State v. Lucero

220 P.3d 249, 223 Ariz. 129, 571 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 38, 2009 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedDecember 10, 2009
Docket1 CA-CR 08-0616
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 220 P.3d 249 (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, 220 P.3d 249, 223 Ariz. 129, 571 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 38, 2009 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770 (Ark. Ct. App. 2009).

Opinions

OPINION

KESSLER, Judge.

¶ 1 Reynel Amador Lucero Jr. (“Lucero”) appeals from his conviction of two counts of sexual misconduct with a minor in violation of Arizona Revised Statutes (“A.R.S.”) section 13-1405 (Supp.2008). We hold that the superior court did not err in admitting Lucero’s confession to a military investigator, that the investigator was a law enforcement official for voluntariness analysis and that Lucero did not invite an erroneous response to a jury question by merely acquiescing to the court’s response. However; we affirm Lucero’s convictions and sentences because he suffered no prejudice.

FACTUAL AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

A2A grand jury indicted Lucero for two counts of sexual conduct with a minor. The State’s evidence included statements Lucero made to Special Agent Todd V., a sergeant in the United States Army and member of the Army’s Criminal Investigations Division (“CID”).

¶ 3 The superior court conducted a voluntariness hearing and held that Lucero freely and voluntarily made his incriminating statements to V. V. testified that he first advised Lucero of his Miranda1 rights, that Lucero voluntarily waived those rights, and that V. conducted the subsequent interview by asking open ended questions with no threats or promises of leniency in exchange for cooperation. Lucero testified that he had been ordered to participate in the interview by his [133]*133commanding officer and that he had affirmatively answered V.’s leading questions only because Y. promised Lucero that he would not go to prison, that he would be able to remain in the military, and that his failure to cooperate would result in the Army making the investigation “ugly”. The superior court found V. more credible, adopted his version of the disputed facts, and ruled that the confession was voluntary.

¶ 4 The superior court permitted the State to present evidence of Lucero’s statements to V. at trial. V. testified that he interviewed Lucero in response to a request for assistance by the Phoenix Police Department. He also testified that during the interview, Lucero confessed committing sexual acts with a minor, J, by going into her room at night, removing her undergarment, and rubbing his penis between her buttocks. Finally, V. testified that Lucero confessed placing his penis in J’s mouth on another occasion. The State also introduced into evidence a tape of a confrontation call made by Lucero’s wife to Lucero during which Lucero admitted committing the same acts of sexual misconduct with J. At trial, V. and Lucero both testified consistently with their voluntariness hearing testimony regarding whether V. induced Lucero’s confession with any threats or promises. The superior court instructed the jury that it should not consider any statement Lucero made to a law enforcement officer unless it found that the statement was freely and voluntarily made.

¶ 5 During deliberation, the jury asked the court whether V. was a law enforcement officer. The superior court consulted counsel for both sides. The State agreed with the court’s proposed answer that whether V. was a law enforcement officer was a question of fact for the jury to decide on the basis of the evidence. Lucero’s counsel stated that he was unclear as to the law whether a military criminal investigator was a law enforcement officer, but he had no objection to the proposed response and he assumed it was correct. The court instructed the jury to determine whether V. was a law enforcement officer as a fact question.

¶ 6 The jury convicted Lucero of both counts and the superior court sentenced him to consecutive sentences of twenty years on the first count and life imprisonment on the second. Lucero filed a timely notice of appeal. This Court has jurisdiction pursuant to Article 6, Section 9 of the Arizona Constitution and A.R.S. § 12-120.21 (A)(l)(2003) and § 13-4033(A)(l)(Supp.2008).

ANALYSIS

¶ 7 Lucero contends that the superior court erred in: (1) admitting evidence of his confession to V. and (2) instructing the jury that it should determine, as a factual matter, whether V. was a law enforcement officer for constitutional purposes.

I. The Confession Was Admissible

¶ 8 We review the superior court’s determination of the admissibility of confessions for clear and manifest error. State v. Eastlack, 180 Ariz. 243, 251, 883 P.2d 999, 1007 (1994); State v. Amaya-Ruiz, 166 Ariz. 152, 164, 800 P.2d 1260, 1272 (1990). We consider the evidence in the light most favorable to sustaining the holding of the superior court. State v. Garcia Garcia, 169 Ariz. 530, 531, 821 P.2d 191, 192 (App.1991). This Court defers to the superior court’s determination of witness credibility. State v. Gonzalez-Gutierrez, 187 Ariz. 116, 118, 927 P.2d 776, 778 (1996). We review de novo whether the superior court invoked the correct legal standard. Id.

¶ 9 A confession is admissible only if the State proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the confession was freely and voluntarily made. State v. Smith, 193 Ariz. 452, 457, ¶ 14, 974 P.2d 431, 436 (1999) (citing State v. Scott, 177 Ariz. 131, 136, 865 P.2d 792, 797 (1993)). Courts evaluate whether a confession is voluntary based on the totality of the circumstances. State v. Stanley, 167 Ariz. 519, 524, 809 P.2d 944, 949 (1991). “Coercive police activity is a necessary predicate to the finding that a confession is not ‘voluntary’ within the meaning of the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.” Colorado v. Connelly, 479 U.S. 157, 167, 107 S.Ct. 515, 93 L.Ed.2d 473 (1986). Promises of benefits or leniency constitute impermissible coercion and render an inculpatory state[134]*134ment involuntary. State v. Lopez, 174 Ariz. 131, 138, 847 P.2d 1078, 1085 (1992).

¶ 10 The superior court properly admitted the confession after weighing conflicting evidence and making a credibility determination. At the voluntariness hearing, Lucero and the State presented conflicting evidence whether Lucero’s incriminating statements were the result of threats, coercion, or promises of leniency. The superior court assessed the credibility of the witnesses, weighed the conflicting evidence and determined that Y.’s testimony was credible. We find no clear error because credibility is an issue left to the trier of fact and there is evidence supporting the court’s findings that Lucero’s incriminating statements to V. were procured without promises or threats and that V. did nothing to coerce Lucero to make those statements. See Gonzalez-Gutierrez, 187 Ariz. at 118, 927 P.2d at 778. We therefore affirm the superior court’s admission of Lucero’s confession to V.

II. As a Matter of Law, V. was a Law Enforcement Officer

¶ 11 Lucero contends that his conviction should be overturned because the superior court committed fundamental error by instructing the jury to determine as a factual matter whether V. was a law enforcement officer for constitutional purposes before it considered whether the confession to V. was made freely and voluntarily. The State argues that this Court should not engage in a fundamental error analysis because Lucero invited the error.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

State v. Hendricks
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2025
State v. Cordova-Wilkins
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2024
State v. Mayfield
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2024
Litmath v. US Fire
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2023
Lucero v. Shinn
D. Arizona, 2023
State v. Medlin
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2022
Miner v. Miner
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2021
State v. Palmer
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2020
State of Arizona v. Demitres Robertson
468 P.3d 1217 (Arizona Supreme Court, 2020)
State v. Balli
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2020
State v. Brock
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2020
State v. Mendoza
455 P.3d 705 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2019)
State v. Robertson
440 P.3d 401 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2019)
State v. Calderon
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2018
State v. Phillips
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2018
State v. Dickson
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2018
State of Arizona v. Bruce Wayne O'Laughlin Jr.
372 P.3d 342 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2016)
State v. Manweiler
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2016
State v. McNeil
2016 UT 3 (Utah Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Leibly
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2014

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
220 P.3d 249, 223 Ariz. 129, 571 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 38, 2009 Ariz. App. LEXIS 770, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-lucero-arizctapp-2009.