State v. Torrez

2013 NMSC 034, 4 N.M. 457
New Mexico Supreme Court·Decided June 27, 2013·No. Docket 32,929·Published·Cited by 34 cases

Opinion

OPINION

CHÁVEZ, Justice.

In this case we discuss, among other issues, how the district court astutely avoided a double jeopardy violation in this felony murder trial. Defendant Orlando Torrez fired multiple shots at a house where he had-attended a party earlier in the evening, killing one person and injuring another. A jury rejected his claim of self-defense and found him guilty of felony murder predicated on the felony of shooting at a dwelling resulting in death. The jury also found him guilty of shooting at a dwelling or occupied building and tampering with evidence. Defendant raises several issues on appeal, which we place in four categories for purposes of our discussion: (1) two alleged double jeopardy violations, (2) alleged error in refusing two jury instructions, (3) alleged denial of compulsory process when a witness subpoenaed to testify on his behalf did not appear, and (4) alleged insufficiency of the evidence to support each conviction. We are not persuaded by any of these issues, and we therefore affirm Defendant’s convictions.

I. BACKGROUND

On October 31, 2003, Defendant and four others went to a house party near Taos, New Mexico. Defendant claimed that during the party he became involved in an altercation with another man who had insulted his girlfriend, and that he was also threatened by two unidentified men later that night. After the threats, Defendant, his friend Alfredo, and their three female companions exited the house and walked to Defendant’s vehicle, when Defendant noticed that the driver’s side window of his car was broken. Defendant testified that he noticed that his sawed-off .22 caliber rifle was missing, so he walked back toward the house, when he heard gunshots. Defendant was approached by the two men who had threatened him earlier, each of whom was holding a gun, who told Defendant that he needed to leave immediately or he and his passengers would be killed. As Defendant and the others drove away, Defendant’s vehicle was shot at multiple times and hit twice.

Defendant went to his home and he and Alfredo retrieved three rifles, two shotguns, and one handgun. They then returned to the party. Testimony regarding what happened next is conflicting. Defendant alleged that he returned to the party, armed himself with a 9 millimeter handgun, and walked to the house, where he was assaulted from behind, causing him to lose his weapon. Defendant alleged that he freed himself from the assault and ran back toward the car while shots rang out. Once he was back at the car, Defendant claimed that he took out a rifle and shot in the direction of muzzle flashes.

The State alleged that when Defendant and Alfredo arrived back at the party, they stopped the car, got out, and began firing at the house. In any case, two partygoers inside the house were shot; Naarah Holgate was struck in the left arm, and Danica Concha was hit in the chest. Holgate survived her injury and Concha was pronounced dead in the early hours ofNovember 1, 2003.

II. DOUBLE JEOPARDY

This is Defendant’s second appeal in this case. During his first trial, Defendant was charged with and convicted of first degree murder, shooting at a dwelling or occupied building, and tampering with evidence. In Defendant’s first appeal, we reversed his convictions and remanded for a new trial, finding error in the admission of testimony by a gang expert. State v. Torrez, 2009-NMSC-029, ¶ 34, 146 N.M. 331, 210 P.3d 228. Defendant raises two double jeopardy arguments in this appeal. First, he argues that the Double Jeopardy Clause precluded the State from prosecuting him for depraved mind murder during the second trial because he was implicitly acquitted of depraved mind murder during his first trial. Second, Defendant argues that the Double Jeopardy Clause precludes him from being punished for both felony murder and the predicate felony of shooting at a dwelling. For the reasons that follow, we conclude that Defendant’s arguments are without merit.

A. Defendant’s Double Jeopardy Rights Were Not Violated When He Was Tried for First Degree Murder under Alternative Theories (Depraved Mind Murder and Felony Murder) in His Second Trial

In his first trial, Defendant was charged with first degree murder under two alternative theories: felony murder and depraved mind murder. The jury returned a general verdict of guilty on the murder charge, and therefore it did not indicate under which alternative it had determined that he was guilty. However, in the judgment and sentence, the district court indicated that Defendant was found guilty of “Murder in the First Degree (Felony Murder).”

After we reversed Defendant’s convictions, the State re-filed the charges. Defendant filed a motion to preclude the State from pursuing a conviction of first degree murder based on depraved mind murder, contending that he was acquitted of depraved mind murder during his first trial. Defendant was ultimately tried under both theories and convicted of felony murder. The jury did not enter a verdict on depraved mind murder.

On appeal, Defendant argues thatbecause the judgment and sentence entered in the first trial stated that he was found guilty of felony murder, he was implicitly acquitted of depraved mind murder. Defendant points out that the State did not appeal the validity of the judgment and sentence in his first appeal, and argues that it was a stipulation between the parties. Therefore, Defendant argues that his right to be free from double jeopardy was violated because he can only be retried “for the offense which resulted in a conviction in the first trial” — i.e., felony murder.

The State denies that there was a stipulation and cites State v. Davis, 97 N.M. 745, 748, 643 P.2d 614, 617 (Ct. App. 1982), to support its contention that neither the judge nor the parties may agree to a verdict that is different from the jury’s actual verdict. We agree with the State.

The jury in Defendant’s first trial entered a general verdict of guilty of first degree murder, but it did not specify whether its verdict was based on felony murder, depraved mind murder, or both. Therefore, neither we nor the district court could know under which theory Defendant was convicted. In Davis, the Court of Appeals explained that a district court has a mandatory duty to enter a judgment and sentence consistent with the jury’ s verdict. Id.; see Rule 5-701 (A) NMRA (“If the defendant is found guilty, a judgment of guilty shall be rendered. If the defendant has been acquitted, a judgment of not guilty shall be rendered.”). A district court does not have the authority to override a jury’s verdict and enter a verdict different than that handed down by the jury. See State v. Soliz, 79 N.M. 263, 267, 442 P.2d 575, 579 (1968) (requiring that the judgment be amended to conform with the jury’s verdict). Following the first trial, the district court should simply have entered a judgment stating that the jury found D efendant guilty of first degree murder. Defendant was neither expressly nor impliedly acquitted of depraved mind murder.

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State v. Torrez, 2013 NMSC 034, 4 N.M. 457 (N.M. 2013).

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