State v. Villeza

942 P.2d 522, 85 Haw. 258, 1997 Haw. LEXIS 59
CourtHawaii Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 8, 1997
Docket17703
StatusPublished
Cited by27 cases

This text of 942 P.2d 522 (State v. Villeza) 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. Villeza, 942 P.2d 522, 85 Haw. 258, 1997 Haw. LEXIS 59 (haw 1997).

Opinion

McCONNELL, Acting Chief Justice.

Defendant-appellant Edward Shawn Ville-za appeals after jury conviction and sentence for the offense of manslaughter in violation of Hawai'i Revised Statutes (HRS) § 707-702 (1993).

For the reasons set forth below, we affirm.

I. BACKGROUND

Villeza was convicted of murder in the second degree for shooting his mother. The conviction was reversed due to an erroneous jury instruction, and the ease remanded for a new trial. State v. Villeza, 72 Haw. 327, 817 P.2d 1054 (1991).

A. Jury Selection and Motion to Quash Indictment

At jury selection in the retrial, the trial court redacted potential jurors’ street addresses and home and work telephone numbers from the juror qualification forms. Vil-leza objected, arguing that the failure to supply prospective jurors’ street addresses and telephone numbers violated his rights to effective assistance of counsel and due process’. The redacted forms provided the general geographic location and zip code of each juror’s residence, each juror’s occupation, employer, date of birth, years of residence in the State of Hawai'i, educational background, and other personal information.

Villeza moved to quash the indictment based on the redaction of the juror qualification forms. Villeza contended the redaction *262 violated HRS § 612-17 (1993) and his constitutional rights to due process, equal protection, and effective assistance of counsel. Vil-leza offered evidence that juror qualification forms were not redacted in civil trials and argued that the trial court arbitrarily singled out a class, criminal defendants in jury trials, for unequal treatment. Villeza claimed redaction of the forms hampered his ability to investigate prospective jurors. The court took judicial notice that judges in the Criminal Division of the First Circuit Court redacted home street addresses and telephone numbers from the qualification forms but provided each juror’s residential community name and zip code. The court denied Ville-za’s motion to quash the indictment.

B. Sentencing

On retrial, the jury found Villeza guilty of the lesser included offense of manslaughter by reckless conduct. 1 The State moved the court to order a psychiatric or psychological examination of Villeza to determine whether he was a dangerous person who should be sentenced to an extended term of imprisonment pursuant to HRS §§ 706-661 and 706-662(3) (1993). At the hearing on the State’s motion, Villeza stated that he would exercise his fifth amendment right and refuse to speak to any mental health examiner. The court granted the State’s motion.

Dr. Jack Annon was appointed to examine Villeza. Dr. Annon withdrew because he had worked on Villeza’s case for the public defender’s office. The court then appointed Dr. Daniel Reed to examine Villeza. Dr. Reed informed the court that he could not make a determination of Villeza’s dangerousness because, among other reasons, he had no opportunity to interview Villeza.

The State moved to continue the sentencing date and for appointment of another psychiatrist or psychologist to assess Villeza’s dangerousness. Villeza opposed the motion, arguing there could be no enhanced sentence because a dangerousness evaluation had not been made by the sentencing date. The court granted the State’s motion to continue the sentencing date and directed that the judge in charge of selecting the mental health professional be informed that a “mental health expert who will be able to express an opinion, whatever the opinion may be, without having access to the Defendant” was needed.

Dr. John Wingert, a clinical psychologist, was appointed. Dr. Wingert assessed Villeza and submitted his findings to the court. Based upon Dr. Wingert’s determination that “Villeza ha[d] a significant history of dangerousness to others resulting in criminally violent conduct,” the State moved for an extended term of imprisonment.

At the sentencing hearing, Dr. Wingert testified that, as a consultant to Child Protective Services, he had performed hundreds of dangerousness evaluations without interviewing the subject individual. He explained that a psychological assessment of dangerousness consists of a review of all available data, including anecdotal information, police records, interviews, probation reports, and other available records. The doctor further testified that, if possible, interviews with individuals who have first hand knowledge of the person should be considered. Dr. Wingert interviewed Villeza’s brother and sister, two next door neighbors, and Honolulu Police Department Officer Hector Rivera (Officer Rivera), who was a police officer involved in the instant case as well as other incidents at the Villeza house. Dr. Wingert reviewed police interviews, copies of temporary restraining orders filed by Villeza’s mother and sister, and adult probation records. Based upon the records sent to him, as well as the interviews, Dr. Wingert concluded to a reasonable clinical psychological certainty that Villeza’s significant history of dangerousness made him a serious danger to others.

On cross-examination, Dr. Wingert opined he did not conduct what he considered, in “professional terminology,” a psychological evaluation of Villeza because he was unable to interview Villeza face-to-face. Claiming *263 there was insufficient foundation to support Dr. Wingert’s findings, Villeza moved to strike Dr. Wingert’s testimony. The State argued Dr. Wingert’s procedures were acceptable in the community, a face-to-face interview is not a prerequisite to a dangerousness evaluation and, if it were, the State could never secure an extended term sentence under the applicable statute when a defendant refused to be interviewed. The trial court denied Villeza’s motion to strike Dr. Wingert’s testimony.

Officer Rivera testified that, in the years prior to Mrs. Villeza’s death, he had been called to the Villeza house because Villeza had threatened family members and refused to leave the house.

Jarvis Claussen testified that he had been Villeza’s neighbor for many years. He described incidents of violence in which Villeza chased his sister with a butcher’s knife, hit one of Claussen’s sons in the head, and threw a rock at Claussen. Claussen’s son, Matthew, testified Villeza had repeatedly threatened him.

Villeza’s brother, Brent Ian Villeza (Ian), testified Villeza began showing violent tendencies as a teenager, that Villeza shot Ian with a BB gun, and that Villeza hit Ian on the head with a brick. According to Ian, starting in 1987, Villeza repeatedly threatened to kill him and once threatened to break his neck. Ian further testified that Villeza punched his sister in the mouth, knocking out two teeth. Ian testified that he feared for his life and believed his brother was crazed or violent.

Villeza’s witness, Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
942 P.2d 522, 85 Haw. 258, 1997 Haw. LEXIS 59, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/state-v-villeza-haw-1997.