State v. Galloway
This text of 431 P.3d 432 (State v. Galloway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Oregon primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.
Opinion
TOOKEY, J.
*346We consider this criminal case for the fourth time following our prior decisions in State v. Galloway ,
*434( Galloway II ), and Galloway v. Nooth ,
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. Historical Facts
The pertinent facts are mostly procedural and undisputed. To minimize confusion about the parties when describing several proceedings, we refer to defendant throughout this opinion as "defendant" even when he was the petitioner for post-conviction relief in Galloway III . We refer to the responding party in Galloway III as the superintendent.
In May 2002, defendant was charged by Crook County's Chief Deputy District Attorney, Ron Brown, with two counts of third-degree theft, one count of fourth-degree assault, three counts of resisting arrest, one count of disorderly conduct, one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, and one count of minor in possession of alcohol. Galloway I ,
*347The second fire occurred at Ochoco Creek Park, a few blocks from Brown's home. Galloway I ,
Defendant was subsequently arrested and indicted on 27 charges stemming from the two fires.
Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI
TOOKEY, J.
*346We consider this criminal case for the fourth time following our prior decisions in State v. Galloway ,
*434( Galloway II ), and Galloway v. Nooth ,
I. FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND
A. Historical Facts
The pertinent facts are mostly procedural and undisputed. To minimize confusion about the parties when describing several proceedings, we refer to defendant throughout this opinion as "defendant" even when he was the petitioner for post-conviction relief in Galloway III . We refer to the responding party in Galloway III as the superintendent.
In May 2002, defendant was charged by Crook County's Chief Deputy District Attorney, Ron Brown, with two counts of third-degree theft, one count of fourth-degree assault, three counts of resisting arrest, one count of disorderly conduct, one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, and one count of minor in possession of alcohol. Galloway I ,
*347The second fire occurred at Ochoco Creek Park, a few blocks from Brown's home. Galloway I ,
Defendant was subsequently arrested and indicted on 27 charges stemming from the two fires.
B. Procedural Background
1. Defendant's direct appeals in Galloway I and Galloway II
Defendant appealed and, in Galloway I , we exercised our discretion to "vacate[ ] defendant's sentences and remanded for resentencing because the trial court had [plainly erred when it] imposed a departure sentence based on a judicial finding that defendant's crime had created a serious risk to human life." Galloway II ,
2. Defendant's petition for post-conviction relief in Galloway III
Defendant then brought an action for post-conviction relief, and the post-conviction court granted a new trial on all of defendant's convictions on the ground that defendant's *348"trial counsel provided inadequate assistance (1) by failing to investigate and discover evidence that would have undermined *435the state's case that the threat posed by the fire was serious and (2) by failing to discredit [defendant's] codefendant." Galloway III ,
We concluded that the post-conviction court did not err in concluding that defendant's trial counsel provided inadequate assistance by failing to investigate and discover evidence that the threat posed by the fire was serious because "[t]he state's case as to intent to kill rested to a significant degree on the evidence of the threat posed by the fire."
In light of those conclusions, we reasoned that
"trial counsel's performance was constitutionally inadequate only with respect to her failure to investigate, and put on evidence regarding, the lethal potential of the fire that [defendant] set at the Browns' home. That failure obviously had no tendency to affect the jury's verdicts regarding crimes that did not have, as an element, an intention to kill or to cause injury to a person or persons. Thus, the inadequacy had a tendency to affect the verdicts in the attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges. It also had a tendency to affect the first-degree burglary verdict; that crime, as charged and prosecuted in this case, involved entering and remaining in a building and, therein, 'attempt[ing] to cause physical injury to any person.' ORS 164.225(1)(b). The inadequacy did not, *349however, have an effect on the arson charges, neither first- nor second-degree arson requires the state to prove an intention to harm persons. ORS 164.135 ; ORS 164.325. The same is true, obviously, of recklessly endangering."
On remand, the post-conviction court entered a judgment that granted post-conviction relief according to our disposition. That judgment provided, in pertinent part:
"As to the charges of Attempted Aggravated Murder, Attempted Murder, and Burglary in the first degree, the defense provided to [defendant] does not meet constitutional standards and [defendant] is entitled to a new trial on those charges. The convictions for Attempted Aggravated Murder, Attempted Murder, and Burglary in the first degree are set aside, the sentences vacated and those charges are returned to the trial department for a new trial. The remaining verdicts stand and [post-conviction relief] is denied on those charges."
That judgment also provided that it "shall constitute a final judgment for purposes of appellate review and for purposes of res judicata ."
3. Defendant's retrial following Galloway III
On remand to the trial court, defendant was retried on nine counts of attempted aggravated murder (Counts 1-9), five counts of attempted murder (Counts 10-14), and two counts of first-degree burglary (Counts 21 and 22). The state filed a pretrial "motion for issue preclusion as to defendant's being guilty of [the] crimes of arson and recklessly endangering another." The state relied on *436State v. Boots ,
The trial court agreed with the state that Boots II is the controlling authority. The court reasoned that, in Davis , "the original jury found defendant guilty of criminal acts (DUII and manslaughter), and then the state tried defendant for a criminal act arising out of the original trial * * * in * * * a new prosecution for perjury which obviously the jury did not consider in the first trial," whereas, in Boots II and this case, "[b]oth trials involved the same criminal episode" and "the second jury considered the exact same charge[,] * * * not a different criminal act as in Davis ." The trial court also noted that, if we had "believed it was necessary to relitigate the elements of arson and recklessly endangering charges, then the reversal of the post-conviction court regarding the arson and recklessly endangering convictions would be meaningless," and "[b]y reversing the post-conviction court on th[o]se issues, the Court of Appeals set the parameters of the retrial as Boots II allows." Accordingly, the trial court concluded that, pursuant to our disposition in Galloway III , the elements of arson and recklessly endangering "were satisfied-and remained satisfied-as a matter of law." The trial court ruled that "the defense is precluded from disputing any of the elements proven by the state in obtaining the original arson and reckless endangering convictions" and that "the jury shall receive instructions that as a matter of law defendant has committed the acts of arson and recklessly endangering."1
The court's jury instruction stated:
"You are instructed that it has been determined as a matter of law that defendant committed the act of arson and reckless endangering another, and those questions have been removed from your consideration.
*351"You are to consider whether, at the time defendant committed those acts, defendant had the intent to cause the death of another person."
The jury found defendant guilty of one count of attempted aggravated murder (Count 9), one count of attempted murder (Count 10), and two counts of first-degree burglary (Counts 21 and 22), and acquitted defendant of eight counts of attempted aggravated murder (Counts 1-8) and four counts of attempted murder (Counts 11-14). The trial court merged the guilty verdicts for attempted murder and attempted aggravated murder into a single conviction for attempted aggravated murder and imposed a 120-month sentence on that conviction. The court also merged the two guilty verdicts for first-degree burglary into a single conviction for first-degree burglary and imposed a 36-month sentence for that conviction. The court entered a supplemental judgment that ordered defendant to serve those sentences consecutively to the sentences that were not vacated by the post-conviction court following Galloway III .
II. ANALYSIS
A. The Parties' Arguments on Appeal
On appeal, in a combined argument pursuant to ORAP 5.45(6), defendant contends that the trial "court erred by granting the state's motion for issue preclusion" and instructing the jury "that defendant was guilty of arson and recklessly endangering another person [as a matter of law,] and that those issues were removed from the jury's consideration." Defendant argues that our "decision in Davis *437entirely controls both of these assignments of error" and that Boots II is distinguishable because arson and reckless endangerment are not lesser-included offenses of attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, and burglary.2 The state asserts that "[t]he trial court correctly held that Boots II controls this issue" because "[t]his case-like Boots II and unlike Davis -involves an affirmance on direct *352appeal of an adjudication of guilt and then enforcement of that adjudication on remand for retrial in the same case ." (Emphasis in state's brief.) In light of the parties' dueling motions at trial and their arguments on appeal, we begin by discussing Boots II , its progeny, and Davis .
B. The Applicable Case Law
1. Boots II
In Boots , the defendant was charged with alternative theories of aggravated murder, one for killing the victim in the course of committing first-degree robbery and the other for killing the victim in an effort to conceal the identity of the perpetrators of that crime. Boots II ,
Subsequently, on remand, the state elected to retry the aggravated murder charge, pursuing only the murder-to-conceal theory, and "moved to limit the new trial only to the determination of whether or not the defendant is guilty of the enhanced crime of Aggravated Murder." Boots II ,
2. Wilson III
Similarly, in State v. Wilson ,
In State v. Wilson ,
At the defendant's separate retrial on the counts of aggravated murder and murder, the trial court instructed the jury "to accept as already proven that defendant had committed the underlying felonies (e.g. , kidnapping and assault) that served as the basis for certain elements of the aggravated murder charges." State v. Wilson ,
*355In Wilson III , the defendant also argued that the trial court erred by failing to merge "his convictions on retrial for attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder * * * with the convictions for the underlying felonies that were affirmed by this court in Wilson II ." Id. at 234-35,
3. Davis
Conversely, in Davis , the defendant was charged with manslaughter and DUII "in connection with a fatal automobile accident in which two of defendant's friends were killed."
The state then charged the defendant with perjury in a separate case for his allegedly false testimony in the manslaughter and DUII trial.
At a pretrial hearing for the perjury trial, the state sought a special jury instruction to "instruct the jury that certain facts related to the perjury case had been proved beyond a reasonable doubt in defendant's first trial."
On appeal, the defendant argued that "the instruction removed an element of the crime from the jury's consideration and, therefore, violated his state and federal constitutional rights to a jury trial on all elements of the charged crime."
C. The Holdings of Boots II and Wilson III Apply in This Case
In sum, Boots II and Wilson III focus on the scope of remand and instruct us that, if the remand order permits a limited retrial, the trial court can "order a retrial limited to those issues that caused the appellate court to reverse defendant's conviction on the greater offense." Boots II ,
Although the parties at trial framed their dispute in terms of "issue preclusion," we conclude that the issue in this case properly concerns the scope of our remand order in Galloway III . See State v. Bowen ,
Here, as noted, our disposition in Galloway III granted post-conviction relief with respect to defendant's convictions for attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, and burglary in the first degree, and denied relief with respect to defendant's convictions for arson and recklessly endangering another person because those charges did not require the state to prove that defendant intended to kill, or cause injury to, the Brown family when he set the fire in their home. Galloway III ,
Defendant argues that Boots II does not apply in this case because arson and recklessly endangering are not lesser-included offenses of attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, or burglary. As explained above, in Wilson III ,
D. Defendant's arson and recklessly endangering convictions serve as the basis to prove certain elements of the attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, and burglary charges.
Defendant's convictions for arson and recklessly endangering another person both involved the same conduct-setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns. As relevant here, a person commits the crime of first-degree arson if, "[b]y starting a fire or causing an explosion, th[at] person intentionally damages" the "protected property of another," ORS 164.325(1)(a)(A). " 'Protected property' " is defined as "any structure, place or thing customarily occupied by people." ORS 164.305(1). For the first-degree arson charge, Count 15 of the indictment alleged that defendant "did unlawfully and intentionally damage protected property to-wit: a dwelling house[,] * * * the property of Ron Brown[,] * * * by starting a fire" and that "the commission of the above-described offense represented a threat of serious physical injury and a threat to human life."4 Likewise, for the recklessly endangering another person charges, Counts 23 through 26 of the indictment alleged that defendant "did unlawfully and recklessly create a substantial risk of serious physical injury to [the Browns] by setting a fire in [a] house occupied by [the Browns]." That conduct-setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns-could have been prompted by defendant's intent to cause the death of the Browns or his intent to damage their property, or it could describe a reckless act by defendant that created a substantial risk of serious physical injury. See *360State v. Moses ,
Our review of the allegations in the indictment reveals that the affirmed arson and reckless endangerment convictions have the same actus reus element as the attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges. With respect to the attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges, the state's theory of attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder was that defendant attempted to kill the Browns by means of arson. Counts 1 through 14 of the indictment alleged, in pertinent part, that defendant "did unlawfully and intentionally attempt to cause the death of another human being * * * by setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by [the Browns]." "A person is guilty of an attempt to commit a crime when the person intentionally engages in conduct which constitutes a substantial step toward commission of the crime." ORS 161.405(1). According to the indictment, the substantial step that defendant took in attempting the aggravated murder and murder of the Browns was intentionally setting a fire in their home. Thus, the conduct alleged in the charging instrument for attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder-setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns-expressly included the same conduct as the convictions for arson and recklessly endangering another person. As such, the arson and recklessly endangering convictions served as the basis to prove the actus reus element of the attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges.
*442Likewise, as alleged, defendant's convictions for arson and recklessly endangering served as a basis to prove certain elements of the charged counts of burglary. For count 21, the indictment alleged, in pertinent part, that defendant *361"did unlawfully and knowingly enter and remain in a[n occupied] dwelling * * * with the intent to commit the crimes of murder, arson and criminal mischief therein, and * * * attempt[ed] to cause physical injury to Ron Brown." Count 22 of the indictment alleged that defendant "did unlawfully and knowingly enter and remain in a building * * * with the intent to commit the crimes of murder, arson and criminal mischief therein, and while in said building, defendant did attempt to cause physical injury to [the Browns]." Because the burglary charges contained an allegation that defendant entered and remained in Brown's home intending to commit murder and arson, and that defendant intentionally took a substantial step towards causing physical injury to the Browns, the conduct underlying the arson and recklessly endangering convictions-setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns-also served as a basis to prove elements of the burglary charges. See State v. Walters ,
At defendant's retrial, all of the charges were based on the same conduct, viz. , defendant setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns, and, because the affirmed arson and recklessly endangering convictions served as a basis to prove certain elements of the attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, and burglary charges, we conclude that the trial court did not err when it ordered a retrial limited to the remaining elements necessary to establish those charges. Furthermore, we conclude that the trial court did not err by instructing the jury that defendant had committed arson and recklessly endangering another as a matter of law.
III. CONCLUSION
To summarize, in Galloway III , we concluded that
"trial counsel's performance was constitutionally inadequate * * * with respect to her failure to investigate, and put on evidence regarding, the lethal potential of the fire that [defendant] set at the Browns' home. That failure *362obviously had no tendency to affect the jury's verdicts regarding crimes that did not have, as an element, an intention to kill or to cause injury to a person or persons. Thus, the inadequacy had a tendency to affect the verdicts in the attempted aggravated murder and attempted murder charges. It also had a tendency to affect the first-degree burglary verdict[.]"
Galloway III ,
At defendant's retrial, all of the charges were based on the same conduct that was conclusively established by the first jury's guilty verdicts for arson and reckless endangerment, viz. , defendant setting a fire in a dwelling occupied by the Browns. Our remand order neither expressly required the trial court to retry defendant on every element of the attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, or burglary charges, nor expressly limited the trial court to a trial on whether defendant set the fire in Brown's home with the intent to cause the death of another person. Accordingly, the trial court instructed the jury to consider whether, at the time defendant committed arson and *443recklessly endangering another by setting a fire in a house occupied by the Browns, "defendant had the intent to cause the death of another person." See State v. Green ,
For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the trial court did not err in ordering a retrial limited to the remaining elements of the attempted aggravated murder, attempted murder, and burglary charges, and instructing the jury that defendant had committed arson and recklessly endangering another as a matter of law.
Affirmed.
Related
Cite This Page — Counsel Stack
431 P.3d 432, 294 Or. App. 345, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-galloway-orctapp-2018.