State v. Roque

569 P.2d 417, 91 N.M. 7
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedAugust 16, 1977
Docket2961
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 569 P.2d 417 (State v. Roque) 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. Roque, 569 P.2d 417, 91 N.M. 7 (N.M. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

WOOD, Chief Judge.

Convicted of robbery while armed with a deadly weapon, defendant appeals. Numerous issues listed in the docketing statement were not briefed and are deemed abandoned. State v. Vogenthaler, 89 N.M. 150, 548 P.2d 112 (Ct.App.1976). We discuss the issues that were briefed. They are: (1) validity of the indictment; (2) enhancement of sentence; and (3) instructions, both given and refused.

Validity of the Indictment

The indictment is headed “Crime: ROBBERY WHILE ARMED WITH A DEADLY WEAPON (Firearm Enhancement)”. The body of the indictment reads:

“That on or about the 15th day of October, 1976, in Bernalillo County, New Mexico, the above-named defendant did commit a theft of a thing of value, to wit: certain monies, from the person or from the immediate control of Citizen’s State Bank, 2901 Candelaria, N.E., by use or threatened use of force or violence, and the said defendant was working in concert with and as an accomplice of James Lee Deuchars who was armed with a deadly weapon, to wit: a firearm, contrary to Sections 40A-16-2, 40A-29-3.1, N.M.S.A.1953, as amended.”

A. Charge of Being an Accessory

The robber was Deuchars; defendant was an accessory. Defendant claims the indictment fails to charge him as an accessory. He contends the language alleging that “defendant was working in concert with and as an accomplice” of Deuchars was insufficient to charge him with being an accessory. He points out that the indictment does not refer to the accessory statute, § 40A-1-14, N.M.S.A.1953 (2d Repl. Vol. 6), and does not use language from that statute. He asserts that under Rule of Criminal Procedure 5(d) an indictment must allege “essential facts constituting the offense” and the offense of “accessory” has not been charged.

State v. Nance, 77 N.M. 39, 419 P.2d 242 (1966), cert. denied, 386 U.S. 1039, 87 S.Ct. 1495, 18 L.Ed.2d 605 (1967) holds that § 40A-1-14, supra, does not require a person to be charged as an accessory and that an accessory may be charged and convicted as a principal. Rule of Criminal Procedure 5(d) does not change the procedure authorized by § 40A-1-14, supra, as that statute was interpreted in State v. Nance, supra. “The offense”, as used in Rule of Criminal Procedure 5(d), means the principal offense. Compare State v. Nance, supra. Thus, defendant was not required to be charged as an accessory. The language of the indictment informed defendant of the essential facts of the charge of armed robbery; defendant does not claim that he was misled by the wording of the indictment. State v. Nance, supra.

B. Duplicity

Defendant asserts the indictment charges him with robbery by the language “did commit a theft ... by use or threatened use of force or violence”. He contends the indictment also charges accessory to armed robbery by the language “defendant was working in concert with and as an accomplice of . Deuchars who was armed with a deadly weapon”. He claims this amounts to a duplicitous charge. State v. Gurule, 90 N.M. 87, 559 P.2d 1214 (Ct.App.1977).

' The indictment is not duplicitous because two distinct and separate offenses have not been joined. The heading of the indictment, when read with the body of the indictment, shows only one offense was charged — robbery while armed with a deadly weapon.

Assuming the indictment should be read, as defendant contends, to charge both robbery and armed robbery, it still is not duplicitous. Section 40A-16-2, N.M.S.A.1953 (2d Repl.Vol. 6, Supp.1975) reads:

“Robbery consists of the theft of anything of value from the person of another or from the immediate control of another, by use or threatened use of force or violence.
“Whoever commits robbery is guilty of a third degree felony.
“Whoever commits robbery while armed with a deadly weapon is, for the first offense, guilty of a second degree felony and, for second and subsequent offenses, is guilty of a first degree felony.”

This statutory language shows that armed robbery is not a distinct offense from robbery; the offense is robbery whether or not armed, and whether or not one is an accessory. “Armed robbery” is a way to commit “robbery” and, if done in that way, the penalty is greater but the basic offense remains robbery. One robbery of money from a bank on a specified date is charged. The indictment also charges use of a firearm; this specifies the means by which the offense was committed. Assuming, but not deciding, that both robbery and armed robbery are charged, there is no duplicity because all that is charged is that the one robbery was committed in two ways — robbery without specification of the means and robbery by firearm. That is not duplicity. State v. Ochoa, 41 N.M. 589, 72 P.2d 609 (1937). Rather, it is alternative pleading. State v. Gurule, supra.

Enhancement of Sentence

Deuchars used the firearm. Defendant moved to strike that part of the indictment which referred to firearm enhancement on the basis that he was not the one who used the firearm. Defendant relies on language in State v. Barreras, 88 N.M. 52, 536 P.2d 1108 (Ct.App.1975) and U.J.I.Crim. 50.13 referring to use of a firearm by the defendant. Neither the decision nor the instruction aids defendant; both are concerned with the situation where the defendant was the user of the firearm.

Section 40A-29-3.1, N.M.S.A.1953 (2d Repl.Vol. 6, Supp.1975) is worded in terms of a finding of fact “that a firearm was used in the commission” of the crime. The statutory wording does not limit the enhanced sentence to situations where the defendant was the user of the firearm. Thus, the statute does not negate an enhanced sentence for an accessory when a firearm was used by the principal.

The distinction between accessory and principal has been abolished. Section 40A-1-14, supra; State v. Nance, supra. The accessory is subject to the same punishment as the principal. See State v. Wilson, 39 N.M. 284, 46 P.2d 57 (1935) where a firearm was used. Defendant, as an accessory to the armed robbery, was subject to the same punishment as Deuchars would have been and the firearm enhancement would have been applicable to Deuchars.

The trial court did not err in refusing to strike references to firearm enhancement in the indictment and did not err in enhancing defendant’s sentence in accordance with § 40A-29-3.1, supra.

Instructions

(a) Trial court instruction No. 2 instructed on accessory to armed robbery by combining U.J.I.Crim. 16.11 — on armed robbery, with the language from § 40A-1-14, supra — on accessory.

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Bluebook (online)
569 P.2d 417, 91 N.M. 7, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-roque-nmctapp-1977.