State v. Lucero

64 P.3d 191, 204 Ariz. 363, 395 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 13, 2003 Ariz. App. LEXIS 37
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedFebruary 11, 2003
DocketNo. 1 CA-CR 02-0431
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 64 P.3d 191 (State v. Lucero) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
State v. Lucero, 64 P.3d 191, 204 Ariz. 363, 395 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 13, 2003 Ariz. App. LEXIS 37 (Ark. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION

SULT, Judge.

¶ 1 Defendant Arthur Larry Lucero appeals his convictions for two counts of first-degree murder. For the following reasons, we reverse the conviction based on premedi[364]*364tated murder, but affirm both convictions of felony murder.

BACKGROUND

¶ 2 Leroy Campbell, Sergio Martinez, and Defendant robbed a jewelry store at approximately 11:45 a.m. on April 16, 1999. Two employees of the store, one working inside the store and one who was outside in the parking lot, called 911 as the robbery took place. One employee described the getaway ear, a black Mustang, to the 911 operator as the suspects drove away.

¶ 3 A police officer was across the street from the jewelry store when he saw the Mustang. Having just heard a report of the robbery, he immediately began pursuit, and was soon joined by another officer. They attained speeds of up to 100 m.p.h. Near the end of the chase, they temporarily lost sight of the Mustang. However, because of traffic congestion ahead of them, they determined the suspects had either pulled into a restaurant parking lot or into an apartment complex across the street from the restaurant. Because persons in the restaurant parking lot informed the officers they had not seen a black Mustang, the officers went across the street to the walled and gated apartment complex. The officers discovered that the Mustang had entered the complex from a resident who had witnessed it entering at a high rate of speed. The resident opened the gate and showed the officers which way the Mustang had gone.

¶4 Approximately seven minutes passed from the time the pursuit began until the Mustang was found. Following the route of the chase, the distance from the jewelry store to the apartment complex was 2.9 miles. The Mustang was found in the complex with the engine running and the doors open. Once the Mustang was found, other officers began to arrive, and they began to set up a perimeter around the complex.

¶ 5 The Mustang left seventy-five foot skid marks when it came to a stop. Jewelry, jewelry tags, and jewelry stands from the store were found in the Mustang. A piece of a broken pistol grip was found on the ground next to the Mustang.

¶ 6 A Special Assignment Unit, or “swat team,” was called at approximately noon. Members of the swat team first helped remove a handicapped person from the complex. At approximately 1:30 to 1:45 p.m., the swat team began their search of the complex, apartment by apartment. When they arrived at unit 1055, they found the sliding glass door was shattered. Upon their entry into unit 1055 at approximately 3:00 p.m., Martinez, the only suspect inside, opened fire on the officers. In the ensuing gun battle, Martinez and Officer Snedigar were killed. The broken pistol grip found by the Mustang matched a weapon found in unit 1055.

¶ 7 After the gun battle, law enforcement officers continued to search the complex for the other suspects. Every person found in the complex and every vehicle leaving the complex was challenged and checked by police officers. During the search, the sliding glass door to apartment 1086 was found to have been broken and the screen door was missing. Before the unit was searched, Defendant and Campbell were seen outside 1086 and subsequently taken into custody.

¶ 8 When unit 1086 was investigated, the damaged screen door was found to have been taken inside the apartment into the kitchen. Defendant’s fingerprints were found on the screen door. Items in the apartment had been moved since the family had left that morning. A claw hammer, like that used to smash open a display case in the jewelry store, was found inside but did not belong to the residents. A briefcase had been broken into. A disposable razor and an electric razor has been used since the family left. A syringe that did not belong to the residents was hidden behind a television. A holster, ammunition magazine and a fully loaded semi-automatic rifle, none of which belonged to the residents, were found hidden in a child’s room. Men’s clothing which did not belong to the residents was found in the apartment, and Defendant and Campbell were wearing clothing taken from unit 1086 when they were apprehended.

¶ 9 A “trail” of stolen jewelry was found between the Mustang and unit 1086. Jewelry taken in the robbery was found under a mattress in unit 1086. More jewelry taken [365]*365during the robbery was found outside unit 1086 on the patio. The distance from the Mustang to unit 1086 was 144 feet. There is conflicting testimony regarding exactly when Defendant and Campbell were captured. However, it is known that they were taken into custody after the gun battle, and that there was a notification at approximately 3:45 p.m. that they were being brought in for questioning.

¶ 10 Defendant was charged with two counts of first-degree murder, one count of armed robbery, and one count of first-degree burglary. Because Defendant did not participate in the gun battle which resulted in the deaths, he was charged with the murders as an accomplice. Count 1 charged him with the death of Chandler Police Officer James Snedigar under theories of felony murder and, alternatively, premeditated murder. Count 2 charged Defendant with felony murder for the death of Martinez, who had been shot by police. Defendant waived his right to a jury, and the trial court found him guilty on all counts. The court specifically found Defendant guilty of Count 1 under theories of both felony and premeditated murder.

ISSUES

¶ 11 Defendant raises no issue regarding his convictions for armed robbery or first-degree burglary. However, Defendant contends there is insufficient evidence to support his convictions for first-degree murder.

ANALYSIS

Premeditated Murder

¶ 12 Defendant first argues that pursuant to the recent decision in State v. Phillips, 202 Ariz. 427, 46 P.3d 1048 (2002), there is insufficient evidence using accomplice liability to convict him for the premeditated murder of Officer Snedigar. In Phillips, our Supreme Court held that a defendant may be held criminally liable as an accomplice only for those offenses which the defendant intended to aid or actually aided another in planning or committing. Id. at 436, 46 P.3d at 1057. The State concedes there is no evidence Defendant either intended to aid or actually aided in the planning or commission of the murder of the officer, and the State therefore agrees that pursuant to Phillips, Defendant may not be convicted for the premeditated murder of Officer Snedigar based on accomplice liability. We reverse Defendant’s conviction for Count 1 based on the theory of premeditated murder.

Felony Murder

¶ 13 Defendant next contends there is insufficient evidence to support a conviction for felony murder of either Officer Snedigar or Martinez. “A person commits felony murder when, ‘acting either alone or with one or more other persons, such person commits or attempts to commit [armed robbery], and in the course of and in furtherance of such offense or immediate flight from such offense, such person or another person causes the death of any person.’ ” State v. Herrera, 176 Ariz. 21, 29, 859 P.2d 131, 139 (1993)(citing Arizona Revised Statutes (“A.R.S.”) § 13~1105(A)(2)).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
64 P.3d 191, 204 Ariz. 363, 395 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 13, 2003 Ariz. App. LEXIS 37, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lucero-arizctapp-2003.