State v. Hahn

256 P.3d 1267, 162 Wash. App. 885
CourtCourt of Appeals of Washington
DecidedAugust 3, 2011
Docket40062-6-II
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 256 P.3d 1267 (State v. Hahn) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Hahn, 256 P.3d 1267, 162 Wash. App. 885 (Wash. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

Worswick, A.C.J.

¶1 Aaron Hahn appeals his conviction for solicitation to commit first degree murder. He argues that (1) the information failed to charge a crime and violated his right to notice, (2) statements he made to police were obtained in violation of his right to counsel, (3) the trial court erred in refusing to instruct the jury on the lesser included offense of solicitation of fourth degree assault, (4) the State offered improper opinion testimony, (5) he received ineffective assistance of counsel, and (6) the criminal solicitation statute is unconstitutionally overbroad. Holding the trial court erred by failing to give a lesser included offense instruction, we reverse and remand.

FACTS

¶2 Hahn had a multiyear sexual relationship with S.M., an underage girl. On March 24, 2008, Hahn was charged with four counts of third degree child rape, sexual exploitation of a minor, processing depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct, and stalking. At his arraignment, the trial court appointed an attorney to represent him.

¶3 While in custody, Hahn had his mother send several e-mails to S.M., encouraging her to drop the charges against him. After that proved unsuccessful, Hahn began talking with other inmates about his situation and eventually asked Michael Hendricksen if he knew anyone who could “get to” S.M. Report of Proceedings (RP) (Oct. 28, 2009) at 92. Hendricksen told Hahn that he did not know anyone who could hurt S.M., so Hahn asked another inmate, Norman Livengood, if he had any mafia connections. After *889 talking about it for a few days, Livengood became concerned that Hahn was serious and contacted Sergeant Jeff Finley at the jail. Sergeant Finley contacted the Sequim Police Department to report what he had heard from Livengood.

¶4 Soon thereafter, Sequim Police Department Detectives Kori Malone and Cory Hall met with Livengood. Livengood told the detectives about Hahn’s interest in hiring someone to murder S.M. Livengood agreed to wear a wire to record future conversations with Hahn. After the detectives obtained a warrant for the recording, they provided a wire and a phone number to Livengood to give to Hahn so he could call Detective Mike Grail, who would act as a hit man named “Miguel.” RP (Oct. 13, 2009) at 73-87. On May 21,2008, Hahn and Livengood then engaged in the following exchange regarding additional details:

[Livengood]: Hey, whenever I call him.
[Hahn]: Yeah.
[Livengood]: What if he asks me what you, what, what, what exactly you want done.
[Hahn]: I thought you already f — ing, I thought that he already told you that he was going to ... I thought you already told me he knew.
[Livengood]: Yeah, but he might want to know exactly what you want done.
[Hahn]: I want her to disappear.
[Livengood]: I can’t hear you, dude.
[Hahn]: I want her to disappear.
[Livengood]: That’s easy enough I guess.
[Hahn]: Disappear, make it look like she didn’t exist.
[Hahn]: Make it look like she never existed.
[Livengood]: You just want her to disappear?
[Hahn]: Just say that, yep.
[Hahn]: That’s discreet enough that the cops won’t figure it out but he’ll know what I’m talking about.

*890 Ex. 41, at 6, 13.

¶5 The next day, on May 22, Livengood provided Hahn with a phone number for “Miguel” and told him to call to discuss the details. Later that day, Hahn called “Miguel”:

[Hahn]: Hello.
[Miguel]: Hello.
[Hahn]: Is this Miguel?
[Miguel]: Yes.
[Hahn]: Okay, hey, and this is Aaron.
[Miguel]: I think I have everything I need[.]
[Hahn]: Okay.
[Miguel]: Ah, there’s just a few, ah, few things that I need to know if there’s anything specific that you needed or wanted.
[Hahn]: Um, not really, no, ah, I kind of just trust however you, you think you want to get it done.
[Miguel]: Alright, um what about, you know, I’ll, I’ll get the, I’m gonna, I’m gonna give her a present that you wanted, I didn’t know how you wanted it, whether you wanted your name attached to it or, so she knew who it was from, or did you just want it anonymously?
[Hahn]: Just, ah, put it anonymously.
[Miguel]: All right. That’s, ah, not a problem. What about, ah, I got the notes and everything and just want to make sure that that’s going to be followed through on your end once it’s ah, once I get the gift delivered.
[Hahn]: It will be, yes.
[Miguel]: All right, um, what about confirmation, how do you want confirmation once, ah, the gift has been delivered? [Hahn]: Um, can you do like some sort of discreet letter? [Miguel]: Prom me or from her?
[Hahn]: Um, from you.
[Miguel]: Okay, yeah, I can get that, you’ll know who it’s from when you get it.
*891 [Hahn]: Urn, when do you think it’ll be taken care of ?
[Miguel]: Well, how soon, uxn, are you interested in me getting it there?
[Hahn]: The sooner the better.
[Miguel]: Okay.
[Hahn]: I mean if we can do, if we can do, do something by the, ah, by the end of the month that would be great.
[Hahn]: Yeah, just so long as it’s done by, by about the, ah, beginning of, of, ah, next month.
[Miguel]: Okay, what’s going on, [i]s there something going on with you that the time line [i]s going to be affected?
[Hahn]: Um, just, Ju- June 9th I gotta get it, gotta get it taken care of by then.

Ex. 52.

¶6 Then on May 23, 2008, Sergeant Sean Madison and Detective Hall went to the Clallam County jail where Hahn was located to let him know that based on the new evidence, they would be charging him with solicitation of first degree murder. The officers did not ask Hahn any questions at that time and left the jail. After the officers left, Hahn told Sergeant Matt Blore at the jail that he wanted to speak to the officers. But when Sergeant Blore contacted them to pass this message along, the officers refused, stating that they would not speak with Hahn without his attorney.

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Related

State Of Washington v. E.j.j.
Court of Appeals of Washington, 2013
State v. Hahn
271 P.3d 892 (Washington Supreme Court, 2012)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
256 P.3d 1267, 162 Wash. App. 885, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-hahn-washctapp-2011.