State v. Cordova

674 P.2d 533, 100 N.M. 643
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedDecember 6, 1983
Docket7166
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 674 P.2d 533 (State v. Cordova) 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. Cordova, 674 P.2d 533, 100 N.M. 643 (N.M. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

OPINION

LOPEZ, Judge.

The defendant appeals from a conviction of aggravated battery, NMSA 1978, § 30-3-5(C). We affirm and remand for modification of the sentence.

Defendant presents three issues on appeal. Issue I: Whether the trial court impermissibly eliminated defendant’s use of the victim’s deposition during trial; Issue II: Whether the cumulative effect of prosecutorial misconduct denied defendant a fair trial; Issue III: Whether the imposition of a harsher penalty following a successful appeal violated defendant’s due process rights.

Issues that were presented in the docketing statement but not briefed are abandoned. State v. McGill, 89 N.M. 631, 556 P.2d 39 (Ct.App.1976).

This is defendant’s second trial on .the charge. His first conviction was reversed by this Court in State v. Cordova, Ct.App. No. 5610 (memorandum opinion filed 7/6/82) on grounds of prosecutorial misconduct.

FACTS:

Defendant’s conviction arose out of a fight at the El Bruno bar in Cuba. Valdez, the victim, testified that he and his wife were visiting relatives in New Mexico. They stopped for the night in Cuba and went out for some drinks where Valdez played pool with defendant. After words were exchanged between Valdez and Roger Vallejos, defendant’s friend, defendant took a swing at Valdez. After a short fist fight outside the bar, Valdez picked the defendant off the ground, shoved him toward his pick-up, and declared he did not want any more trouble. Defendant got in his pick-up and rammed it into Valdez, causing Valdez to suffer a broken left leg and torn ligaments in his right knee.

Defendant’s version of the fight sharply conflicts with the victim’s story. He testified that he played pool with Valdez, and then saw Valdez and Vallejos arguing. When defendant and Vallejos were leaving the bar, Valdez grabbed him from behind by his hair and began punching him and kneeing him in the face. Defendant was trying to get away. He grabbed Valdez’s left leg and they both fell down. Valdez’s legs hit the asphalt at the door. Valdez let go of his hair and defendant got into his truck and left to take Vallejos home.

Linda Valdez corroborated her husband’s story, except that she did hot actually see the truck hit her husband. She only saw the fist fight. Roger Vallejos corroborated defendant’s story.

ISSUE I: Whether the trial court impermissibly eliminated the defendant’s use of the victim’s deposition during trial.

The victim had instituted civil proceedings against the defendant, defendant’s counsel had deposed the victim for purposes of that suit. The matter of the deposition arose during the hearing on the State’s motion in limine to exclude evidence of the victim’s 1964 simple assault conviction. The court granted the motion because the charge was too old to come in under NMSA 1978, Evid.R. 609 and because there would be no dispute at trial that the fight occurred. At that time, defendant wanted the deposition to be admitted for several reasons: 1) to impeach the victim with the charge; 2) to impeach the victim by showing that in the deposition, the victim admitted that he had had lied on a liquor license application in Colorado; and 3) to demonstrate the victim’s “streak of violence” by the victim’s admission in the deposition that he was angry at the defendant when the fight occurred. For these purposes, the defendant cited NMSA 1978, Evid.R. 404(b), 405(b), 609, and also suggested that the statements could qualify as “prior inconsistent admissions.”

The issue on appeal is not the propriety of the State’s motion in limine but whether the deposition of the victim could be used when his wife was being cross-examined.

During cross-examination of Mrs. Valdez, defendant asked whether her husband had admitted that he gets violent from time to time. The State’s objection was sustained. Defendant wanted to use the deposition to show that Mrs. Valdez was present at the deposition when her husband was asked about and admitted violence. Apparently, if she denied that her husband admitted violence, defendant could then impeach her. Defendant also argued again about the pri- or assault conviction and the liquor license application. The court ruled that the civil deposition could not be used at all.

Both the State and defendant premise their argument on NMSA 1978, Crim.P.R. 29(n) (Cum.Supp.1983), which states as follows:

(n) Use of depositions. At the trial, or at any hearing, any part or all of a deposition may be used as evidence if:
(1) the witness is unavailable, as unavailability is defined in Paragraph (a) of Rule 803 of the Rules of Evidence;
(2) the witness is [sic] gives testimony at the trial or hearing inconsistent with his deposition; or
(3) it is otherwise admissible under the Rules of Evidence.
If only part of a deposition is offered in evidence by a party, any adverse party may require him to offer any other part or parts relevant to the part offered, and any party may introduce any other parts, subject to the Rules of Evidence.

The rule governs the use of depositions taken for the purposes of the criminal proceeding. The taking and use of depositions must be authorized under Rule 29 and used in compliance with the rule. State v. Berry, 86 N.M. 138, 520 P.2d 558 (Ct.App.1974). Because the use of depositions constitutes an exception to the right of confrontation, strict compliance with Rule 29 is required. Circumstances permitting the use of depositions at trial must be exceptional. McGuinness v. State, 92 N.M. 441, 589 P.2d 1032 (1979).

The deposition in question was taken for another proceeding. Under the facts of this case we hold that the trial court correctly ruled that the civil deposition of Mr. Valdez could not be used when his wife was being cross-examined. We recognize that under certain circumstances, not applicable here, a civil deposition may be used in a criminal proceeding, e.g., for impeachment.

ISSUE II: Whether the cumulative effect of prosecutorial misconduct denied defendant a fair trial.

Defendant points to three incidents of prosecutorial misconduct. The first occurred during the cross-examination of defendant, when the prosecutor was asking about whether defendant said anything to the officer who arrested him about the incident. The defendant answered that he had told the officer about what had happened when he was being processed (booked) at the jail, but he had not said anything when he was being pulled over. Defense counsel then remarked, “That’s my recollection, too.” When the prosecutor objected to that remark, defense counsel stated that the prosecutor was trying to mislead and trick the defendant, and the prosecutor said, “He’s trying to suborn perjury.” Defense counsel objected and asked for a mistrial.

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Bluebook (online)
674 P.2d 533, 100 N.M. 643, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-cordova-nmctapp-1983.