State v. Crain

1997 NMCA 101, 946 P.2d 1095, 124 N.M. 84
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 13, 1997
Docket16463
StatusPublished
Cited by67 cases

This text of 1997 NMCA 101 (State v. Crain) 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. Crain, 1997 NMCA 101, 946 P.2d 1095, 124 N.M. 84 (N.M. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

OPINION

ARMIJO, Judge.

1. Defendant appeals from his convictions for kidnapping and two alternative counts of criminal sexual penetration in the second degree (CSP II). The grounds for Defendant’s appeal are that: (1) the trial court erred in its jury instructions for the crime of CSP II; (2) Defendant was subjected to double jeopardy when he was sentenced to multiple punishments for the same offense; and (3) the cumulative errors of Defendant’s trial counsel deprived Defendant of his right to effective assistance of counsel. “Issues raised in the docketing statement but not briefed are deemed abandoned.” State v. Ramos, 115 N.M. 718, 720, 858 P.2d 94, 96 (Ct.App.1993) (citation omitted). Because we are not persuaded that the legislature intended multiple punishments for the same offense or that the legislature intended to pumsh every CSP that resulted from force and restraint as a second-degree felony, we remand this case to the trial court with instructions to vacate Defendant’s conviction and sentence for kidnapping and CSP II in the commission of a kidnapping. We affirm Defendant’s remaining conviction and sentence for CSP II resulting in personal injury.

I. BACKGROUND

2. Defendant’s convictions arose from an evening of drinking and dancing at a country-western bar in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on August 21 and 22, 1993. The victim was 'a prior acquaintance of Defendant who spent time with him at the nightclub that evening and followed Mm to his car near closing time to go to breakfast. The victim entered Defendant’s car and the two talked, smoked, and kissed initially. Defendant and the victim then engaged in sexual intercourse in Defendant’s car.

3. According to the victim’s testimony, she resisted from the beginmng and did not consent to have sexual intercourse at any time. The victim testified that she Mcked and fought and tried to escape, but Defendant prevented her from opening the car door. She explained that she yelled “Daddy, Daddy, please stop” during the attack because “what [Defendant] was doing to me reminded me of how my father was with me as a child.” The victim further testified that she had been sexually abused as a child by her father.

4. According to Defendant’s testimony, his sexual intercourse with the victim was consensual and ended when he promptly and voluntarily withdrew from the victim as she stated “Daddy, Daddy,” and began to yell at him. Defendant interpreted the victim’s statement to mean that “maybe she was fantasizing something.”

5. After the incident, the victim was taken to a hospital where the treating physician observed bruises and scratches on her body. The victim’s arm was in a sling and she was upset. No test results were presented at trial because the parties stipulated that Defendant had sexual intercourse with the victim.

6. On January 21, 1994, Defendant was indicted on alternative counts of CSP II in violation of NMSA 1978, § 30-9-ll(D) (Repl. Pamp.1994), kidnapping (no great bodily harm) in violation of NMSA 1978, § 30-4-1 (Repl.Pamp.1994), and aggravated battery in violation of NMSA 1978, § 30-3-5 (Repl. Pamp.1994). A jury trial commenced on September 13, 1994. At the close of evidence, the trial court dismissed the aggravated battery charge.

7. The jury was given essential-elements instructions patterned on the uniform jury instructions (UJIs) for CSP II (personal injury), UJI 14-949 NMRA 1997, CSP II (commission of a felony), UJI 14-954 NMRA 1997, and kidnapping (no great bodily harm), UJI 14-403 NMRA 1997. The jury also was given definitional instructions for the terms “sexual intercourse” and “hold for service.” These definitional instructions were patterned on UJI 14-982 NMRA 1997 and SCRA 1986, 14 — 405 (withdrawn 1993). The trial court refused the following instruction tendered by Defendant:

Should you find that [the victim] did consent to have sexual intercourse with [D]efendant, and that her later admonition for [Defendant to cease such intercourse was under her misapprehension that [D]efendant was her father, then you must return your verdict of not guilty as to all counts.

8. During deliberations, the jury sent the following question to the trial court: “[I]f the women [sic] says no after the sex act begins, does continuing constitute rape[?]” In chambers with counsel present, the trial court stated: “The way I propose to answer the question is that, ‘I’m sorry. I cannot answer that question. You’ll have to rely on the instructions' and the evidence.’” Neither Defendant nor the State objected to the Court’s proposed answer.

9. On September 19, 1994, the jury returned a verdict of guilty on both alternative counts of CSP II and the kidnapping charge. On April 3, 1995, the trial court sentenced Defendant to nine years on each of the three charges, ordered that all three sentences would run concurrently, and suspended eight years and six months of the nine-year sentences. This appeal followed.

II. DISCUSSION

A. Instructional Error

10. Defendant claims it was reversible error to refuse the instruction tendered by his trial counsel regarding the purported effect of the victim’s misapprehension that Defendant was her father. Defendant also claims that the trial court’s refusal to provide an instruction on the victim’s withdrawal of consent during intercourse in response to a question from the jury amounts to a more fundamental error of failing to instruct on essential elements of the offense. On appeal, Defendant argues that the trial court failed to define the terms “sexual intercourse” or “penetration” in a manner that would exclude from the crime of CSP II those acts of sexual intercourse or penetration that begin with the victim’s consent.

11. We conclude that the trial court’s decision not to provide an additional definitional instruction regarding these terms in response to the jury’s question did not amount to fundamental error because a failure to give a definitional instruction is not a failure to instruct on an essential element. See Ramos, 115 N.M. at 725, 858 P.2d at 101. The jury was given the UJI defining “sexual intercourse,” UJI 14-982, and we conclude that the instructions given adequately covered the law. See State v. Stettheimer, 94 N.M. 149, 154, 607 P.2d 1167, 1172 (Ct.App.1980).

12. The trial court’s instructions to the jury also did not deprive Defendant of his right to present his theory of the ease. Defendant’s theory at trial was that the entire act of sexual intercourse was consensual because Defendant promptly and voluntarily withdrew from the victim when she began to say “Daddy, Daddy.” The essential-elements instructions given to the jury adequately covered the concept of lack of consent, and Defendant’s trial counsel reinforced this concept in his closing argument by asserting that the State had the burden of proving that the intercourse was not consensual.

13.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Carter
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2025
State v. Arguello
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2024
State v. Cruz
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2024
State v. Hyams
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Jones
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Garcia
2022 NMCA 008 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2021)
State v. Mitchell
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2021
State v. Pierre
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2021
State v. Prieto-Lozoya
2021 NMCA 019 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2021)
State v. Gonzalez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020
State v. Cavazos
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Joey
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Calvillo
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Martinez-Melgar
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Martinez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2018
State v. Romero
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2017
State v. Lopez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016
State v. Baca
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2016
State v. Astorga
2016 NMCA 015 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2015)
State v. Marquez
New Mexico Supreme Court, 2015

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
1997 NMCA 101, 946 P.2d 1095, 124 N.M. 84, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-crain-nmctapp-1997.