State v. Spriggs-Gore

2003 NMCA 046, 64 P.3d 506, 133 N.M. 479
CourtNew Mexico Court of Appeals
DecidedJanuary 3, 2003
Docket22,643
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 2003 NMCA 046 (State v. Spriggs-Gore) 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. Spriggs-Gore, 2003 NMCA 046, 64 P.3d 506, 133 N.M. 479 (N.M. Ct. App. 2003).

Opinion

OPINION

PICKARD, Judge.

{1} Defendant appeals from an order confining her to a secure, locked facility for a period of fifteen years. This ease offers our courts another opportunity to address New Mexico’s Mental Illness and Competency statute (hereinafter the “Mental Illness and Competency statute”), NMSA 1978, §§ 31-9-1 through -1.5 (1988, as amended through 1999), which outlines procedures the trial court must follow in determining a criminal defendant’s competency to stand trial and procedures for commitment in the event that a defendant is found incompetent. We determine that Section 31-9-1.5 does not abrogate a defendant’s constitutional rights and hold that Defendant was incompetent, as a matter of law, to knowingly and intelligently waive her constitutional rights pursuant to Miranda v. Arizona, 384 U.S. 436, 86 S.Ct. 1602, 16 L.Ed.2d 694 (1966). We also hold that, in light of recent United States Supreme Court holdings in Ring v. Arizona, 536 U.S. 584, 122 S.Ct. 2428, 153 L.Ed.2d 556 (2002) and Apprendi v. New Jersey, 530 U.S. 466, 120 S.Ct. 2348, 147 L.Ed.2d 435 (2000), the procedures in the Mental Illness and Competency statute do not violate a defendant’s constitutional right to due process. See State v. Rotherham, 1996-NMSC-048, 122 N.M. 246, 923 P.2d 1131 (evaluating the procedures of the Mental Illness and Competency statute and holding that the Mental Illness and Competency statute is not violative of a defendant’s rights to equal protection under the law, substantive due process, or procedural due process). We reverse and remand to the trial court to conduct a new hearing pursuant to Section 31-9-1.5.

FACTS AND BACKGROUND

{2} Defendant is a 73-year-old woman with a very long history of mental illness, who was recently also diagnosed with dementia. On January 13, 2000, the Las Cruces police responded to a call regarding the apparent death of Defendant’s husband at Defendant’s home. After some initial confusion, the police determined that the death was a homicide and that Defendant was the likely perpetrator. At that time, a detective at the scene read Defendant her rights pursuant to Miranda. Another police officer was assigned to transport Defendant and ended up spending approximately five and one-half hours with her that day. This officer tape-recorded the entire five and one-half hours, which included a second reading of Defendant’s Miranda rights and also included numerous inculpatory statements made by Defendant. Defendant states, and the State does not contest, that she was not taking any medication at the time of the offense. Defendant was transported to the hospital that afternoon, and then to the police station for booking, and then was sent to the Las Cruces jail. Defendant was indicted for first degree murder á week later.

{3} Defendant was evaluated at the Forensic Unit at Las Vegas Medical Center several weeks after the offense and was diagnosed as having a delusional disorder, persecutory type; sexual abuse of adult; paranoid personality disorder; and borderline intellectual functioning. Defendant had previously been diagnosed as having schizophrenia with overtly psychotic symptoms. Following a hearing pursuant to Section 31-9-1.2 to determine Defendant’s competency, the trial court found that Defendant was incompetent to stand trial, was not likely to be treated to competency, and was dangerous. The trial court then held a hearing pursuant to Section 31-9-1.5 and determined that there was sufficient evidence, by a clear and convincing standard, that Defendant committed second degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of fifteen years. The trial court ordered that the Defendant be detained by the Department of Health, Las Vegas Medical Center, in a secure, locked facility for a period of fifteen years.

{4} At the Section 31-9-1.5 hearing, the trial court denied Defendant’s motion to suppress statements made after each reading of her Miranda, rights, and admitted most of the transcripts made from the five and one-half hours of tapes. The trial court also heard testimony from several police officers regarding the contents of these transcripts. Defendant appeals the trial court’s denial of her motion to suppress statements made after the reading of her Miranda rights, alleging that they were taken in violation of her constitutional rights because she was incapable of a knowing and intelligent waiver of those rights. In this appeal, Defendant also argues that, in light of the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Ring and Apprendi, the procedural process in Section 31-9-1.5, which resulted in her being held in a secure, locked facility for fifteen years, violates her constitutional right to due process.

POINT ONE — WAIVER OF FIFTH AMENDMENT RIGHTS

{5} Defendant argues only that she did not knowingly and voluntarily waive her Fifth Amendment rights under Miranda. Defendant does not argue that she was incapable of making voluntary statements due to insanity. She argues that she was found incompetent to stand trial due to her severe mental deficits and mental illness at a time when she was in an optimal treatment setting and taking five medications, and that she was far less competent on the date of offense and could not possibly have made a knowing and intelligent waiver of her rights on that day. She further argues that the trial court followed the State’s erroneous argument that Defendant had the burden to prove that her waiver of constitutional rights was involuntary, and that the court then applied an incorrect standard in admitting statements that were made after the defective waiver at the Section 31-9-15 hearing.

{6} The State argues that, pursuant to Rule 5-602(B)(3)(a) NMRA 2002, it is legally impossible to hold a suppression hearing after a defendant is found incompetent to stand trial, because the rule requires that proceedings in a criminal case must be stayed until a defendant becomes competent to stand trial. The State suggests that this issue is not appropriate for appellate review at this time and should be reversed and remanded to the trial court to conduct a hearing to suppress these statements if and when Defendant is found competent to stand trial and criminal proceedings recommence.

Suppression of Statements at Section 31-9-1.5 Hearing

{7} We first must reject the State’s argument that the suppression hearing is a legal impossibility at a hearing pursuant to Section 31-9-1.5. The statute does not preclude a defendant’s attorney from putting on a complete defense at a Section 31-9-1.5 hearing. State v. Gallegos, 111 N.M. 110, 117, 802 P.2d 15, 22 (Ct.App.1990). The statute does allow for certain hearsay rules to be relaxed on secondary matters, and has been interpreted to prohibit a defendant from defending on the basis of insanity or inability to form specific intent, but does not otherwise abrogate any constitutional rights of a defendant. Id. The district court appropriately conducted a hearing on the suppression of Defendant’s statements to the police made on the day of the offense.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
2003 NMCA 046, 64 P.3d 506, 133 N.M. 479, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-spriggs-gore-nmctapp-2003.