United States v. Zayas

24 M.J. 132, 1987 CMA LEXIS 1827
CourtUnited States Court of Military Appeals
DecidedJune 8, 1987
DocketNo. 52,621; CM 445996
StatusPublished
Cited by20 cases

This text of 24 M.J. 132 (United States v. Zayas) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering United States Court of Military 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. Zayas, 24 M.J. 132, 1987 CMA LEXIS 1827 (cma 1987).

Opinions

Opinion of the Court

EVERETT, Chief Judge:

A general court-martial comprised of officer and enlisted members convicted appellant, contrary to his pleas, of wrongful destruction of military property, drunk driving, and involuntary manslaughter, in violation of Articles 108, 111, and 119, Uniform Code of Military Justice, 10 U.S.C. [133]*133§§ 908, 911, and 919, respectively. Thereafter, the court sentenced appellant to a bad-conduct discharge and confinement for 1 year. The convening authority approved these results, and the Court of Military Review affirmed in an unpublished memorandum opinion.

Two issues are presented in this appeal. 21 M.J. 281. First, appellant asks whether the military judge erred by denying a defense motion at trial to abate the proceedings pending the grant of testimonial immunity to a prospective defense witness to whom the convening authority had declined to offer such immunity. As to this question, we conclude that the military judge erred and that the case should be remanded for an opportunity to hear the witness in question. Second, appellant urges that the allegations of drunk driving and involuntary manslaughter by culpable negligence were multiplicious for findings, so that the military judge erred in not dismissing one of those charges — a contention which we determine has no merit.

I

A

Shortly before 1:00 a.m. on the morning of October 22, 1983, Specialist Four Kenneth Osbum, a military policeman then on duty at the main gate of Fort Huachuca, Arizona, saw an oriental male enter the gate, walking a bicycle. A few minutes later, a car approached from outside the gate, and Osbum stopped the vehicle to check the driver’s identification. Looking into the car, Osbum recognized the driver as Specialist Zayas, whom he knew through his duties. Also, he saw another man slumped over in the passenger seat. After confirming appellant’s identity, Osbum permitted the car to pass onto the post. A moment or two later, the lights at the main gate went black.

About 1:00 a.m. Staff Sergeant Garland Gross, another military policeman on duty, heard a crash and the sound of electricity shorting. He went to investigate and, about 150 yards from the main gate, found a Monte Carlo next to a downed utility pole, with appellant standing outside the open driver’s door of the car. He then discovered Private First Class Song Wu Chon’s body up the road, where it was lying in a two-foot-wide pool of blood. Returning to the car, Gross found Specialist Gomez trapped in the passenger compartment and complaining of back pains.

Sergeant Christopher Griffin, the MP patrol supervisor during this shift, responded to a call about the accident. When he arrived, he assisted Gross in rendering cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to the apparently lifeless Chon. After the victim had been evacuated, Griffin approached Gomez who, by then, had been freed from the car and was lying on its hood. Gomez was complaining of back pains and was very excited and partially incoherent. He told Griffin that he had been driving the car and had been unable to avoid the victim. While ministering to Gomez, Griffin also saw and spoke with appellant. He noted that appellant’s eyes were red; his speech was slurred; and his breath had a strong odor of alcohol.

The critical issue at trial was who had been driving the car — which was owned by Gomez — at the time of its fatal encounter with Private Chon. In addition to the evidence already recited, the testimony of two accident investigators was received. The first, Sergeant William Ladd, had examined the wrecked vehicle and concluded that the passenger could not have been thrown free and that the driver could not have been thrown into the passenger seat — both of which conclusions supported the prosecution’s theory that appellant was the driver and that Gomez was, at the time, riding in the passenger seat. The second, Clifford McCarter, was an expert in accident reconstruction who had been hired by the defense. He testified that, after reviewing the accident and the injuries to the car’s occupants, he, too, was confident that appellant had been driving at the time of the accident.

During the defense presentation of its case, Zayas testified that he had not been [134]*134the driver on the night in question. To support his testimony, the defense wished to obtain the testimony of Specialist Gomez who. had asserted at the accident scene that, indeed, he had been the driver.

There were difficulties, however, with obtaining Gomez’ testimony. After the investigation of the incident, charges had been preferred against both appellant and Gomez; and the convening authority had referred both sets of charges to general courts-martial. At the time of appellant’s trial, Gomez had yet to be tried; and up to then, he had refused to be interviewed. Moreover, Gomez’ defense counsel had indicated that, if his client were called as a witness at Zayas’ trial, he would assert his privilege against self-incrimination.

Accordingly, before trial began, defense counsel asked the convening authority to bestow testimonial immunity on Gomez, so that he could be compelled to testify in Zayas’ behalf. Notwithstanding defense counsel’s representation that Gomez’ testimony was expected to be exculpatory as to appellant, based on his on-the-scene acknowledgment of having been the driver, and notwithstanding that Gomez had indicated he would invoke his privilege if called to testify, the convening authority denied this request, simply pointing to the pending charges against Gomez at his own general court-martial.

In due course, defense counsel asked the military judge for help in obtaining this important testimony. Specifically, he asked the judge either to grant testimonial immunity to Gomez or, in the alternative, to either abate the proceedings or continue the case until immunity was granted Gomez or until he no longer could claim his privilege against self-incrimination. In opposition, the Government argued, first, that immunizing a defense witness presented too many possibilities for perjury and, second, that the convening authority had sole discretion in this area and “[t]he Government should have the decision on what order it wants to try the cases.” Trial counsel, however, made no suggestion that granting testimonial immunity would pose any specific or general problems in its anticipated subsequent prosecution of Gomez. Ultimately, the military judge denied the defense request without explanation.

The Court of Military Review, in turn, affirmed the judge’s ruling. In its unpublished memorandum opinion, the lower court pointed out that, in United States v. Smith, 17 M.J. 994 (A.C.M.R.1984), it had adopted the rule of Government of Virgin Islands v. Smith, 615 F.2d 964 (3d Cir.1980), as to when “a ‘judicial’ grant of immunity is available to a defense witness under the due process right to present an effective defense.” Unpub. op. at 2 (footnote omitted). Two instances are appropriate for such treatment, the court said: The first is when “the Government engages in prosecutorial misconduct intended to disrupt the factfinding process,” citing 615 F.2d at 968; the second is when “the proffered testimony is clearly exculpatory, the testimony is essential, and no strong governmental interests countervail against the grant.” Unpub. op. at 2.

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Bluebook (online)
24 M.J. 132, 1987 CMA LEXIS 1827, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/united-states-v-zayas-cma-1987.