United States v. Rendon

75 M.J. 908, 2016 CCA LEXIS 643, 2016 WL 6441291
CourtNavy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals
DecidedNovember 1, 2016
Docket201500408
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 75 M.J. 908 (United States v. Rendon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Navy-Marine Corps Court of Criminal Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
United States v. Rendon, 75 M.J. 908, 2016 CCA LEXIS 643, 2016 WL 6441291 (N.M. 2016).

Opinion

PUBLISHED OPINION OF THE COURT

CAMPBELL, Senior Judge:

At a contested trial, officer and enlisted general court-martial members convicted the appellant of aggravated assault, assault consummated by a battery, and disorderly conduct—violations of Articles 128 and 134, Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. §§ 928 and 934 (2012). The convening authority approved the adjudged sentence of 180 days’ confinement, total forfeitures for six months, reduction to pay grade E-l, and a bad-conduct discharge.

Having been found incompetent to stand trial during the course of the trial proceedings, the appellant’s initial assignment of error (AOE) contends his Rule for Courts-Martial (R.C.M.) 909, Manual for Courts-Martial, United States (2012 ed.) procedural rights were violated when he underwent a second mental competency board instead of being delivered to the custody of the United States Attorney General. 1 In a supplemental AOE, the appellant further argues the military judge erred in the findings instructions provided to the court-martial members.

We conclude the findings and sentence are correct in law and fact, and we find no error materially prejudicial to the appellant’s substantial rights. Arts. 59(a) and 66(c), UCMJ.

I. Background

The appellant’s trial proceedings before members began on 7 July 2015. After the conclusion of the government's case-in-chief, the appellant was in a single-motor-vehicle accident on the evening of 8 July 2015. He lost consciousness, injured his right hand and right shoulder, and was flown to a civilian hospital in La Jolla, California, for initial treatment.

When the appellant returned to court on 10 July 2015, the military judge ordered a mental competency examination pursuant to R.C.M. 706 to determine whether the accident was indicative of the appellant suffering from, or caused the appellant to suffer, a mental disease or defect rendering him unable to understand the nature of the proceedings against him or to conduct or cooperate intelligently in his defense. Later that day, the military judge conducted an R.C.M. 909(e) mental competency hearing. A psychiatrist, who conducted an evaluation and completed a truncated report 2 between the court-martial sessions, testified that the appellant “had a severe head injury; and now I noted significant memory problems; and what, in my opinion, was a definite increase in a level of irritability ....” 3 The expert witness concluded the appellant was unable to cooperate intelligently in his defense, and estimated it would take four to six weeks to restore the appellant’s competence. The military judge then found, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the appellant was incompetent to stand trial, and he forwarded the findings to the convening authority, “so that the proper measures [could] be taken in accordance with R.C.M. 909(f).” 4

*910 The appellant then received inpatient care at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, California. Upon his 16 July 2015 release, the military judge ordered another R.C.M. 706 mental competency examination pursuant to a government request. 5 At the next court session, the military judge described the examination’s purpose: “[T]o tell us whether or not the interim time from the accused’s car accident and trial—or today had allowed him to be restored to competence, or whether or not we did, in fact, need to have him committed to the custody of the United States Attorney [General].” 6 Consequently, the appellant had a neuropsychological evaluation and an interview with another psychologist on 23 and 24 July 2015. The 24 July 2015 evaluation report indicated the appellant had “sufficient mental capacity to understand the nature of the proceedings against him and to conduct and cooperate intelligently in his defense. ” 7 At a 28 July 2015 hearing, over defense counsel’s objections, the • military judge found the accused competent.

Later in that same court-martial session, the appellant also discussed his desire to fire his three attorneys (a civilian counsel and two detailed military counsel) and represent himself for the remainder of the case. The following exchange was part of the lengthy colloquy with the military judge:

MJ: It seems to me, though, that reading between the lines of what you are telling me, you don’t want to—you are not going to do anything [to present a defense case]. You are confident there’s not going to be any issues because you are not going to do anything; is that right?
ACC: Yes, Your Honor. 8

A detailed military defense counsel then requested that the military judge “reconsider the [R.C.M.] 909 decision” because “it’s clear that [the appellant is] making decisions that no competent or rational person would make.” 9 After a. recess, the military judge had the Navy psychologist who conducted the 23-24 July R.C.M. 706 board testify tele-phonically about the results. The psychologist explained neuropsychological testing was done because of the appellant’s potential head injury and loss of consciousness during the car accident, and that beyond interviewing the appellant, he also reviewed the previous R.C.M. 706 board and the appellant’s electronic medical records. The military judge continued to find the appellant competent.

Trial resumed before the court-martial members on 29 July 2015. 10 During voir dire, the military judge first advised the members about the standard of proof:

Sergeant Rendon is presumed innocent and I will instruct you prior to your deliberations of the guflt or innocence of Sergeant Rendon. I will' advise you that he must be presumed to be innocent until his guilt is established by legal and competent evidence beyond a reasonable doubt; that, in this case, if there is reasonable doubt to the guilt, the doubt shall be resolved in the accused’s favor and he shall be acquitted. That the burden of proof to establish the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable doubt is upon the government. I will also give you other instructions concerning the law with which you' must follow. At this time, have any of you formed or expressed an opinion concerning the guilt or innocence of the accused?
That’s a negative response from the members.
I do think because we have mentioned reasonable doubt a few times, this is an appropriate- time for me to talk to you a *911

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
75 M.J. 908, 2016 CCA LEXIS 643, 2016 WL 6441291, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-rendon-nmcca-2016.