State v. Mincey

636 P.2d 637, 130 Ariz. 389, 1981 Ariz. LEXIS 256
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedOctober 13, 1981
Docket3283-2
StatusPublished
Cited by99 cases

This text of 636 P.2d 637 (State v. Mincey) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Arizona 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. Mincey, 636 P.2d 637, 130 Ariz. 389, 1981 Ariz. LEXIS 256 (Ark. 1981).

Opinion

GORDON, Justice:

Appellant Rufus Junior Mincey was convicted by a jury of murder, second degree, in violation of A.R.S. § 13-452, Count I; assault with a deadly weapon in violation of A.R.S. § 13-249, Count II; unlawful offer to sell narcotics in violation of A.R.S. § 36-1002.02, Count III; and unlawful possession of a narcotic drug for sale in violation of A.R.S. § 36-1002.01, Count IV. 1 He was sentenced to a term of not less than twenty-five years nor more than life for Count I; to a term of not less than ten nor more than fifteen years for Count II; to a term of not less than five nor more than fifteen years for Count III; and to a term of not less than five nor more than six years for Count IV, all sentences to run concurrently. We have jurisdiction pursuant to A.R.S. Const. Art. 6, § 5(3) and A.R.S. § 13-4031. The judgment of the trial court is reversed and remanded as to Count I; judgment is affirmed as to Counts II, III and IV.

This is the second time this case has been before us. The incidents giving rise to the instant appeal occurred in 1974. Following a jury trial, we reversed on two counts, State v. Mincey, 115 Ariz. 472, 566 P.2d 273 (1977) [hereinafter Mincey I], and the United States Supreme Court reversed on the remaining counts, Mincey v. Arizona, 437 U.S. 385, 98 S.Ct. 2408, 57 L.Ed.2d 290 (1978) [hereinafter Mincey II]. Because of the differences in evidence adduced at the second trial and the different issues in this appeal, we will restate the facts viewing *394 the evidence in the light most favorable to upholding the verdict.

On October 28, 1974, a drug buy was arranged in Tucson between Undercover Officer Barry Headricks and Charles Ferguson by a police informant named Tom Read. Read introduced Headricks to Ferguson as Brian, a chemist. After this meeting, Ferguson went to appellant’s apartment to set up the sale. Three other people were present in the apartment besides Ferguson and appellant: Deborah Johnson, apparently appellant’s girlfriend, John Hodg-man, and Carol Diane Greenwalt, Hodg-man’s girlfriend, all heroin users. Head-ricks, meanwhile, met with a team of undercover agents of the Metropolitan Area Narcotics Squad (Metro agents) to plan a buy-bust at appellant’s apartment whereby Headricks would negotiate the sale, test the heroin, leave to get his “money man” (Undercover Agent Schwarz), return with the “money man” and other agents, and make the appropriate arrests and seizures of evidence.

After Ferguson arranged for the sale at appellant’s apartment, he met Tom Read in the parking lot where both awaited the arrival of Headricks. During this time, Hodgman told appellant that Ferguson looked like someone who had been following him the previous week. It is disputed whether he called Ferguson a “guy” or a “narc”. Hodgman then decided to go outside and look around. He took with him, on appellant’s request, a trash bag to empty which the state maintains contained used drug paraphernalia (needles and cottons). While he was outside, he saw Ferguson talking with at least one other person, possibly two, and a car parked on the street with two people in it. When he returned to the apartment, he told appellant what he had seen.

When Headricks arrived, Ferguson brought him up to the apartment. Head-ricks was wired so as to transmit the proceedings in the apartment to the Metro agents and deputy county attorney who were stationed around the apartment complex. The sale was negotiated in the bathroom where Headricks conducted a field test of the heroin and where he apparently noticed that Ferguson was armed. Head-ricks then left saying that he would return with his “money man.”

The Metro agents subsequently stationed themselves in the hallway near the door in such a manner so as not to be seen from inside the apartment. Headricks and Schwarz, dressed in street clothes, and with guns held at their sides, were in front of the door which was set in an alcove. Headricks knocked, and at this point the testimony and briefs conflict as to what subsequently occurred. The state maintains that Hodg-man opened the door and made eye contact with one of the agents in the hall who was visible and wearing a badge; that Head-ricks announced “police” in a low voice and stepped inside; that Agent Schwarz tried to come in behind Headricks, but that Hodg-man slammed the door on Schwarz’ arm. Appellant maintains that Headricks knocked; that Hodgman approached the door and saw Headricks and another man through the peephole; that Hodgman opened the door and saw a third man peeking around the corner into the alcove and saw his head, shoulders and a gun held at chest level but no badge; that Hodgman then began to shut the door; that Head-ricks pushed against it and was able to get in; that no one either inside or outside the apartment, except Agent Schwarz, heard Headricks say anything about “police”; and that after Headricks’ entry, the door caught Schwarz’ right arm and that in his right hand he held a gun visible inside the apartment. Both agree that the remaining agents then rushed into the apartment and only then heard gunfire from the bedroom into which Headricks had gone to find appellant.

During the gun battle in the bedroom, appellant apparently fired seven shots, five of which hit Headricks, and Headricks fired six. The testimony is in dispute about who fired first. Appellant was wounded in the buttocks causing nerve damage. Deborah Johnson was wounded and crawled into the bedroom closet, and Charles Ferguson was *395 wounded in the head by a bullet which came through the bedroom wall as he was being held under arrest by Officer Fuller. Headricks then left the bedroom and collapsed in the living room, whereupon three of the Metro agents, Fuller, Morgan and Anaya, went into the bedroom. Others were placing John Hodgman and Diane Greenwalt under arrest in the living room and Charles Ferguson was on the floor, partially inside the bathroom, handcuffed and bleeding.

Agent Anaya testified at the pre-trial suppression hearing that during and after the shooting, he observed a gun lying near appellant’s hand in the bedroom, a small automatic weapon that fell from Headrick’s waist after his collapse in the living room, Headrick’s revolver lying near his body, and a Hammerless .38 revolver he saw while entering the apartment which he said he thought belonged to Agent Schwarz, although he had taken it from Hodgman’s hand during Hodgman’s struggle with Schwarz after the entry into the apartment. Another of the Metro agents, Sgt. Wolfe, testified at trial that after the shooting, he observed a vial next to the wash basin in the bathroom as he was walking into the bedroom. After leaving the bedroom, he took a closer look and determined it was heroin.

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

Related

State v. Freeny
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2024
State v. Balli
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2021
State v. Grier
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2020
State of Arizona v. Jose Alejandro Acuna Valenzuela
426 P.3d 1176 (Arizona Supreme Court, 2018)
Jones v. Ryan
327 F. Supp. 3d 1157 (D. Arizona, 2018)
State v. Democker
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2016
State of Arizona v. Rock Kelly Ingram
368 P.3d 936 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2016)
State of Tennessee v. Thomas Lee Hutchison
482 S.W.3d 893 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 2016)
Charles Ray Crawford v. State of Mississippi
192 So. 3d 905 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2015)
Martin Fong v. Charles Ryan
760 F.3d 947 (Ninth Circuit, 2014)
People v. Superior Court
204 Cal. App. 4th 1004 (California Court of Appeal, 2012)
State of Arizona v. Scott Allen King
Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2011
State v. O'DONNELL
1 A.3d 604 (Supreme Court of New Jersey, 2010)
State v. O'DONNELL
974 A.2d 420 (New Jersey Superior Court App Division, 2009)
State of Arizona v. Flythe
193 P.3d 811 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2008)
State v. Shipman
94 P.3d 1169 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 2004)
State v. Lipka
817 A.2d 27 (Supreme Court of Vermont, 2002)
People v. Caldwell
43 P.3d 663 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2001)
State v. Land
34 S.W.3d 516 (Court of Criminal Appeals of Tennessee, 2000)
State v. Van Adams
984 P.2d 16 (Arizona Supreme Court, 1999)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
636 P.2d 637, 130 Ariz. 389, 1981 Ariz. LEXIS 256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-mincey-ariz-1981.