Torres v. State
Torres v. State
Opinion of the Court
On November 15, 2016, a Benton County Circuit Court jury convicted appellant, Mauricio Alejandro Torres, of capital murder and first-degree battery in the death of his six-year-old son Maurice "Isaiah" Torres. The jury was presented with two alternative theories of capital murder: (1) felony murder with the underlying felony of rape (rape felony murder); or (2) child-abuse murder. Torres was sentenced to death for the murder and to twenty years' imprisonment and a $ 15,000 fine for the battery. Torres raises nine points on appeal: (1) the circuit court should have directed a verdict on the rape felony murder formulation because of failure of proof of the predicate felony; (2) Torres was entitled to separate verdict forms in order for the jury to specify which formulation or formulations of capital murder the jury had convicted him of; (3) the circuit court erred in refusing to correct the prosecutor's erroneous comments about jury unanimity; (4) the formulation "under the circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life" is unconstitutionally vague because of shifting and conflicting interpretations; (5) the circuit court erred in denying jury instructions for the affirmative defense to felony murder that appropriately allocate the burden of proof; (6) the circuit court should have suppressed Torres's statements, and if not, the circuit court should have required admission of another Torres statement under authority of Arkansas Rule of Evidence 106 ; (7) the circuit court erred in permitting aggravating circumstances for which Torres was never convicted and for which the statute of limitations had expired; (8) the circuit court erred in refusing a jury instruction correctly stating Arkansas law as to the grant of mercy; and (9) the circuit court must reverse the death sentence because of the improper double counting.
I. Points on Appeal
A. Rape Felony Murder
1. Standard of review
The State charged Torres with capital murder under alternate theories pursuant to
a. Jurisdictional sufficiency
First, territorial jurisdiction over a criminal defendant is controlled by statute. Arkansas courts have jurisdiction to convict a person under this state's laws when a crime is committed by a person if "[e]ither the conduct or a result that is an element of the offense occurs within the state."
b. Factual sufficiency
Second, we treat a motion for a directed verdict as a challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. Whitt v. State ,
c. Legal sufficiency
Third, we must review the legal sufficiency of Torres's conviction. In Stromberg v. California ,
Next, in Yates v. United States ,
In these circumstances we think the proper rule to be applied is that which requires a verdict to be set aside in cases where the verdict is supportable on one ground, but not on another, and it is impossible to tell which ground the jury selected. Stromberg v. California ,283 U.S. 359 , 367-368, [51 S.Ct. 532 , 535,75 L.Ed. 1117 ] ; Williams v. North Carolina ,317 U.S. 287 , 291-292, [63 S.Ct. 207 , 209-210,87 L.Ed. 279 ] ; Cramer v. United States , 325 U.S.1, 36, n. 45 [325 U.S. 1 ,65 S.Ct. 918 , 935, n. 45,89 L.Ed. 1441 ].
Id.
In Griffin v. United States ,
Finally, petitioner asserts that the distinction between legal error ( Yates ) and insufficiency of proof ( Turner [v. United States ,396 U.S. 398 , 420,90 S.Ct. 642 , 654,24 L.Ed.2d 610 (1970) ] ) is illusory, since judgments that are not supported by the requisite minimum of proof are invalid as a matter of law-and indeed, in the criminal law field at least, are constitutionally required to be set aside. See Jackson v. Virginia ,443 U.S. 307 , 319,99 S.Ct. 2781 , 2789,61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979). Insufficiency of proof, in other words, is legal error. This represents a purely semantical dispute. In one sense "legal error" includes inadequacy of evidence-namely, when the phrase is used as a term of art to designate those mistakes that it is the business of judges (in jury cases) and of appellate courts to identify and correct. In this sense "legal error" occurs when a jury, properly instructed as to the law, convicts on the basis of evidence that no reasonable person could regard as sufficient. But in another sense-a more natural and less artful sense-the term "legal error" means a mistake about the law, as opposed to a mistake concerning the weight or the factual import of the evidence. The answer to petitioner's objection is simply that we are using "legal error" in the latter sense.
That surely establishes a clear line that will separate Turner from Yates , and it happens to be a line that makes good sense. Jurors are not generally equipped to determine whether a particular theory of conviction submitted to them is contrary to law-whether, for example, the action in question is protected by the Constitution, is time barred, or fails to come within the statutory definition of the crime. When, therefore, jurors have been left the option of relying upon a legally inadequate theory, there is no reason to think that their own intelligence and expertise will save them from that error. Quite the opposite is true, however, when they have been left the option of relying upon a factually inadequate theory, since jurors are well equipped to analyze the evidence, see Duncan v. Louisiana ,391 U.S. 145 , 157,88 S.Ct. 1444 , 1451,20 L.Ed.2d 491 (1968).
*461Griffin ,502 U.S. at 58-59 ,112 S.Ct. 466 .
Accordingly, the Supreme Court has identified a distinction between legally insufficient alternatives and alternatives that may not be supported by sufficient evidence. The former cannot be upheld in a general verdict, but the latter can, provided at least one charged alternative is supported by sufficient evidence.
d. Capital-felony-murder standard
Fourth, in reviewing our standards, we note that the parties agree that because the State charged Torres with capital murder pursuant to capital felony murder, the State must prove the underlying felony as it becomes an element of the murder charge. "Under capital-felony murder, the State must first prove the felony, so the felony becomes an element of the murder charge. Ross v. State ,
B. Law and Analysis
1. Felony murder:
With these standards in mind, we now turn to Torres's argument. The State charged Torres with capital murder under two alternate theories pursuant to Arkansas Code Annotated § 5-10-101(a)(1)(A)(ii), the rape-felony-murder provision, and § 5-10-101(a)(9), the child-abuse-murder provision. The statute provides in pertinent part:
(a) A person commits capital murder if:
(1) Acting alone or with one (1) or more other persons:
(A) The person commits or attempts to commit:
...
(ii) Rape, § 5-14-103 ; ... and
...
(B) In the course of and in furtherance of the felony or in immediate flight from the felony, the person or an accomplice causes the death of a person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life;
...
(9)(A) Under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life, the person knowingly causes the death of a person fourteen (14) years of age or younger at the time the murder was committed if the defendant was eighteen (18) years of age or older at the time the murder was committed.
(B) It is an affirmative defense to any prosecution under this subdivision (a)(9) arising from the failure of the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis to provide specified medical or surgical treatment, that the parent, guardian, or person standing in loco parentis relied solely on spiritual treatment through prayer in accordance with the tenets and practices of an established church or religious denomination of which he or she is a member.
The Arkansas rape statute,
2. Ark. Code Ann. section 5-1-104"Extraterritorial Jurisdiction"
Turning to the merits of Torres's first basis for reversal, Torres asserts that *462the circuit court erred in denying his motion for directed verdict on rape felony murder for two reasons. First, the circuit court erred because the alleged acts did not meet the elements of rape as rape was defined in Missouri when the alleged offense occurred. Second, the alleged acts did not occur in Arkansas; therefore, Arkansas law could not have applied. We will focus on Torres's second argument. The crux of his argument is that the State did not have jurisdiction over the alleged rape. Accordingly, Torres contends that because the rape felony murder is legally insufficient, and we are unable to discern whether the jury convicted Torres of rape or child abuse, or both, we must reverse and remand the case for a new trial.
The State responds that the circuit court correctly denied Torres's motion for directed verdict and contends that there is a statutory presumption that the state in which the charges are filed has jurisdiction and that there is substantial evidence to support the circuit court's territorial jurisdiction pursuant to
a. Statutory interpretation
Torres's argument on appeal requires us to interpret the statute at issue. This court reviews issues involving statutory construction de novo, as it is for this court to decide the meaning of a statute. State v. Britt ,
We now apply these principles to the statute under review. Arkansas Code Annotated section 5-1-104, "Extraterritorial Jurisdiction," states in its entirety:
(a) A person may be convicted under a law of this state of an offense committed by his or her own or another person's conduct for which he or she is legally accountable if:
(1) Either the conduct or a result that is an element of the offense occurs within this state;
(2) Conduct occurring outside this state constitutes an attempt to commit an offense within this state;
(3) Conduct occurring outside this state constitutes a conspiracy to commit an offense within this state and an overt act in furtherance of the conspiracy occurs within this state;
(4) Conduct occurring within this state establishes complicity in the commission of, or an attempt, solicitation, or conspiracy to commit, an offense in another jurisdiction that is also an offense under the law of this state;
(5) The offense consists of the omission to perform a legal duty imposed by *463a law of this state based on domicile, residence, or a relationship to a person, thing, or transaction in the state; or
(6) The offense is defined by a statute of this state that expressly prohibits conduct outside the state and the conduct bears a reasonable relation to a legitimate interest of this state and the person knows or should know that his or her conduct is likely to affect that legitimate interest of this state.
(b) When the offense is homicide, either the death of the victim or the physical contact causing death constitutes a "result" within the meaning of subdivision (a)(1) of this section.
Torres concedes that the State had jurisdiction to try him for murder pursuant to subsection (b) because the death occurred in Arkansas. However, Torres contends that the statute is void of language that would authorize a rape prosecution. The plain language of subsection (a)(1) provides that a person may be convicted under Arkansas law of an offense committed by his own conduct for which he is legally accountable if either the conduct or a result that is an element of the offense occurs within this state. In other words, based on the plain language of the statute, to establish jurisdiction over the predicate felony of rape, there are two options:
Option One: Either the conduct-the alleged rape-occurs within Arkansas, or
Option Two: A result that is an element of the offense-the alleged rape-occurs within Arkansas.
Here, it is undisputed that the "conduct" alleged to have supported rape occurred entirely in Missouri; thus, the first option fails. The second option is if "a result" that is an element of the offense-the alleged rape-occurs within this state. The "result" here was death, and death is not an element of rape. Accordingly, based on the plain language, the extraterritorial-jurisdiction statute does not extend to the alleged rape.
However, the State urges us to affirm the circuit court and contends that territorial jurisdiction as defined in
Finally, in oral argument, the State contended that Cousins v. State ,
[a] case illustrative of this principle, and one frequently cited, is that of State v. Chapin ,17 Ark. 561 ,65 Am. Dec. 452 , in which Chief Justice English said: "For example, if a man standing beyond our boundary line, in Texas, were, by firing a gun, or propelling any other implement of death, to kill a person in Arkansas, he would be guilty of murder here, and answerable to our laws, because the crime is regarded as being committed where the shot, or other implement propelled, takes effect."
At § 134 of the chapter on Criminal Law, 22 C.J.S., page 219, it is said: "If a crime covers only the conscious act of the wrongdoer, regardless of its consequences, the crime takes place and is punishable only where he acts; but, if a crime is defined so as to include some of the consequences of an act, as well as the act itself, the crime is generally regarded as having been committed where the consequences occur, regardless of where the act took place, and under a statute so providing a person who commits an act outside the state which affects persons or property within the state, and which, if committed within the state, would be a crime, is punishable as if the act were committed within the state."
This, we think, is a sound statement of the law, and is the law of this state[.]
Therefore, Cousins does not support the State's position, but it does support our interpretation of
Based on our discussion above, we are unpersuaded by the State's position. Simply put, based on the plain language of the statute, extraterritorial jurisdiction does not extend to the alleged rape that occurred in Missouri.
Because we find merit in Torres's first point and reverse and remand for a new trial, we do not reach Torres's remaining points on appeal.
Reversed and remanded for a new trial.
Hart, J., concurs.
Kemp, C.J., and Wood and Womack, JJ., dissent.
Josephine Linker Hart, Justice, concurring.
I agree with the conclusions reached in the majority opinion. However, that opinion addresses only three of the nine issues Appellant raises on appeal. At least some of Appellant's six remaining issues are both potentially meritorious and likely to reoccur on remand. Even so, I write expansively to address just one of them: the use of uncharged alleged crimes, for which the statute of limitations would have since expired, as the basis for an aggravating factor at sentencing in a death penalty case. The allegations at issue here are condemnable, but the ugliness of a given allegation cannot supersede the most basic due process principles guaranteed to all citizens by our constitution.
During the penalty phase of the trial, the State called as witnesses five of Appellant's grown biological children and stepchildren who testified that Appellant had committed offenses against them in the 1990s and early 2000s that would fit within the aggravating factors set forth in
(3) The person previously committed another felony, an element of which was the use or threat of violence to another person or the creation of a substantial risk of death or serious physical injury to another person;
Appellant objected to the use of this evidence on the ground that he was never charged with, or convicted of, any of these allegations and that the statute of limitations for each allegation had since expired. Moreover, Appellant argued that these allegations were reported to the authorities at the time they would have occurred, but the prosecution elected not to file charges.
Appellant also entered into the record investigative reports concerning these allegations; these reports were generated by the Crimes Against Children Division of the Arkansas State Police (CACD). As they relate to these allegations, at least some of the reports reflect favorably on Appellant. For example, regarding B.M.'s allegations, the report summarized the CACD investigation as follows:
The Crimes against Children Division recommends an unsubstantiated finding of Oral Sex and Sexual Penetration as *466there was not a preponderance of evidence that sexual abuse occurred to [B.M.] by her stepfather, Maurice Torres. [B.M.] did not disclose any sexual abuse to Investigator after 2 separate interviews. [B.M.] was examined at Arkansas Children's Hospital for any evidence of sexual abuse, but no evidence was found. Maurice denied all allegations.
[End of excerpt.]
At trial and on appeal, Appellant argues that the use of these allegations to supply an aggravating factor at sentencing violates due process. For this court to allow such a practice would be to disregard the very purpose of the statute of limitations, which is "to protect individuals from having to defend themselves against charges when the basic facts may have become obscured by the passage of time and to minimize the danger of official punishment because of acts in the far-distant past." Toussie v. United States ,
That is precisely what happened here. Torres was investigated. Reports were made to the prosecuting attorney. No charge was filed. His ability to defend himself on the allegations dissipated over the years. Then these accusations were used to sentence him to death.
Appellant is correct. The use of uncharged crimes--for which the applicable statute of limitations would have since expired--to supply a basis for an aggravating factor at sentencing in a death-penalty case violates due process.
I concur.
"We have repeatedly held that we will not read into a statute language that was not included by the legislature. E.g. , [Keep our Dollars in Independence Cty. v. ] Mitchell , [
Dissenting Opinion
The majority's decision today holds that the State of Arkansas cannot bring a prosecution for felony murder for a death occurring within the state simply because the predicate felony occurred elsewhere. Because I believe this decision is based on a misunderstanding of our extraterritorial jurisdiction statute, I must respectfully dissent.
I.
This case involves brutal circumstances of the crime for which a Benton County jury sentenced Mauricio Torres to death for the murder of his six-year-old son Isaiah. The events giving rise to this murder are not in dispute. Indeed, Torres provided many of the details during his confession to police. Curiously, a recitation of the facts is absent from the majority's opinion, so I begin there.
On the morning of March 29, 2015, Mauricio and Cathy Torres were camping in Missouri with their two daughters and Isaiah. They woke to discover Isaiah had eaten cake for breakfast. For the offense of eating cake without permission, Isaiah was punished by inserting a stick into his rectum and forcing him to do squats. Torres described Isaiah's punishment to police: "I'm not gonna spank him. It doesn't ever work .... I just put the stick in his bottom again, you know. Like you said, that power. And I said, in the corner, you know, up and down." When Cathy saw what was happening, she became angry with Isaiah for not squatting fast enough and pushed him down. This drove the stick deeper inside of Isaiah's body and pierced his rectum.
Isaiah's health steadily deteriorated throughout the day. When the family returned to their home in Bella Vista, Arkansas, that night, he was unresponsive. Torres did not seek medical care for Isaiah until nearly midnight. When emergency responders arrived, Isaiah was in cardiac *467arrest. He was transported to a hospital in Benton County, Arkansas, but soon died.
The official cause of Isaiah's death was acute fecal purulent peritonitis-a bacterial infection in the abdominal cavity due to blunt force anorectal trauma. In other words, Isaiah died from the feces and pus that filled his abdomen through his punctured rectum. But a significant contributing factor to his death were the extensive injuries covering his entire body. The forensic pathologist who examined Isaiah's body described his condition as "a textbook case of chronic child abuse."
The injuries were in various stages of healing and were too numerous to count. Thick scar tissue lined the interior of Isaiah's skull cap from repeated, significant, and traumatic head injuries. Isaiah's nose had been broken, flattened, and deformed. His teeth had been forcibly removed. The injuries on his back included severe bruising, chemical burns, and multiple lacerations resembling whip marks. His hands and arms were covered in defensive wounds. And, shortly before his death, Isaiah sustained substantial and traumatic blows to his head and a blunt force injury encompassing his chest, back, and abdomen.
The apparent causes of these injuries were revealed at trial. According to his sister's testimony, Isaiah was regularly beaten with a cable and the stick that caused his death. He had been hospitalized the year before his death for chemical burns after being forced to bathe with bleach. Torres had removed Isaiah's teeth with pliers as punishment for speaking ill of him. He had forced Isaiah to consume his feces and urine. Moreover, Isaiah's blood was found spattered throughout the Bella Vista home and the Missouri camper.
The State of Arkansas charged Torres with capital murder premised on two alternate theories. The first theory was capital felony murder predicated on rape and the second theory was premised on child abuse. He was also charged with first-degree battery. The jury unanimously convicted Torres of first-degree battery and capital murder by a general verdict form. Torres was subsequently sentenced to death.
II.
Criminal jurisdiction at common law permitted a state to prosecute only those crimes committed within its territorial borders. See Comment, Jurisdiction Over Interstate Felony Murder ,
The jurisdictional bases within Arkansas's extraterritorial jurisdiction statute were adopted from the Model Penal Code. See
The "offense" at issue here is capital felony murder. Capital felony murder occurs when a person, acting alone or with others, commits or attempts to commit one of eleven enumerated felonies (including rape) and "[i]n the course of and in furtherance of the felony or in immediate flight from the felony, the person or an accomplice causes the death of a person under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life."
The plain language of these provisions clearly establishes Arkansas's jurisdiction to convict Torres of felony murder. Isaiah's death is a requisite element of the felony murder statute. Likewise, his in-state death is a "result" for purposes of jurisdiction. See
The majority's analysis turns on its flawed assertion that the "offense" at issue is rape. But Torres was not convicted of rape. Rather, he was convicted of capital felony murder predicated on rape. To be sure, the prosecution must prove the underlying felony to sustain a felony murder conviction. See Flowers v. State ,
The State of New York, analyzing similar felony murder and jurisdiction statutes, held it could prosecute for felony murder of an in-state death resulting from a felony committed in Connecticut. People v. Stokes ,
Similarly, the Illinois Supreme Court determined that a conviction on the underlying felony is not an element of felony murder. See People v. Holt ,
*469The plain language of our extraterritorial jurisdiction statute makes clear that Arkansas has jurisdiction to convict Torres of felony murder for the Arkansas death of his son, Isaiah, predicated on the Missouri rape. We should affirm the conviction.
For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent.
Kemp, C.J., and Wood, J., join.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Mauricio Alejandro TORRES v. STATE of Arkansas
- Cited By
- 4 cases
- Status
- Published