State v. Rauch

13 P.3d 324, 94 Haw. 315
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedDecember 6, 2000
Docket23076
StatusPublished
Cited by87 cases

This text of 13 P.3d 324 (State v. Rauch) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Hawaii 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. Rauch, 13 P.3d 324, 94 Haw. 315 (haw 2000).

Opinion

Opinion of the Court by

LEVINSON, J.

The defendant-appellant Lovisa Rauch appeals from the first circuit court’s amended judgment of conviction of and sentence for the offense of reckless manslaughter, in violation of Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS) § 707-702 (1993 & Supp.1999), 1 filed on September 22, 1999. Rauch’s points of error on appeal are: (1) that the family court of the first circuit erred in waiving jurisdiction over her because it (a) misconstrued HRS § 571-22(d) (1993 & Supp.1998) 2 to mandate waiver and (b) violated principles of double jeopardy; 3 and (2) that the first circuit court erred *317 in sentencing her because it (a) did not apply time served credit for house arrest presen-tence detention, pursuant to HRS § 706-623(2) (1993), see infra section III.B.l, and (b) did not make sufficient findings under HRS § 706-606(2) (1993), see infra section 1II.B.2, to support incarceration. Finding no merit in Rauch’s points of error, we affirm her conviction and sentence.

I. BACKGROUND

On August 17,1998, Rauch was accused by petition filed in family court of committing an act that, if committed by an adult, would constitute second degree murder, in violation of HRS §§ 707-701.6 (1993) and 706-656 (1993 & Supp.1999). After conducting a hearing on the petition, the family court waived jurisdiction over Rauch and bound her over to be tried as an adult in the first circuit court. Rauch was indicted on October 20, 1998. She subsequently pled no contest to reckless manslaughter, see supra note 1, and was sentenced to probation for a term of ten years, subject to the special condition, inter alia, of one year of incarceration.

Just over a month shy of her seventeenth birthday, Rauch, on August 13, 1998, was involved in an altercation between her family and their neighbors, the Alameida family. Her family had recently moved into the neighborhood. Her father, Perry Rauch, was a commercial fisherman. The Alameida family were apparently displeased with the increase in vehicular traffic in the neighborhood, which they attributed to Perry’s fishery.

On August 13, 1998, Perry delivered some fish to a neighbor, and, while at the neigh: bor’s house, complained about someone who had painted on the gate to his property. Clayton Alameida, who was also at the neighbor’s house, overheard Perry’s complaints, became verbally abusive, told Perry to leave, and challenged him to fisticuffs. Clayton was intoxicated at the time, but to what degree remains uncertain. Perry used the neighbor’s telephone, called his wife, and requested her to bring him a baseball bat. She did so, opting to drive over in their automobile. Once there, Clayton assaulted her, knocking her to the ground at least twice. Rauch, who had walked over to the neighbor’s house, observed Clayton’s assault on her mother. Both families continued to taunt and threaten each other as the Rauch-es retreated to their own property. The Alameida family, however, followed them. 4

On the Rauches’ property, Clayton continued to taunt Perry, chasing him around (although Perry still held the bat), and, apparently, wielding or throwing iron bars at him. At some point, Rauch left the front lawn in search of her father’s .22 caliber rifle, which she eventually found in his boat. Rauch returned and attempted to dissuade Clayton from continuing his attack on her parents by aiming the rifle at him. The rifle discharged. Clayton’s grandmother, Julia Alameida, who was sixty-two years old at the time, was struck in the forehead by the bullet and died as a result.

Rauch and the prosecution stipulated to the following facts at the hearing conducted with regard to the prosecution’s waiver petition;

One, the minor, Lovisa Rauch, was bom on September 23,1981; two, Lovisa Rauch was 16 years old at the time of the alleged offense[,] which was on August 13th to 14th, 1998; three, the alleged offense would constitute a felony if committed by an adult; four, that during her minority, Lovisa Rauch is alleged to have committed an act that would constitute murder in the second degree if committed by an adult; five, Lovisa Rauch is not committable to an institution for the mentally defective or retarded or the mentally ill.

Without objection, the family court also admitted into evidence the police report concerning the present matter and the report Of Dr. Gary M. Farkas, filed in the family court on September 8,1998.

Called by the prosecution, Gary Farkas, Ph.D., a “self-employed clinical psychologist” who is also employed part-time by the State *318 of Hawaii Courts and Corrections Division, testified that, after meeting with Rauch on September 1, 1998, he did not detect “any significant mental health indicators in her,” that “there was no evidence that she had a psychotic disorder, a depressive disorder, [or] an anxiety disorder,” and, indeed, that she had “no diagnosable [mental] conditions.” On cross-examination, Dr. Parkas testified that his conclusion was that Rauch was not committable to an institution for the mentally ill.

Called by the defense, Barry S. Carlton, M.D., an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, testified that he also met with Raueh and that, pursuant to his request, Queen’s Medical Center conducted standard psychological testing of her. Dr. Carlton similarly concluded that Rauch was not com-mittable. He also testified that Rauch was able to understand “what has happened to her, the charges that have [been] brought, and participate in her ... defense.”

The defense also called Rauch’s father, Perry. Perry testified that, to his knowledge, Rauch had not “caused any problems or difficulties at school” or at home. Lovelyn Mapona Kekino, Rauch’s mother, testified similarly but acknowledged that Rauch did have some trouble abiding by the school’s dress code. Lovelyn also acknowledged that Rauch had been referred to the family court once before, on the accusation of committing theft in the fourth degree. Lovelyn testified that neither Rauch nor her friends used drugs. The family court also heard testimony from Rauch’s brother, Dane Kekino Rauch, and Jasmine Marie Kaalakahealani Pullman, a friend of Rauch’s, who had gathered letters of support from other schoolmates.

The prosecution urged the family court to waive its jurisdiction over Rauch under either HRS § 571-22(a) (1993 & Supp.1998), 5

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

Related

State v. Talo
509 P.3d 1129 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2022)
State v. Torres.
Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2021
State v. Pulgados.
477 P.3d 155 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2020)
State v. Hau Phan
444 P.3d 321 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2019)
State v. Hernandez.
431 P.3d 1274 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2018)
Schwartz v. State.
361 P.3d 1161 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Vaimili.
353 P.3d 1034 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2015)
State v. Vaimili
339 P.3d 1065 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2014)
State v. PECPEC
276 P.3d 589 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2012)
Davis v. FOUR SEASONS HOTEL LTD.
810 F. Supp. 2d 1145 (D. Hawaii, 2011)
Harris v. Charles
171 Wash. 2d 455 (Washington Supreme Court, 2011)
State v. Hussein.
229 P.3d 313 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2010)
Cvitanovich-Dubie v. Dubie.
231 P.3d 983 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2010)
State v. Chang
228 P.3d 376 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2010)
State v. OBATA
224 P.3d 456 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2010)
State v. Mundon
219 P.3d 1126 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2009)
State v. Domingo
216 P.3d 117 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2009)
State v. Mainaaupo
178 P.3d 1 (Hawaii Supreme Court, 2008)
State v. Holt
173 P.3d 550 (Hawaii Intermediate Court of Appeals, 2007)
Matthew v. State
152 P.3d 469 (Court of Appeals of Alaska, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
13 P.3d 324, 94 Haw. 315, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-rauch-haw-2000.