State v. Leyba

CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedOctober 21, 2019
StatusUnpublished

This text of State v. Leyba (State v. Leyba) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New Mexico Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Leyba, (N.M. Ct. App. 2019).

Opinion

This decision of the New Mexico Court of Appeals was not selected for publication in the New Mexico Appellate Reports. Refer to Rule 12-405 NMRA for restrictions on the citation of unpublished decisions. Electronic decisions may contain computer- generated errors or other deviations from the official version filed by the Court of Appeals.

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO

No. A-1-CA-36001

STATE OF NEW MEXICO,

Plaintiff-Appellee,

v.

JOSE LEYBA,

Defendant-Appellant.

APPEAL FROM THE DISTRICT COURT OF RIO ARRIBA COUNTY Jennifer L. Attrep, District Judge

Hector H. Balderas, Attorney General Eran Sharon, Assistant Attorney General Santa Fe, NM

for Appellee

Bennett J. Baur, Chief Public Defender MJ Edge, Assistant Appellate Defender Santa Fe, NM

for Appellant

MEMORANDUM OPINION

M. ZAMORA, Judge.

{1} Defendant Jose Leyba appeals his convictions for criminal damage to property of a household member, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-3-18(A) (2009), and reckless child abuse by endangerment, contrary to NMSA 1978, Section 30-6-1(D)(1) (2009). Defendant argues (1) his conviction for child abuse is not supported by sufficient evidence; (2) his right to speedy trial was violated by the delay in this case; and (3) the district court erred in failing to dismiss the case as a sanction for the State’s failure to respond to Defendant’s speedy trial motion in writing. We conclude that Defendant’s conviction for child abuse is not supported by sufficient evidence and thus reverse this conviction. Unpersuaded by Defendant’s remaining claims of error, we otherwise affirm.

DISCUSSION

I. Reckless Child Abuse

{2} Defendant argues there was insufficient evidence “that [Defendant’s] conduct resulted in the type of emotional harm contemplated in endangerment cases.” “The test for sufficiency of the evidence is whether substantial evidence of either a direct or circumstantial nature exists to support a verdict of guilty beyond a reasonable doubt with respect to every element essential to a conviction.” State v. Montoya, 2015-NMSC- 010, ¶ 52, 345 P.3d 1056 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). We “view the evidence in the light most favorable to the guilty verdict, indulging all reasonable inferences and resolving all conflicts in the evidence in favor of the verdict.” State v. Cunningham, 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 26, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176. We also disregard all evidence and inferences that support a different result. See State v. Rojo, 1999- NMSC-001, ¶ 19, 126 N.M. 438, 971 P.2d 829 (explaining that appellate courts disregard contrary evidence and inferences). “The jury instructions become the law of the case against which the sufficiency of the evidence is to be measured.” State v. Holt, 2016-NMSC-011, ¶ 20, 368 P.3d 409 (alterations, internal quotation marks, and citation omitted).

{3} In relevant part, “[a]buse of a child consists of a person knowingly, intentionally or negligently, and without justifiable cause, causing or permitting a child to be: (1) placed in a situation that may endanger the child’s life or health[.]” Section 30-6-1(D). In order to prove the requisite mens rea, the State must present evidence that Defendant “acted with a reckless disregard for the safety or health of the child.” Section 30-6-1(A)(3); see also State v. Consaul, 2014-NMSC-030, ¶¶ 37-40, 332 P.3d 850 (clarifying that concepts relating to negligence, such as foreseeability, should not be used to describe the mens rea required for reckless child abuse). In order to satisfy this standard, the State must show the risk created by Defendant’s conduct was substantial and unjustifiable. See also UJI 14-612 NMRA (defining the elements for child abuse not resulting in death or great bodily harm). “[B]y making child endangerment a third[- ]degree felony, the Legislature anticipated that criminal prosecution would be reserved for the most serious occurrences, and not for minor or theoretical dangers.” State v. Schaaf, 2013-NMCA-082, ¶ 8, 308 P.3d 160 (internal quotation marks and citation omitted). Our Supreme Court has explained the legislative purpose of the reckless child abuse statute is “to punish conduct that creates a truly significant risk of serious harm to children.” State v. Chavez, 2009-NMSC-035, ¶ 22, 146 N.M. 434, 211 P.3d 891.

{4} This Court has outlined several factors to be considered when determining if the risk created by Defendant’s conduct is substantial and unjustifiable:

One factor is the gravity of the risk, which serves to place an individual on notice that his conduct is perilous[] and potentially criminal. A second factor is whether the defendant’s conduct violates a separate criminal statute, which bolsters the endangerment charge, because the Legislature has defined the act as a threat to public health, safety, and welfare. A third factor, although no longer the determinative factor, is the likelihood of harm, which informs the court of the foreseeability of the risk when evaluating its magnitude.

Schaaf, 2013-NMCA-082, ¶ 9 (internal quotation marks and citations omitted).

{5} Consistent with UJI 14-612, the jury was instructed in relevant part:

1. [Defendant] did repeatedly strike at the bedroom door with a closed fist where [Child] was located.

2. By engaging in the conduct described in Paragraph 1, [Defendant] caused [Child] to be placed in a situation that endangered the life or health of [Child.]

3. [Defendant] showed a reckless disregard for the safety or health of [Child.] To find [Defendant] showed a reckless disregard, you must find that [Defendant’s] conduct was more than merely negligent or careless. Rather, you must find that [Defendant] caused a substantial and unjustifiable risk of serious harm to the safety or health of [Child]. A substantial and unjustifiable risk is one that any law-abiding person would recognize under similar circumstances and that would cause any law-abiding person to behave differently than [Defendant] out of concern for the safety or health of [Child.]

{6} Testimony at trial established that Defendant came home late one night and began an argument with Mother while her four-year-old daughter (Child) slept in her bedroom. The argument quickly escalated and Defendant began breaking various pieces of furniture inside the house. At this point, Mother removed Child, who was still asleep, from Child’s bedroom, brought Child to Mother’s bedroom, where Mother eventually retreated and locked the door. Defendant then proceeded to pound and punch Mother’s bedroom door with his fists for thirty-five to forty-five minutes. Mother testified that she pressed herself against the bedroom door to keep Defendant from coming inside. Child was awakened by the sound of Defendant’s pounding, which caused her to become upset and cry. The evidence showed Defendant’s pounding created a hole in the door and caused the door to split from its locking mechanism.

{7} Defendant and the State both premise their arguments on emotional harm allegedly suffered by Child. Accordingly, we focus only on the facts which could have contributed to the emotional harm suffered by Child. We note at the outset that the act of continuously banging on the bedroom door would likely not be sufficient on its own to constitute another criminal violation of any sort. See Schaaf, 2013-NMCA-082, ¶ 9 (setting forth the second factor to be considered in evaluating the sufficiency in endangerment cases, whether the defendant’s conduct would constitute a separate criminal violation).

{8} The undisputed testimony shows that Child was asleep through the majority of the night’s events, only waking to the sounds of Defendant’s yelling and banging on Mother’s bedroom door.

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Related

Barker v. Wingo
407 U.S. 514 (Supreme Court, 1972)
State v. Garza
2009 NMSC 038 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Chavez
2009 NMSC 035 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Fuentes
2010 NMCA 027 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2009)
State v. McGruder
1997 NMSC 023 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1997)
State v. Boyer
712 P.2d 1 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1985)
State v. Cunningham
2000 NMSC 009 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2000)
State v. Ungarten
856 P.2d 569 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1993)
State v. Franklin
428 P.2d 982 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1967)
State v. Ross
1999 NMCA 134 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 1999)
State v. Rojo
1999 NMSC 001 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 1998)
State v. Trujillo
2002 NMCA 100 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2002)
State v. Urban
2004 NMSC 007 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2004)
State v. Schaaf
2013 NMCA 82 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2013)
State v. Vigil-Giron
2014 NMCA 69 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2014)
State v. Consaul
2014 NMSC 030 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2014)
State v. Lujan
2015 NMCA 032 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2015)
State v. Serros
2016 NMSC 008 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Holt
2016 NMSC 011 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Ochoa
2017 NMSC 31 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2017)

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Bluebook (online)
State v. Leyba, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-leyba-nmctapp-2019.