State v. King

2015 NMSC 30
CourtNew Mexico Supreme Court
DecidedSeptember 10, 2015
Docket34,311
StatusPublished

This text of 2015 NMSC 30 (State v. King) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico 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. King, 2015 NMSC 30 (N.M. 2015).

Opinion

I attest to the accuracy and integrity of this document New Mexico Compilation Commission, Santa Fe, NM '00'04- 09:00:06 2015.10.14

IN THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

Opinion Number: 2015-NMSC-030

Filing Date: September 10, 2015

Docket No. 34,411

STATE OF NEW MEXICO,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

DONOVAN KING,

Defendant-Appellant.

APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF SAN JUAN COUNTY John A. Dean, Jr. District Judge

Jorge A. Alvarado, Chief Public Defender J.K. Theodosia Johnson, Assistant Appellate Defender Santa Fe, NM

for Appellant

Hector H. Balderas, Attorney General Kenneth H. Stalter, Assistant Attorney General Santa Fe, NM

for Appellee

OPINION

BOSSON, Justice.

{1} Relying on Santobello v. New York, 404 U.S. 257 (1971), this Court has previously held that a plea-bargained sentence must be fulfilled by the prosecution, and if not, will be enforced by the courts. See State v. Miller, 2013-NMSC-048, ¶¶ 29, 31, 314 P.3d 655. In this first-degree murder appeal, we apply that principle of law to a prosecutorial promise to dismiss a tampering-with-evidence charge if the accused would locate and produce the murder weapon. Here, Defendant Donovan King produced the weapon, but the prosecutor did not drop the charge as promised and Defendant was convicted of tampering with

1 evidence. Accordingly, we reverse the tampering conviction. Affirming all remaining convictions, including first-degree murder, we remand for resentencing.

BACKGROUND

{2} Defendant and Justin Mark arrived at Kevin Lossiah’s apartment the morning of May 29, 2011. Initially, Lossiah’s neighbors saw Defendant and Mark outside Lossiah’s apartment. Neighbor Wesley Gray talked to Defendant briefly before returning to his apartment. Moments later Gray and his wife Nicole Beyale heard banging coming from Lossiah’s apartment and someone yelling “Please stop! Shut up!” Beyale immediately called the police, who were dispatched to the apartment and found Lossiah severely beaten but still breathing. Officers called for paramedics and Lossiah was rushed to the hospital.

{3} Farmington police officers, having the descriptions of both Defendant and Mark, began canvassing the area. Shortly after the incident, Detective Paul Martinez and Officer Frank Dart came into contact with Mark and Defendant. Detective Martinez testified that Mark was shirtless and had fresh scratches on his back, and that the clothing on both men was wet and muddy. Detective Martinez also testified that both individuals looked like they had been involved in a struggle. DNA testing later revealed Lossiah’s blood on their clothing. While being questioned by Officer Dart, Defendant stated that Lossiah “came at him with a sword.” Both Mark and Defendant were arrested and taken to the Farmington Police Department. Lossiah died later that night.

{4} Ultimately, Defendant was charged with and convicted of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy to commit armed robbery, and tampering with evidence. The district court sentenced Defendant to life imprisonment plus 18 years. Recently this Court upheld Mark’s conviction for first-degree murder for his participation in Lossiah’s murder. See State v. Mark, No. 34,025, dec., ¶¶ 1, 48 (N.M. Sup. Ct. Apr. 13, 2015) (non-precedential). Defendant appeals directly to this Court. See Rule12-102(A)(1) NMRA.

DISCUSSION

{5} On direct appeal to this Court, Defendant raises five issues. The principal issue is whether the prosecutor made a promise to Defendant to dismiss one of the charges if Defendant would locate and turn over the murder weapon. If such a promise was made, we must decide the appropriate remedy, if any. To establish necessary context, we begin with Defendant’s custodial interrogations.

{6} Officers questioned Defendant on May 29, 2011, the day of the arrest, and again on May 30, 2011. This Court previously upheld the district court’s determination that Defendant’s interrogation on May 29, 2011, violated Defendant’s constitutional rights under Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436 (1966), making Defendant’s incriminating statements from that interview inadmissible at trial. State v. King, 2013-NMSC-014, ¶¶ 1-2, 13, 300

2 P.3d 732. When Detective Martinez questioned Defendant the next day, he properly advised Defendant of his Miranda rights and Defendant signed a waiver, consenting to questioning without an attorney.

{7} After being advised of his Miranda rights, Defendant asked the detective for his paperwork. Defendant indicated that he did not want to talk about the events of the previous day because he wanted to speak to his family first.1 Detective Martinez asked Defendant if there was anything he did want to talk about, to which Defendant replied “[t]hat’s why I asked [you] to bring the papers.” Defendant then indicated that he would like to see some charges dropped. The following exchange took place:

Detective Martinez: Well, what would you like to see dropped and why?

Donovan King: The tampering with evidence.

Detective Martinez: And how would you like that one to get dropped?

Donovan King: If I show you personally what I did with what I had?

Detective Martinez: Look, I can’t make that promise, but if you . . . tell me now where you [put it] I can talk to the [district attorney] but I cannot make you a promise. But I can tell you that if you cooperate and tell me where everything you guys did and where it went well, yeah, that’s going to help in the tampering because then it would no longer have, . . . I’m sure the [district attorney] would be willing to work with us.

{8} During the discussion, Defendant admitted that he and Mark had taken a wooden branch into Lossiah’s apartment and that Defendant later hid it. This branch is what Defendant was referring to when he offered to show the detective “what I did with what I had” if the tampering charge was dropped. The tampering charge was based on Defendant having hidden the branch.

{9} Because Detective Martinez did not have the authority to drop the charge, he called his supervisor. After the supervisor returned Detective Martinez’s telephone call, the detective had this exchange with Defendant:

1 Defendant sought to suppress the statements and any physical evidence that resulted from the second interview. The district court found that the second interview did not include a valid waiver of Defendant’s right against self-incrimination because of Defendant’s stated reluctance to speak with the detective before talking with his family. The court, however, also found that the statements were voluntarily given. Consistent with the U.S. v. Patane, 542 U.S. 630 (2004) standard, the district court held that the physical fruits of those statements—in this case the murder weapon—could be admitted at trial.

3 Detective Martinez: Here is what I was told word for word. We just talked with the district attorney that is actually charging you. The district attorney is willing to talk dismissal of the charge of tampering if we go today and actually find the weapon where you hid it. Is that what you want to do?

Donovan King: Yeah.

Detective Martinez: Okay, let me make arrangements and I got somebody meeting us and we will go right now.

Defendant then went with the officers to the location of the wooden branch Defendant had hidden. At trial the prosecution used the branch as evidence of a murder weapon.

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Related

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Santobello v. New York
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2015 NMSC 30, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-king-nm-2015.