State v. Hunter

2001 NMCA 078, 33 P.3d 296, 131 N.M. 76
New Mexico Court of Appeals·Decided September 10, 2001·No. 21,677·Published·Cited by 64 cases

Opinion

OPINION

PICKARD, Judge.

{1} This case requires us to address the authority of a trial court to sentence a juvenile, charged with first degree murder but found guilty of second degree murder, as an adult after holding only a typical adult sentencing hearing. By that, we mean the trial court did not consider the factors required to be considered or make the findings required to be made pursuant to the statute that permits juveniles found guilty of second degree murder to be sentenced as adults. We hold that the trial court did not have the requisite authority, and accordingly we reverse and remand for further proceedings. We address summarily the other issues raised by Defendant.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

{2} Defendant was seventeen years old when he went to a pool hall to play pool with friends. Defendant and a friend were challenging others to play for money. Although conflicting evidence was elicited on this point, Defendant was described as having an “attitude,” giving people dirty looks, and making hostile remarks. The victim was described similarly. Defendant and the victim engaged each other verbally and then with fists. It was disputed whether Defendant fought back when the victim, who was larger than Defendant, was punching him. Defendant fell back toward a bench, pulled a gun from his pocket, and fired several shots in rapid succession at the victim, killing him. Defendant then fled the premises and either dropped or lost the gun thereafter.

{3} Defendant was indicted on an open count of murder, including first degree murder, second degree murder, and manslaughter, and one count of tampering with evidence. The trial court directed a verdict on first degree murder, and the jury was instructed on second degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence, and self defense, but was not instructed on involuntary manslaughter, as Defendant had requested.

{4} Following the verdict finding Defendant guilty of second degree murder and tampering with evidence, the trial court continued Defendant on bond and ordered a presentence report. Three months later, the matter came before the trial court for sentencing. Defendant’s father and Defendant himself first addressed the court. The father explained that Defendant was physically assaulted by the victim prior to the shooting and was basically a good boy who deserved to be sentenced as a juvenile. Defendant apologized to the victim’s family and asked for forgiveness. The victim’s grandmother, two aunts, the victim’s future mother-in-law, and the victim’s father then addressed the court. They asked for justice, they asked the court to send a message, and some rejected Defendant’s apology. The State argued that Defendant’s age, the circumstances of the crime, and the crime itself were too serious for the trial court to even consider a juvenile sentence. Defendant’s counsel confessed that he had not dealt with the juvenile code before, told the trial court that it could do whatever it wanted, and requested that the trial court accept one of the recommendations of the pre-sentence report, which was to give a juvenile sentence. The trial court considered the verdict of the jury, finding Defendant guilty of killing the victim without provocation and not in self defense, and also considered that Defendant had not been involved with the law before. The trial court acknowledged that it would not make either side happy, and said that “this was an adult crime and that [Defendant] should pay a penalty as a result of being an adult.” The trial court then sentenced Defendant to concurrent terms for the two offenses, giving Defendant fifteen years for the second degree murder and tampering with evidence convictions and one year for the firearm enhancement for a total of sixteen years of which eight were suspended. The trial court entered a standard adult judgment and sentence.

{5} Defendant’s appeal raised the following issues: (1) whether NMSA 1978, § 32A-2-20 (1996) is unconstitutional under Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), and whether the trial court abused its discretion in giving Defendant an adult sentence; (2) whether Defendant’s conviction for second degree murder was supported by sufficient evidence; (3) whether the trial court erred in refusing to instruct on involuntary manslaughter; and (4) whether trial defense counsel was ineffective for not calling Defendant to testify on his own behalf. We issued an order, asking for supplemental briefing on a question related to the first issue-whether it was fundamental or jurisdictional error for the trial court to have sentenced Defendant as an adult without considering all the factors set forth in Section 32A-2-20(C) and without making the findings required by Section 32A-2-20(B). Not surprisingly, Defendant’s supplemental brief contends that it was fundamental or jurisdictional error, while the State’s brief contends that it was not. Interestingly, we take judicial notice of our records in another ease, see State v. Anaya, 1997-NMSC-010, ¶ 13, 123 N.M. 14, 933 P.2d 223, and note that the State confessed error in State v. Joseph S., Ct.App. No. 21,691, on the issue of whether an amenability hearing is necessary when a child charged with first degree murder pleads guilty to second degree murder.

DISCUSSION

SENTENCING AS AN ADULT

{6} We recently had occasion to canvass the sentencing possibilities for juveniles convicted of various crimes. In State v. Gonzales, 2001-NMCA-025, ¶¶ 16-17, 130 N.M. 341, 24 P.3d 776, cert. granted, 130 N.M. 254, 23 P.3d 929 (2001), we explained that there were three categories of juvenile offenders under the 1993 revisions to the Children’s Code: (1) serious youthful offenders-youths fifteen years of age or older and charged with first degree murder, who were entirely excluded from the Children’s Code unless found guilty of lesser offenses; (2) youthful offenders-youths fourteen years of age or older and convicted of certain enumerated crimes or certain multiple crimes; and (3) delinquent offenders-all others. Youthiul offenders may be sentenced as adults or given juvenile sanctions; delinquent offenders must be given juvenile sanctions.

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State v. Hunter, 2001 NMCA 078, 33 P.3d 296, 131 N.M. 76 (N.M. Ct. App. 2001).

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