kan. LEXIS 542
CourtSupreme Court of Kansas
DecidedJune 14, 2013
DocketNo. 104,020
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 303 P.3d 258 (State v. Cervantes-Puentes) 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. Cervantes-Puentes, 303 P.3d 258, 297 Kan. 560, 2013 WL 2712134, 2013 Kan. LEXIS 542 (kan 2013).

Opinion

The opinion of the court was delivered by

Moritz, J.:

Sergio Cervantes-Puentes appeals his conviction of one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child and sentence of life without the possibility of parole for 25 years. We affirm his conviction and sentence.

Factual and Procedural Background

In May 2009, the State charged Cervantes-Puentes with one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. At trial, the State established that Cervantes-Puentes approached a 13-year-old female, C.M.B., in a store in Wichita, pretended he was trying to find a shirt that would fit his daughter, held a shirt up to C.M.B., and, while standing behind C.M.B., rubbed his erect, clothed penis against her clothed buttocks. C.M.B. immediately walked away and reported the incident to her mother who, in turn, reported the incident to store security. Cervantes-Puentes was apprehended before he left the store, and C.M.B. confirmed he was the man involved in the incident. At trial, C.M.B. again identified Cervantes-Puentes as tire man who approached her and brushed against her in the store.

Pursuant to K.S.A. 2009 Supp. 60-455, the State presented evidence at trial that Cervantes-Puentes had similar encounters with adult women in other Wichita stores between March and May [562]*5622009. Specifically, the State presented testimony from two witnesses, S.B. and D.B., each of whom testified that Cervantes-Pu-entes approached them on separate occasions in a store, pretended to need assistance in sizing and purchasing a shirt for his wife, and rubbed his clothed erection against their clothed backsides. The State also introduced a surveillance video depicting Cervantes-Pu-entes performing the same actions with a third, unidentified female victim from the same store where the incidents involving S.B. and D.B. occurred.

Cervantes-Puentes testified at trial that he frequently buys clothing to send to his wife and three daughters who live in Mexico. He further admitted that he approached C.M.B. and held a shirt up to her to see if it would fit his oldest daughter, but he denied that his decision to approach C.M.B. or his action in holding the shirt up to her were sexually motivated.

The jury found Cervantes-Puentes guilty of aggravated indecent liberties with a child in violation of K.S.A. 21-3504(a)(3)(A) (lewd fondling or touching of a child under 14 years of age with intent to arouse or satisfy the sexual desires of child, offender, or both). The district court denied both Cervantes-Puentes’ motion challenging the constitutionality of his anticipated sentence and his motion for a sentencing departure and imposed a sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 25 years under “Jessica’s Law,” K.S.A. 21-4643(a)(l)(C). We have jurisdiction over Cervantes-Puentes’ direct criminal appeal under K.S.A. 22-3601(b)(l) (life sentence imposed under K.S.A. 21-4643; case docketed before July 1, 2011).

Discussion

Cervantes-Puentes failed to provide an adequate appellate record to support his first claim of error.

Cervantes-Puentes challenges his conviction on only one ground. Specifically, he alleges the district court erred in admitting in-court identifications from S.B. and D.B. because prior to trial, each witness was shown an impermissibly suggestive photo array.

Ordinarily, trial courts apply a two-step process to determine whether to admit or suppress an eyewitness identification. First, [563]*563the court determines whether the procedure used for making the identification was impermissibly suggestive. State v. Mitchell, 294 Kan. 469, 476, 275 P.3d 905 (2012); State v. Corbett, 281 Kan. 294, 304, 130 P.3d 1179 (2006). Second, if the challenged procedure is found to be impermissibly suggestive, the court considers eight factors to determine whether, under the totality of the circumstances, there was a substantial likelihood of misidentification. Mitchell, 294 Kan. at 476-78; Corbett, 281 Kan. at 304-05.

This two-part analysis applies equally when determining whether to admit or suppress an in-court identification that has allegedly been tainted by a pretrial identification procedure. See State v. Ponds, 227 Kan. 627, 630, 608 P.2d 946 (1980) (stating that “in-court identifications may be capable of standing on their own even though preceded by deficient pretrial confrontations,” and noting that courts should consider various factors “to test the reliability of the courtroom identification”).

On appeal, we ordinarily apply a bifurcated standard to review a district court’s decision to admit or suppress an eyewitness identification. We review the district court’s factual findings to determine whether those findings are supported by substantial competent evidence and review the legal conclusions drawn from those findings de novo. Corbett, 281 Kan. at 304.

Here, in response to Cervantes-Puentes’ argument that S.B. and D.B. viewed an impermissibly suggestive photo array prior to trial, the district court held a hearing to consider the admissibility of the eyewitnesses’ anticipated in-court identifications. The court heard testimony from the detective who assembled the photo array, reviewed the photo array, determined the photo array was not im-permissibly suggestive, and overruled the motion to suppress the photo array and the eyewitness identifications without considering any factors related to reliability.

At trial, the State did not admit the photo array or elicit any testimony from the witnesses regarding the fact that they viewed the photo array before trial. Moreover, defense counsel did not elicit any testimony from the witnesses regarding any of the factors commonly considered to challenge the reliability of an eyewitness identification.

[564]*564Although the State did not admit the photo array or any testimony regarding it at trial, Cervantes-Puentes maintains on appeal that the photo array was impermissibly suggestive because his photo was the only photo with “a larger gap of empty space between the top of the head and the top frame of the photo.” He contends the array highlighted his short stature, thereby resulting in “a substantial likelihood that S.B. and D.B. misidentified [him]” based on the “suggestive photo array.”

But Cervantes-Puentes failed to include the photo array in the appellate record, preventing our review of the district court’s factual findings and legal conclusion regarding the array. See State v. McCullough, 293 Kan. 970, 999, 270 P.3d 1142 (2012) (reiterating that party alleging trial error has burden to designate record affirmatively showing prejudicial error).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
303 P.3d 258, 297 Kan. 560, 2013 WL 2712134, 2013 Kan. LEXIS 542, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cervantes-puentes-kan-2013.