State v. Garcia

666 P.2d 1267, 100 N.M. 120
New Mexico Court of Appeals·Decided June 2, 1983·No. 5890·Published·Cited by 54 cases

Opinion

OPINION

DONNELLY, Judge.

Defendant appeals his convictions of criminal sexual penetration in the first degree contrary to NMSA 1978, § 30-9-ll(A), and kidnapping, contrary to NMSA 1978, § 30-4-1. Seven issues have been raised on appeal. We answer three issues summarily and discuss (1) sufficiency of evidence of kidnapping by deception, (2) claim of error in jury instructions, (3) denial of defendant’s motion to suppress, and (4) constitutionality of sentence. Other issues listed in the docketing statement, but not briefed, are abandoned. State v. Edwards, 97 N.M. 141, 637 P.2d 572 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 97 N.M. 621, 642 P.2d 607 (1981). We affirm.

Facts

The victim, a three year-old girl, left her home in an apartment complex, accompanied by her young cousin; the children had been sent to summon the victim’s sister. Defendant, 18 years old, and a friend were boxing in the yard area of the apartments. The victim stopped to observe the boxing match. Several children saw the victim near the boxers and later saw her riding on the defendant’s shoulders. She was next seen in her parents’ apartment by her mother; she was crying, and bleeding from the vagina. The police were contacted and, upon their arrival, interviewed other children at the scene concerning the sexual attack. The victim was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital where she was physically examined. Two doctors concluded that she had been the victim of a sexual penetration.

Issues Answered Summarily

(a) Defendant argues that the verdict finding him guilty of criminal sexual penetration was based on alternative grounds, one of which, sexual intercourse, was not supported by substantial evidence. Patricia Mitchell, a nurse who examined the victim, testified at trial that the child had stated to her that a boy had taken her into a ditch, a “big boy hurt me,” and “he made me do it.” A police officer, Eric Hammond, testified similarly. The blood type found in the crotch area of defendant’s pants was determined to be consistent with the blood type of the victim and inconsistent with defendant’s blood. Nurse Mitchell stated that she observed blood on the child’s face and hands and a laceration extending from the child’s vagina to her rectum. Two physicians also examined the child at the hospital following the incident. Both testified that the tear of the child’s genital area was consistent with penile penetration.

In passing upon challenges as to the sufficiency of evidence, an appellate court must be convinced that when the evidence together with all proper inferences therefrom is viewed in a light most favorable to the State, a rational factfinder could have found the defendant guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of each element of the charge for which he was convicted. State v. Tovar, 98 N.M. 655, 651 P.2d 1299 (1982); see State v. Sanchez, 98 N.M. 428, 649 P.2d 496 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 98 N.M. 478, 649 P.2d 1391 (1982). Proof of each alternative method alleged was sufficient to sustain defendant’s conviction. Sanchez v. State, 97 N.M. 445, 640 P.2d 1325 (1982). The verdict finding defendant guilty of criminal sexual penetration is supported by substantial evidence.

(b) The trial court sustained objections by the State to certain questions propounded by the defense to defendant’s aunt, Agatha Trujillo. The questions concerned (a) the gist of her conversation with a police officer who entered her apartment shortly before defendant was arrested and (b) whether the officers secured permission to enter her apartment. Defendant asserts that the answers to these questions were not barred by the hearsay rule and that the court’s ruling precluded him from developing evidence concerning lack of consent to his warrantless arrest.

Neither the record proper nor the transcripts of the pretrial hearing indicate that defendant ever asserted lack of consent as a basis for eliciting this testimony, nor was lack of consent to enter the apartment of defendant’s aunt argued as a basis for suppression of evidence at defendant’s pretrial motion hearing. Defendant’s arguments concerning the hearsay objection of the State on appeal were not brought to the trial court’s attention; hence this issue was not preserved for appellate review. State v. Gutierrez, 88 N.M. 448, 541 P.2d 628 (Ct.App.1975).

To warrant reversible error in the denial of the admission of testimony, defendant must show that there is a reasonable possibility that the trial court’s failure to allow the answers to the questions propounded contributed to defendant’s conviction. State v. Callaway, 92 N.M. 80, 582 P.2d 1293 (1978). Moreover, defendant failed to make an offer of proof in order to preserve this issue on appeal. NMSA 1978, Evid.R. 103(a)(2), provides that when the ruling of the trial court is one excluding evidence, the substance of the evidence sought to be elicited must be made known to the judge by offer of proof or must be apparent from the context within which the questions were asked. Error may not be predicated upon a ruling which admits or excludes evidence unless a substantial right of defendant is affected. Id.

(c) Defendant was initially charged with engaging in sexual intercourse with a child under thirteen years of age. The trial court granted the State’s pretrial motion to amend the indictment, because the victim’s direct testimony was excluded from the trial on defendant’s motion. Defendant was instead charged with “penetration to any extent and with any object to the genital area” of the victim. Defendant objected to the giving of any jury instructions referring to “sexual intercourse” or “penis” on the grounds that there was no evidence of any sexual penile penetration.

Defendant argues that prejudice flows from the expanded instruction because the instruction could have contributed to a compromise or non-unanimous verdict. Again, this contention was not presented to the trial court; thus, the issue has not been properly preserved. State v. Gutierrez, supra. Further, on appeal we decline to speculate as to the manner by which the jury arrived at its verdict or whether it was unanimous. The record is devoid of any showing of jury misconduct; the jury verdict was proper and legally sufficient. State v. Utter, 92 N.M. 83, 582 P.2d 1296 (Ct.App.), cert. denied, 92 N.M. 79, 582 P.2d 1292 (1978).

Additionally, defendant argues that the instructions complained of violated his Sixth Amendment right to notice as to each of the charges which he was required to defend against. In State v. Armijo, 90 N.M. 614, 566 P.2d 1152 (Ct.App.1977), the court found that prejudice occurred when the jury was charged concerning three methods of commission of the offense rather than the one method for which defendant had been indicted and tried. In finding that prejudice had been shown, the court held that defendant was not prepared to defend against additional theories of the offense charged. Id. Defendant has shown no prejudice under the facts herein. The instructions given by the trial court were consistent with the charges framed in the amended indictment and under NMSA 1978, UJI Crim. 9.56 (Repl.Pamph.1982).

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State v. Garcia, 666 P.2d 1267, 100 N.M. 120 (N.M. Ct. App. 1983).

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