State v. Soule

811 P.2d 1071, 168 Ariz. 134, 84 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 11, 1991 Ariz. LEXIS 38
CourtArizona Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 21, 1991
DocketCR-90-0042-PR, CR-90-0022-PR
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 811 P.2d 1071 (State v. Soule) 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. Soule, 811 P.2d 1071, 168 Ariz. 134, 84 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 11, 1991 Ariz. LEXIS 38 (Ark. 1991).

Opinions

OPINION

CAMERON, Justice.

I. JURISDICTION

Defendant, David M. Soule (Soule), petitions this court to review an opinion of the court of appeals, Division I, upholding the trial court’s ruling requiring Soule to admit the elements of the crime before he could plead entrapment. 164 Ariz. 165, 791 P.2d 1048. Defendant, Herbert Donald Abrams (Abrams), petitions this court to review a memorandum decision of the court of appeals, Division II, holding that Abrams could not argue entrapment without admitting all elements of the crime. 164 Ariz. 185, 791 P.2d 1068.

Because of the similarity of the issues, we consolidated the two matters for oral argument and decision. We have jurisdiction pursuant to Ariz. Const. art. 6, § 5(3) and A.R.S. 12-120.24 and Ariz.R.Crim.P. 31.19(f), 17 A.R.S.

II. QUESTION PRESENTED

In light of the recent United States Supreme Court decision in Mathews v. United States, 485 U.S. 58, 108 S.Ct. 883, 99 L.Ed.2d 54 (1988), will we continue to follow the Arizona rule requiring a defendant to admit all elements of the crime prior to entering a plea of entrapment? 1

[135]*135III. FACTS

A. Soule

In August 1989, a member of the Phoenix Police Department learned that Soule was selling heroin. An undercover police officer subsequently contacted Soule at his home. The officer told Soule that he was a heroin addict, but not strung out, and asked if he could buy some methadone. Soule sold him a small bottle of methadone. Five days later, the undercover police officer returned to Soule’s home and asked to buy some more methadone, which Soule sold to him. On 14 August and 22 August, the officer purchased methadone from Soule at his home and at a methadone clinic.

At trial, the officer testified on cross-examination that an informant had introduced him to Soule and that the officer had initiated contact thereafter. Soule did not testify at trial, but witnesses for Soule testified that he was trying to break his heroin and alcohol habits, was not using heroin in August, and that a person in the methadone program could receive the drug at a clinic and take it home for self-administration. The trial court, after requiring Soule to admit the elements of the crime, instructed the jury on the entrapment defense. The jury acquitted Soule on the first sale of methadone but found him guilty of three subsequent sales. Soule appealed and the court of appeals affirmed the trial court’s judgment and sentence.

B. Abrams

In May 1987, Michael Batelli, an undercover Tucson Police Officer, was investigating illegal gambling in Pima County. As part of that investigation, he went to evening card games at the home of Alex Bonivitas. Abrams was a regular player at these games. During some of the card games, Abrams went to the back room of the house with Bonivitas for several minutes. This suggested to Batelli that Abrams may have been dealing, or doing, drugs.

In October 1987, Batelli met with Abrams and told him that he was disappointed with his current suppliers and that he and Abrams should deal with each other. Abrams refused, indicating that he did not deal with anyone he had not known for ten or twenty years. Later, Abrams approached Batelli and told him that he, Abrams, was now ready to deal. They discussed prices and arranged a sale in which Abrams sold two kilos of cocaine for $35,000. Abrams’ defense was entrapment and he did not testify. After the state rested, Abrams’ counsel requested that he be permitted to argue entrapment without admitting any elements of the charged crimes. . Alternatively, counsel sought to admit only certain facts. The court denied both motions and Abrams was convicted. Abrams appealed and the court of appeals affirmed his conviction.

IV. DISCUSSION ■

We have long held that a defendant must admit all elements of an offense to avail himself of the entrapment defense. State v. Nilsen, 134 Ariz. 431, 657 P.2d 419 (1983). In Nilsen, we held that the trial court erred by giving the jury an entrapment instruction when the defendant did not testify or did not otherwise present to the jury some evidence of the defendant’s admission of the elements of the crime. Id. at 432, 657 P.2d at 420. See also State v. McKinney, 108 Ariz. 436, 501 P.2d 378 (1972) (a defendant who wishes to utilize the entrapment defense must admit substantial elements of the crime and one who denies knowledge of the crime may not raise the entrapment defense); State v. Bean, 119 Ariz. 412, 581 P.2d 257 (1978) (to claim entrapment defense, defendant must admit offense charged).

Defendants, however, urge that we follow Mathews v. United States, which permits a defendant in federal court to raise inconsistent defenses. 485 U.S. 58, 108 S.Ct. 883, 99 L.Ed.2d 54 (1988). Mathews is not based on constitutional interpretation and is binding on the federal courts only; it is not binding on the states. Under Mathews, a defendant may plead not guilty and also plead entrapment without admitting all elements of the offense. The Supreme [136]*136Court held that “even if the defendant denies one or more elements of the crime, he is entitled to an entrapment instruction whenever there is sufficient evidence from which a reasonable jury could find entrapment.” Id. at 62, 108 S.Ct. at 886.

The majority in Mathews further said that, “[a]s a general proposition, a defendant is entitled to an instruction as to any recognized defense for which there exists evidence sufficient for a jury to reasonably find in his favor.” Id. at 63, 108 S.Ct. at 887. The majority cited as a parallel rule the submission of lesser included offenses in the instructions to the jury. Id. For example, in Stevenson v. United States, 162 U.S. 313, 16 S.Ct. 839, 40 L.Ed. 980 (1896), the Court found sufficient evidence to entitle the defendant to a manslaughter instruction and to a self-defense instruction. This holding is contrary to the entrapment inconsistency theory adopted in Nilsen. The inconsistency theory, however, is not without its detractors.

Dean Paul Marcus has noted the seeming aberration of the inconsistency theory:

The entrapment inconsistency theory is an exception to the rule in favor of inconsistent defenses. But it is an exception without any justification. There is no conceivable reason for permitting a defendant to assert inconsistent defenses in other contexts but denying him that right in the context of entrapment.

The Entrapment Defense and the Procedural Issues: Burden of Proof, Questions of Law and Fact, Inconsistent Defenses, 22 Crim.L.Bull. 197 (1986) (citing United States v. Demma,

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Bluebook (online)
811 P.2d 1071, 168 Ariz. 134, 84 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 11, 1991 Ariz. LEXIS 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-soule-ariz-1991.