State v. Duran

CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 29, 2013
Docket31,833
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Duran (State v. Duran) 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. Duran, (N.M. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

This memorandum opinion was not selected for publication in the New Mexico Appellate Reports. Please see Rule 12-405 NMRA for restrictions on the citation of unpublished memorandum opinions. Please also note that this electronic memorandum opinion may contain computer-generated errors or other deviations from the official paper version filed by the Court of Appeals and does not include the filing date.

1 IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

2 STATE OF NEW MEXICO,

3 Plaintiff-Appellee,

4 v. NO. 31,833

5 VENUSTIANO DURAN,

6 Defendant-Appellant.

7 APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF TAOS COUNTY 8 John M. Paternoster, District Judge

9 Gary K. King, Attorney General 10 Yvonne M. Chicoine, Assistant Attorney General 11 Santa Fe, NM

12 for Appellee

13 Bennett J. Baur, Acting Chief Public Defender 14 Will O’Connell, Assistant Appellate Defender 15 Santa Fe, NM

16 for Appellant

17 MEMORANDUM OPINION

18 ZAMORA, Judge. 1 {1} Defendant appeals from the judgment and sentence convicting him of

2 kidnapping, attempted criminal sexual penetration (CSP), and aggravated burglary.

3 Specifically, Defendant argues that there was insufficient evidence to support separate

4 convictions for kidnapping and attempt to commit CSP and, in the alternative, the

5 principles of double jeopardy preclude his convictions for both of these crimes.

6 Defendant also asserts, pursuant to State v. Franklin, 1967-NMSC-151, 78 N.M. 127,

7 428 P.2d 982, and State v. Boyer, 1985-NMCA-029, 103 N.M. 655, 712 P.2d 001, that

8 his conviction for aggravated burglary was not supported by substantial evidence. We

9 conclude that there was sufficient evidence to support Defendant’s convictions for

10 both kidnapping and attempted CSP, as well as aggravated burglary. However, we

11 hold that under the facts of this case, as presented to the jury by the State, convictions

12 for both kidnapping and attempted CSP violate Defendant’s right to be free from

13 double jeopardy. We therefore reverse and remand to the district court to vacate the

14 lesser offense.

15 BACKGROUND

16 {2} The Victim, an eighty-eight-year-old woman, testified at trial that on June 1,

17 2010, she took her dog for a walk at Taos’ Kit Carson Park, a neighborhood park. She

18 stated that she walked by herself, and saw no one on her walk. Pat Rael, a

19 maintenance worker for the Taos Parks Department, often saw the Victim and would

2 1 keep an eye on her in case she fell or needed help. On the morning of June 1, 2010,

2 Mr. Rael saw the Victim twice, and identified Defendant as the man he saw walking

3 a few feet behind her. When the Victim returned to her home, she noticed Defendant

4 behind her. She was unaware of Defendant’s presence, and did not know he was

5 behind her until she arrived at the door to her home. Defendant reached over her

6 shoulder with his arm and pushed open the door. She stepped inside, and Defendant

7 followed her inside. The Victim stated that she had not invited Defendant inside. She

8 testified that she was frightened and did not know what to do.

9 {3} The Victim and Defendant sat down and Defendant talked the entire time,

10 telling her more than once that he liked older women. The Victim was scared and did

11 not say anything. Defendant talked about himself, telling her where he had gone to

12 college, and describing his education. The Victim testified that she felt “frozen”

13 during the incident because she knew that Defendant intended to rape her. She did not

14 call out for help because no one was there and “it wouldn’t have done any good.” {4}

15 Defendant then physically moved the Victim from her chair and placed her on

16 the daybed in her living room. He started to take his clothes off, pulling his pants

17 down so that he was half naked. Defendant then got on top of the Victim, and said

18 something to the effect of “Isn’t this fun?” At this point, Carole DeVore, a longtime

19 friend and caretaker of the Victim, arrived at the Victim’s home to check on her. Ms.

3 1 DeVore knocked on the door, and then entered, identifying herself and calling the

2 Victim’s name. When she walked in, she found Defendant sitting very close to the

3 Victim on the daybed. Ms. DeVore testified that the situation seemed “very odd and

4 very tense,” and described the Victim as “tense, nervous, apprehensive.” The Victim

5 volunteered an “odd” introduction of Defendant, as she rolled her eyes while

6 describing Defendant as “a friend.” Ms. DeVore testified that she understood from

7 Defendant that he had gotten on his knees and proposed to the Victim, “which really

8 doubly shocked” Ms. DeVore.

9 {5} Believing the Victim was in trouble, Ms. DeVore left and then called the Victim

10 to ask if she was all right, to which she replied “[n]o.” After Ms. DeVore left,

11 Defendant fled out the back door “pretty quick.” Ms. DeVore called the police, and

12 afterward drove to the Taos Police Station to give a statement about the incident.

13 Officer Jaime Hurtado took Ms. DeVore’s statement, then went to the Victim’s home.

14 The officer described the Victim as “frightened, nervous, and alert, like something bad

15 had happened or was about to happen.” After interviewing the Victim, the officer

16 called detectives, who initiated the investigation leading to Defendant’s arrest and

17 prosecution.

18 DISCUSSION

4 1 {6} Defendant challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support his convictions

2 for both kidnapping and attempted CSP. Defendant further argues, in the alternative,

3 that convictions for both kidnapping and attempted CSP violate his right to be free

4 from double jeopardy. Lastly, Defendant contends that there was insufficient

5 evidence to support his conviction for aggravated burglary. We address each of

6 Defendant’s arguments in turn.

7 I. Sufficient Evidence Existed for Kidnapping and Attempt to Commit CSP

8 {7} Defendant argues that the evidence was insufficient to establish a kidnapping

9 where the only evidence of force or restraint was incidental to the attempted CSP. In

10 particular, Defendant contends that evidence that he placed the Victim on a daybed

11 and got on top of her in the course of an attempted CSP failed to establish kidnapping

12 because it requires proof of restraint or confinement that is not incidental to another

13 crime. Defendant asserts that the State relied on this same evidence of restraint to

14 convict Defendant of both kidnapping and attempted CSP.

15 {8} “In reviewing the sufficiency of the evidence, we must view the evidence in the

16 light most favorable to the guilty verdict, indulging all reasonable inferences and

17 resolving all conflicts in the evidence in favor of the verdict.” State v. Cunningham,

18 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 26, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176. “Substantial evidence review

19 requires analysis of whether direct or circumstantial substantial evidence exists and

5 1 supports a verdict of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt with respect to every element

2 essential for conviction. We determine whether a rational factfinder could have found

3 that each element of the crime was established beyond a reasonable doubt.” State v.

4 Kent, 2006-NMCA-134, ¶ 10, 140 N.M. 606, 145 P.3d 86 (citations omitted).

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Duran, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-duran-nmctapp-2013.