State v. Montoya

2011 NMCA 074, 259 P.3d 820, 150 N.M. 415
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedMay 27, 2011
Docket28,881
StatusPublished
Cited by102 cases

This text of 2011 NMCA 074 (State v. Montoya) 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. Montoya, 2011 NMCA 074, 259 P.3d 820, 150 N.M. 415 (N.M. Ct. App. 2011).

Opinion

OPINION

FRY, Judge.

{1} Defendant appeals from convictions of kidnaping, conspiracy to commit kidnaping, second-degree criminal sexual penetration (CSP II), and aggravated burglary. He raises three points on appeal: (1) his right to a speedy trial was violated by a twenty-one-month delay between his arrest and trial; (2) he was deprived of his right to a trial by jury because a certified court interpreter was not sworn in before voir dire commenced; and (3) his right to be free from double jeopardy was violated by his convictions for kidnaping, CSP II, and aggravated burglary. We conclude that Defendant’s convictions of kidnaping and CSP II violate principles of double jeopardy, and we therefore remand with instructions to vacate one of Defendant’s convictions. We affirm on all other issues.

I. BACKGROUND

{2} Defendant’s convictions stem from an incident that occurred on March 2, 2006, in Doña Ana County, New Mexico. At trial, Victim testified that she was driving home that evening after stopping for fuel at a gas station. Shortly after leaving the gas station, Victim observed a work truck pass her vehicle. A few minutes later, Victim testified that she stopped her vehicle on the roadway because the work truck she had observed earlier was now parked sideways across the road, blocking traffic in both directions. Victim stated that two men exited the truck and approached her vehicle. She explained that she opened her car door after the driver of the truck displayed a gun. She testified that after the truck driver gained entry to her vehicle, he proceeded to sexually assault her while the passenger of the truck held her hands above her head. After the assault, Victim stated that the men let her go, returned to the work truck, and drove away. The next day, Victim reported the incident to the police and subsequently identified Defendant as the driver of the truck.

{3} Defendant was arrested and charged with: (1) kidnaping; (2) conspiracy to commit kidnaping; (3) aggravated burglary committed with a deadly weapon or, in the alternative, committed during the commission of a battery; and (4) CSP II committed during the commission of a felony, or in the alternative, committed while being aided or abetted by another. Following a jury trial, Defendant was convicted on all charges. This appeal followed.

II. DISCUSSION

{4} Defendant argues that his right to a speedy trial was violated, that he was denied his right to trial by jury, and that his convictions violate his right to be free from double jeopardy. We address each argument in turn.

A. The District Court Did Not Violate Defendant’s Right to a Speedy Trial

{5} Defendant argues that the delay of his trial for over twenty-one months prejudiced his defense due to the death of an alibi witness during the pretrial delay. As a result, he maintains that the delay violated his right to a speedy trial.

{6} As an initial matter, we consider Defendant’s argument that our Supreme Court’s decision in State v. Garza, 2009-NMSC-038, 146 N.M. 499, 212 P.3d 387, should not apply retroactively to his case. Defendant claims that Garza overturned established precedent governing speedy trial analysis and held that the burden no longer shifts to the state if pretrial delay is determined to be presumptively prejudicial. As a result, according to Defendant, this holding in Garza is a “new rule” enacted prior to Defendant’s convictions becoming final, and it should not have retroactive effect. See State v. Mascarenas, 2000-NMSC-017, ¶ 24, 129 N.M. 230, 4 P.3d 1221 (“An appellate court’s consideration of whether a rule should be retroactively or prospectively applied is invoked only when the rule at issue is in fact a ‘new rule.’ ”).

{7} While Defendant correctly states the relevant holding in Garza, we disagree with his characterization of that holding. The Court in Garza sought to clarify what it perceived to be ambiguities in Barker v. Wingo, 407 U.S. 514, 92 S.Ct. 2182, 33 L.Ed.2d 101 (1972), the United States Supreme Court’s seminal decision concerning the right to speedy trial. Garza, 2009-NMSC-038, ¶ 15,146 N.M. 499, 212 P.3d 387. The Court in Garza reviewed New Mexico case law and ease law from federal appeals courts and stated that “[i]n light of the overwhelming consensus among the federal Circuit Courts of Appeals and our policy of providing a functional analysis based on the facts and circumstances of each case, we abolish the presumption that a defendant’s right to a speedy trial has been violated based solely on the threshold determination that the length of delay is presumptively prejudicial.” Id. ¶ 21 (internal quotation marks omitted). Although the Court used the term “abolish” in describing its holding, it nonetheless characterized its holding as “modify[ing]” New Mexico precedent on the issue. Id. ¶¶ 21, 22. As a result, we do not view Garza’s holding as a “new rule” triggering an inquiry into whether it may be applied retroactively. See Kersey v. Hatch, 2010-NMSC-020, ¶ 16, 148 N.M. 381, 237 P.3d 683 (explaining that “a court establishes a new rule when its decision is flatly inconsistent with the prior governing precedent and is an explicit overruling of an earlier holding” (internal quotation marks omitted)).

{8} Defendant’s argument regarding the alleged retroactive application of Garza appears to be directed solely at Garza’s modification of the burden-shifting employed in prior New Mexico case law. To the extent that Defendant’s argument is also directed to Garza’s modification of the guidelines governing the determination of presumptive prejudice, we reject the argument. The Court in Garza changed the existing guidelines from nine months to one year for a simple case, from twelve months to fifteen months for an intermediate case, and from fifteen months to eighteen months for a complex ease. 2009-NMSC-038, ¶¶41, 47, 48, 146 N.M. 499, 212 P.3d 387. The Court explicitly stated that these new guidelines would apply “to speedy trial motions to dismiss initiated on or after August 13, 2007.” Id. ¶ 50. Because Defendant filed his motion to dismiss on December 26, 2007, the new guidelines announced in Garza are applicable.

1. Application of the Barker factors

{9} We turn now to analysis of Defendant’s argument that his speedy trial right was violated. In making this determination, we employ the balancing test created in Barker and weigh the conduct of both the prosecution and the defendant in light of four factors: “(1) the length of delay, (2) the reasons for the delay, (3) the defendant’s assertion of his right, and (4) the actual prejudice to the defendant.” Garza, 2009-NMSC-038, ¶ 13, 146 N.M. 499, 212 P.3d 387 (internal quotation marks omitted). In considering each of the factors, we defer to the district court’s factual findings but review de novo the question of whether Defendant’s constitutional right to a speedy trial was violated. State v. Brown, 2003-NMCA-110, ¶ 11,134 N.M. 356, 76 P.3d 1113.

{10} According to Garza, the initial inquiry in speedy trial analysis is a determination as to whether the length of pretrial delay is “presumptively prejudicial.” 2009-NMSC-038, ¶ 15,146 N.M. 499, 212 P.3d 387.

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

Related

State v. Cooley
538 P.3d 491 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2023)
State v. Badhand
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Candelaria
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2022
State v. Chavez-Aguirre
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020
State v. Lewis
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020
State v. Jackson
2020 NMCA 034 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Serrato
2021 NMCA 027 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Cardoza, Jr.
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Perez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Padilla
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Martinez
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Scott
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Calvillo
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Bravo
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Palmer
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Telles
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Vigil
New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2019
State v. Sena
419 P.3d 1240 (New Mexico Court of Appeals, 2018)
State v.Thomas
2016 NMSC 024 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2016)
State v. Thomas
2016 NMSC 24 (New Mexico Supreme Court, 2016)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2011 NMCA 074, 259 P.3d 820, 150 N.M. 415, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-montoya-nmctapp-2011.