State v. Fox

542 P.2d 800, 112 Ariz. 375, 1975 Ariz. LEXIS 401
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedNovember 10, 1975
Docket2952
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 542 P.2d 800 (State v. Fox) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Fox, 542 P.2d 800, 112 Ariz. 375, 1975 Ariz. LEXIS 401 (Ark. 1975).

Opinion

HOLOHAN, Justice.

The defendant, Francis W. Fox, pled guilty to second degree murder for which he was sentenced to confinement for a term of 14 to 18 years. He filed a timely appeal.

The appellant has attacked the legal sufficiency of the plea in the following respects :

1. An intelligent plea was not entered because a) the appellant misunderstood the plea bargain, b) appellant may have been misled by counsel and c) appellant was not advised of his right to remain silent.
2. Appellant was not allowed to withdraw his guilty plea under the plea bargain where psychiatric testing showed a possible defense to the crime based on lack of the necessary intent.
3. The trial court, by failing to grant appellant’s motion for continuance and for commitment for further psychiatric and physical examination, coerced the guilty plea and violated A.R.S. § 13-1621.01 (J), and
4. The plea bargain was not adhered to by the state and the court.

On February 8, 1973, the appellant was charged by information with first degree murder. Since the action commenced prior to September 1, 1973, the 1956 Rules of Criminal Procedure were applicable. 17 A.R.S. Rules of Criminal Procedure, Rule 1.5.

Upon motion of appellant, the trial court appointed two psychiatrists to determine appellant’s competency to stand trial and mental condition at the time of the alleged murder. The psychiatric reports confirmed appellant’s claim of amnesia at the time of the homicide, but the reports reflected that appellant was presently capable of assisting in his own defense. The reports suggested that appellant may not have fully understood the quality of the committed act because of pathological intoxication, and one of the reports recommended that additional psychiatric and physical tests be conducted to determine whether appellant’s history of drinking had produced an organic deficiency or an epileptic condition.

After receiving the reports, the trial court set the case for trial on August 7, *377 1973. On July 24, 1973, appellant gave the prosecution notice that defense of insanity would be urged. The appellant filed a motion for continuance and for commitment for further psychiatric and physical examination. Without responding directly to the motion, the trial court reset the trial date for August 8, 1973. On August 6, 1973, a plea agreement was entered into between appellant, represented by counsel, and the prosecution, by which appellant would enter a plea of guilty to second degree murder, and, prior to sentencing, submit himself to the Diagnostic Center of the Arizona State Prison for psychological evaluation under A.R.S. § 13-1621. It was further agreed that if the resulting reports indicated a probability that appellant had suffered from a mental defect sufficient to support a valid insanity defense, appellant would be permitted to withdraw his plea of guilty. The matter was presented to the trial court, and he approved the agreement. At the request of the Arizona State Prison Diagnostic Center, the trial court ordered that appellant be transferred to the Arizona State Hospital to receive the subject tests. Two hospital psychiatrists administered the tests and concluded that appellant was presently able to assist in his own defense and was not legally insane at the time of the commission of the offense. By stipulation of the parties, the court held that appellant was able to assist in his defense and was legally sane at the time of the commission of the act. Appellant was thereafter sentenced to prison for second degree murder.

Appellant’s assertion that the record does not sufficiently reflect an intelligent plea is of three parts. First, appellant argues that he misunderstood the plea bargain agreement. A careful examination of the record reveals that this is not so. It is a fact that on one occasion the court did misstate the argument, but the record adequately reflects at other points, both before and after the misstatement, that the appellant, the prosecution and the court were fully aware of the agreement in all of its particulars. Second, the appellant contends that he was misled by statements of counsel as to the length of the sentence he was to receive. During the plea bargain negotiations, the appellant was clearly apprised of the range and extent of the sentence for second degree murder. All evidence before us tends to support rather than rebut the presumption that the appellant did have full knowledge of the facts and consequences of the plea bargain in this respect. State v. Washington, 108 Ariz. Ill, 493 P. 2d 493 (1972); State v. McCallister, 107 Ariz. 143, 483 P.2d 558 (1971); State v. Gutierrez, 20 Ariz.App. 337, 512 P.2d 869 (1973).

Third, appellant urges that the trial court failed to advise him upon entry of the guilty plea of his right to remain silent. Although the trial court attempted to set forth meticulously the requirements of Boykin v. Alabama, 395 U.S. 238, 89 S.Ct. 1709, 23 L.Ed.2d 274 (1969), the court failed to instruct the appellant that he was waiving the privilege against compulsory self-incrimination guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment. Because the record is deficient in this regard, we must remand this cause for hearing to determine whether appellant knew that he was waiving his right against compulsory self-incrimination. State v. Crowley, 111 Ariz. 308, 528 P.2d 834 (1974); State v. Darling, 109 Ariz. 148, 506 P.2d 1042 (1973).

Appellant’s second assertion of error is that appellant should have been allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because the psychiatric reports suggested a possible defense to the murder charge, i.e., negation of necessary intent due to drunkenness. Prior to the psychiatric testing performed pursuant to the plea bargain agreement, the appellant was examined by two private psychiatrists, one of whom recommended that additional psychiatric and physical testing be conducted. It was apparent from these reports that there existed a possibility for a specific intent defense. *378 Nonetheless, appellant entered into the plea agreement without specifying or bargaining that a provision be included for such a contingency, and agreed only to a withdrawal of the guilty plea in the event of reports indicating a valid insanity defense. See State v. Hostler, 109 Ariz. 212, 507 P. 2d 974 (1973). It is clearly established that voluntary intoxication is not a basis for a valid insanity defense. State v. Durgin, 110 Ariz. 250, 517 P.2d 1246 (1974). Furthermore, appellant made no effort in the lower court proceedings to withdraw his plea.

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Related

State v. Raseley
715 P.2d 314 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1986)
People v. Matthews
662 P.2d 1108 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1983)
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447 N.E.2d 218 (Illinois Supreme Court, 1983)
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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
542 P.2d 800, 112 Ariz. 375, 1975 Ariz. LEXIS 401, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-fox-ariz-1975.