State v. Ford

459 P.2d 353, 80 N.M. 649
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedSeptember 19, 1969
Docket325
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 459 P.2d 353 (State v. Ford) 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. Ford, 459 P.2d 353, 80 N.M. 649 (N.M. Ct. App. 1969).

Opinion

OPINION

SPIESS, Chief Judge.

Filbert Ford and Eugene Cordova, co-defendants, appeal from convictions of burglary (Sec. 40A-16-3, N.M.S.A.1953), and larceny (Sec. 40A-16-1, N.M.S.A. 1953). Each defendant is urging different grounds for reversal.

Defendant Ford relies upon a single point. He contends that the trial court erred in denying his motion for a mistrial as a result of the prosecutor’s comments to the jury indicating that Ford failed to protest his innocence at the time of arrest. We reverse for a new trial as to the defendant, Ford.

The arguments to the jury were not fully transcribed. Defendant, Ford, however, requested that a record be made of the particular remarks of which he complains. The record in this respect discloses the following :

“MR. ROBERTSON: If the Court please, I would like the record to show the statement that was just made to the jury by Mr. Hobbes, at this time.
“MR. HOBBES: The statement was, that there is no evidence in this case, that Ford proclaimed his innocence, or protested it at the time he was arrested.
“MR. ROBERTSON: On the basis of that statement, the Defendant, Ford, moves for a mistrial.
“THE COURT: Denied.”

We omit as immaterial to the issue presented here the circumstances relating to Ford’s arrest, except that no testimony was offered as to any statement made by Ford at the time of arrest.

The statement employed by the prosecution in summation unquestionably suggested to the jury that Ford at the time of his arrest did not proclaim his innocence. By this method the state undertook to invoke a tacit admission by silence.

Ford was under no duty to say anything and silence should not have been employed against him. Having been arrested and charged with a crime he had the right to remain silent. It is fundamental that an inference of guilt may not be drawn from the mere failure to speak when under arrest. Miranda v. State of Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966); Compare State v. Miller, 76 N.M. 62, 412 P.2d 240 (1966).

In Gillison v. United States, 130 U.S.App.D.C. 215, 399 F.2d 586 (1968), the court, considering a like situation, said:

“In Griffin v. State of California [380 U.S. 609, 85 S.Ct. 1229, 14 L.Ed.2d 106] the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment forbids prosecutor and court from commenting on an accused’s failure to testify on his own behalf. The distance between that issue and the prosecutor’s comments here about the accused’s failure to make an exculpatory .statement upon arrest is infinitesimal. Indeed, in Miranda v. State of Arizona, the Supreme Court recognized the applicability of Griffin to this situation, when, at footnote 37, the Court noted that ‘in accord with our decision today, it is impermissible to penalize an individual for exercising his Fifth Amendment privilege when he is under police custodial interrogation. The prosecution may not, therefore, use at trial the fact that he stood mute or claimed his privilege in the face of accusation. Cf. Griffin v. State of California * * *; Malloy v. Hogan, 378 U.S. 1, 8, 84 S.Ct. 1489, 12 L.Ed.2d 653 (1964) * * * [Emphasis added].’ Even where there is no interrogation and the accused merely remains silent, m> weight whatever can be given to the accused’s silence. We agree with the Second Circuit in United States v. Mullings, [364 F.2d 173], that ‘it is well settled that an inference, of guilt may not be drawn from a failure to speak or to explain when a person has been arrested.’ ”'

The State, while not admitting error, undertakes to invoke the harmless error rule; arguing, in substance, that the guilt of Ford was so overwhelming that the statement of the prosecutor was so “unimportant and insignificant * * * ” as to be “deemed harmless, not requiring the automatic reversal of the conviction.” Chapman v. State of California, 386 U.S. 18, 87 S.Ct. 824, 17 L.Ed.2d 705, 24 A.L.R.3d 1065 (1967), rehearing denied 386 U.S. 987, 87 S.Ct. 1283, 18 L.Ed.2d 241 (1967).

After close analysis of the record, it is our view that it cannot properly be contended that the evidence of guilt is overwhelming nor that the remark of the prosecutor was an inconsequential factor in the outcome of the case. It, of course, follows, that the harmless error rule is inapplicable here. The issue is resolved in Defendant Ford’s favor.

The defendant, Cordova, convicted, as we have stated, of the crimes of burglary and larceny, relies upon three points for reversal: (1) the insufficiency of the evidence to support either of the verdicts; (2) the failure of the information to state an offense under Count 1 (burglary) ; and (3) the failure of the information to state an offense under Count 2 (larceny).

The challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence, in our opinion, is without merit. It is argued that the evidence is wholly circumstantial and under established rules it is insufficient to support a conclusion of guilt.

Before considering the evidence upon which the conviction was based, it is well to bear in mind the rule relating to the probative force of such evidence; namely, that when circumstances alone are relied upon, they must point unerringly to the defendant and be incompatible with and exclude every reasonable hypothesis other than his guilt. State v. Roybal, 76 N.M. 337, 414 P.2d 850 (1966); State v. Flores, 76 N.M. 134, 412 P.2d 560 (1966); State v. Slade, 78 N.M. 581, 434 P.2d 700 (Ct.App.1967).

It is undisputed that at some time during the night of October 2nd, or early morning of October 3rd, 1967, an office occupied by Raton Housing Authority was burglarized and a safe, together with its contents, including $200.00 in cash, was removed from the office. The police, following a report to them of the burglary and theft, discovered the safe at the city dump. It had been broken into and the cash was missing.

It appears from the evidence that the hinges upon the safe were painted with a tan-grey lacquer and that an axe which had been found to the rear of the house occupied by defendant, Cordova, was examined by an expert who testified that he found heavy smears of tan-grey lacquer upon the side of the axe which matched the lacquer on the hinges of the safe. The expert also made a comparison of marks on the safe hinges with the axe and testified that the axe had made the marks upon the hinges.

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Bluebook (online)
459 P.2d 353, 80 N.M. 649, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-ford-nmctapp-1969.