People v. Clemens
People v. Clemens
Opinion of the Court
¶ 1 Based on an altercation with the female victim and a male bystander who intervened, defendant, Bradley Raymond Clemens, was convicted of assault in the second degree (female victim) and assault in the third degree (bystander). He appeals on four grounds: (1) the trial court abused its discretion in denying three of his challenges for cause; (2) the trial court erred in referring to the prospective jurors only by number; (3) the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress because the police entered his home without a warrant and arrested him; and (4) the trial court abused its discretion in admitting evidence of the female victim's statements that Clemens had threatened to rape her and of Clemens' question to the booking officer whether she had accused him of rape.
¶ 2 We agree with Clemens' first contention, which raises an unresolved question of law in Colorado, reverse the judgment, and remand the case for a new trial.
I. The Trial Court Abused its Discretion in Denying Clemens' Challenges for Cause to Prospective Jurors 7, 10, and 12
¶ 3 During voir dire, a prospective juror, who was later dismissed for cause, raised concerns about his ability to return a not-guilty verdict if Clemens declined to testify. Defense counsel then asked the entire venire if others felt similarly. In response, prospective jurors 7, 10, and 12 each expressed similar concerns as to their ability to fairly weigh the evidence presented without hearing from Clemens.
Prospective juror 12 was the first to suggest "real concerns."
[Defense Counsel]: ... The question is the Judge says to you that the law does not require Mr. Clemens to testify. [A]re you going to find it hard to find him not guilty if you don't hear from him and hear an explanation out of his mouth?
Prospective Juror [12]: Probably.
[Defense Counsel]: Okay. You have some real concerns about that?
Prospective Juror [12]: Uh-huh.
¶ 4 Defense counsel asked the venire if anyone else agreed. Prospective juror 10 replied, "Yes, I just agree with them, too. I feel if you're not going to tell your side, you have something to hide." Counsel asked, "Even though the Judge may instruct you *835that you can't use that as [an] inference of guilt, you have real concerns you would use that as an inference of guilt?" Prospective juror 10 again answered, "Yes."
¶ 5 Next, defense counsel asked prospective juror 7, "You have concerns that if Mr. Clemens doesn't testify as is his right, that you would have trouble following the Judge's instruction that you may not use his exercising of the right to remain silent, that you would use that against him?" Prospective juror 7 also replied, "Yes."
¶ 6 Following these exchanges, the trial court explained three bedrock principles of criminal law to the entire venire: the prosecution bears the burden of proof; the defendant is not required to testify; and if the defendant chooses not to testify, that fact cannot be used in jury deliberations.
¶ 7 Defense counsel then resumed voir dire and asked the venire whether "anybody ... still feels that if you don't hear from Mr. Clemens that would be a problem for you reaching a verdict of not guilty in this case." Two other jurors, who also were both dismissed for cause later, expressed concerns about their ability to fairly weigh the evidence without hearing from Clemens. Again, defense counsel turned to the venire and asked if "anybody else ha[d] anything more to say" on the matter. But this time, the venire was silent.
¶ 8 At the conclusion of voir dire, defense counsel challenged prospective jurors 7, 10, and 12 for cause based on their earlier statements. The court denied each challenge. As to prospective juror 12, the court explained:
I think 12 didn't-I did not see after my admonition to the jury about the question regarding the defendant not having to testify. I don't think that 12 gave this strong indication ... that she could not follow the instructions [of] the court, unlike [the other prospective jurors who were dismissed for cause], continued to maintain that position even after my admonition.
As to prospective jurors 7 and 10, the trial court added:
My recollection is that after I gave the instruction about not speculating and how that is an important part of our judicial system, one juror particularly noted that that helped explain it. And when I asked the rest of the panel if any of them could not follow that, there were no others that indicated [they could not] except for [a prospective juror dismissed for cause].
Defense counsel removed prospective jurors 7, 10, and 12 with peremptory challenges and exhausted all of his remaining challenges.
A. Standard of Review
¶ 9 Because of the trial court's superior position to assess a prospective juror's demeanor and credibility, People v. Young,
¶ 10 But appellate courts must not "abdicate their responsibility to ensure that the requirements of fairness are fulfilled."
*836Morgan v. People ,
B. Law
¶ 11 Many Colorado cases have addressed challenges for cause to prospective jurors who, as here, expressed a need to hear "both sides" before rendering a verdict. See, e.g., Morgan,
C. Application
¶ 12 The initial statements by prospective jurors 7, 10, and 12 established sufficient grounds to challenge them for cause. Unless they were rehabilitated, the trial court abused its discretion in denying the challenges for cause.
¶ 13 In People v. Hancock,
¶ 14 Here, the trial court attempted to satisfy the second requirement by responding to the jurors' statements with a lengthy admonishment and then asking the venire whether it could apply the law as explained. Clemens does not dispute the adequacy of the admonition, nor does the record afford any basis for doing so.
¶ 15 But this leaves unanswered the question whether these prospective jurors' silence, despite repeated questions to the venire, constituted sufficient rehabilitation. Because no Colorado case has addressed whether such silence is sufficient rehabilitation, we consider evidentiary principles, cases from other jurisdictions dealing with rehabilitation based on silence, and Colorado cases on rehabilitation of prospective jurors. We conclude that, where a prospective juror has taken a position supporting a challenge for cause, that juror's silence following a question or questions to the entire panel does not constitute sufficient rehabilitation.
¶ 16 In certain circumstances, silence may be evidence of an affirmative response.
¶ 17 First, "[s]ome prospective jurors undoubtedly find voir dire intimidating," United States v. Hill,
¶ 18 For these reasons, we turn to the few other jurisdictions that have decided the question. But their answers to the question are split.
1. Yes, Silence Can Rehabilitate A Prospective Juror Who Previously Indicated an Unwillingness to Follow the Law
¶ 19 A panel of the Ninth Circuit has held that even if a juror had previously indicated an unwillingness to follow the law, "[i]n the context of the voir dire, [that juror's] failure to respond [to a question posed to the entire venire] can be construed as a commitment by [the juror] to follow the law." United States v. Martinez-Martinez,
¶ 20 Similarly, the Missouri Court of Appeals has repeatedly held that "[a] venireperson's silence may constitute an unequivocal assurance of impartiality sufficient for the purpose of rehabilitation." State v. Garrison,
[i]f the jurors had been asked individually the questions the court asked them as a group and the jurors individually had given the same answers that the entire panel made, we would not have found an abuse of discretion in the court's failure to sustain defendant's objections for cause. Having made that determination, what is the effect of the manner in which the court asked the questions and received the responses?
2. No, Silence Cannot Rehabilitate A Prospective Juror Who Previously Indicated an Unwillingness to Follow the Law
¶ 21 The District of Columbia, Florida, New York, and Texas have each concluded that jurors' silence in the face of a question posed to the venire is insufficient to rehabilitate previous problematic statements.
¶ 22 The D.C. Court of Appeals held that when prospective jurors indicated their potential bias, their silence in response to questions posed to the venire was insufficient to rehabilitate them. Doret v. United States,
*838response, to ensure their impartiality and fairness as jurors."
¶ 23 Arriving at the same conclusion, the Louisiana Court of Appeals held that posing five questions to prospective jurors regarding their impartiality and inviting them to raise their hands to indicate an inability to apply the law as given are insufficient as "a method of rehabilitation ... to rebut a juror's unambiguous expression of partiality resulting from an individual questioning." State v. Lewis,
¶ 24 Likewise, New York's highest court held that "the collective acknowledgment by the entire jury panel that they would follow the Judge's instructions ... was insufficient to constitute an unequivocal declaration of impartiality from [the prospective juror]." People v. Arnold,
¶ 25 For the following four reasons, the latter approach is both better reasoned and more consistent with Colorado law.
¶ 26 First, "trial by jury in criminal cases is fundamental to the American scheme of justice." Duncan v. Louisiana,
¶ 27 Second, in People v. Sandoval,
¶ 28 Third, as explained by the New York Court of Appeals, adequate rehabilitation requires prospective jurors to "address [their] personal attitudes" and "to confront the crucial question whether [they] could be fair to [the] defendant in light of [their] expressed predisposition[s]." Arnold,
¶ 29 Fourth, a categorical rule requiring an affirmative response from prospective jurors who have made problematic statements recognizes the trial courts' unique opportunity to assess juror demeanor. See, e.g., Young,
¶ 30 Accordingly, because the statements of prospective jurors 7, 10, and 12 indicating unwillingness to follow the law were not overcome by their responses to individual questioning, we conclude that the trial court abused its discretion in denying Clemens' challenges for cause. Therefore, the judgment must be reversed and the case is remanded for a new trial.
¶ 31 In so holding, we do not diminish the value of questions posed to the entire venire, where no prospective juror has already indicated unwillingness or inability to return an impartial verdict. See People v. Pena-Rodriguez,
II. The Warrantless Entry into Clemens' House Was Lawful, Because the Police Officers Reasonably Believed that the Female Victim Had Apparent Authority to Consent
¶ 32 Although we reverse the judgment on challenge for cause grounds, we address Clemens' contention that the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress because the suppression ruling could affect the retrial.
¶ 33 When the police arrived at the scene, they found three male bystanders and the female victim, bloodied around the mouth and appearing intoxicated. One of the bystanders had attempted to intervene when he saw a male holding a woman down, striking her with what he said looked like a broken golf club. When he sought to intervene, the perpetrator struck him with the golf club. One of the other bystanders kicked the perpetrator in the head, and the man ran off. The third male bystander heard the shouts for help and called 911.
¶ 34 While the eyewitnesses told the responding officers that the perpetrator fled the scene into one house, the female victim told them that she lived with Clemens at a different address in the same block. The officers did not obtain a warrant, but immediately and forcefully entered Clemens' house, which the female victim had correctly identified, and arrested him.
A. Standard of Review
¶ 35 "A ruling on a motion to suppress requires the trial court to make findings of historical fact and apply controlling legal standards to the established facts." People v. Nelson,
*840People v. Trusty,
B. Law
¶ 36 A warrantless entry into a home is presumptively unconstitutional unless an exception to the warrant requirement applies. People v. Strimple,
¶ 37 When applying the apparent authority doctrine, the key question is "whether a police officer's belief that a third party had the authority to consent to a search is objectively reasonable." People v. McKinstrey,
C. Application
¶ 38 The following evidence admitted at the suppression hearing supports the trial court's finding that the officers reasonably believed the female victim had authority to consent to the entry:
• She was found unclothed in the street in front of the house, in the middle of the night, suggesting a connection with the house;
• She explained that her keys, an indicator of common authority, were inside the house, along with her clothing;
• She told the officers that she lived in the house with Clemens; and
• She granted them permission to forcibly enter the house, if necessary, which would be unlikely from a person without any authority over the premises.
¶ 39 In Clemens' view, however, this evidence presented "at best, ambiguous circumstances." He argues that the officers should have made additional inquiries into her authority because they received inconsistent statements about Clemens' address. But under the circumstances of an active crime scene involving multiple assaults and victims, this inconsistency does not create sufficient ambiguity to hold that the trial court abused its discretion in finding the officers' belief to have been reasonable.
¶ 40 Accordingly, we conclude that under the apparent authority doctrine, the officers properly entered Clemens' house without a warrant.
III. Remaining Evidentiary Contentions
¶ 41 We decline to address Clemens' evidentiary contentions because how they may arise on retrial is indeterminable.
IV. Conclusion
¶ 42 The judgment of conviction is reversed and the case is remanded for a new trial consistent with this opinion.
JUDGE DUNN concurs.
JUDGE BERNARD concurs in part and dissents in part.
"As I instructed you earlier, in our system of justice, it is the prosecution's burden in every case to present the evidence to prove the case. If the prosecution fails to present sufficient evidence, then you must find the defendant not guilty.
"Another very important part of our judicial system is that the defendant never has to present any evidence or testify themselves. And you cannot use th[e] fact that a defendant does not take the stand as any evidence one way or the other. [I]t's just not a factor to be taken into consideration....
"The only evidence that matters is the evidence that comes from the witness stand. And a defendant for whatever reason they want to can choose not to take the stand.... Anyone here who cannot follow that instruction, that if the prosecution fails to present enough evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt every element of the offense, is there anyone here who could not find the defendant not guilty? And if the prosecution[ ] failed to present enough evidence, would the fact that the defendant may not testify make you change your mind and say now I'm going to find him guilty even though there wasn't evidence to prove the case; anyone who would do that?"
For instance, while
silence generally is thought to lack probative value on the question of whether a person has expressed tacit agreement or disagreement with contemporaneous statements of others[,] [i]n some situations, ... where the normal reaction is to speak out in response to a statement, silence may have some probative value.
People v. Quintana ,
Other courts have also considered jurors' silence, as a negative response, but only where failure to disclose information would have suggested bias after the panel was asked questions "reasonably calculated" to reveal such bias.E.g., State v. Akins,
This result is dictated by People v. Macrander,
Courts' analyses of questions posed to the entire venire regarding pretrial publicity illustrate the utility and limitations of such questions. In cases involving extensive pretrial publicity, "a general question [whether they have been biased by the media] directed to the entire group of prospective jurors is inadequate." United States v. Giese,
Because of this conclusion, we need not address the exigent circumstances exceptions to the warrant requirement.
Concurring in Part
¶ 43 I respectfully dissent from the majority's conclusion in section I. I concur with the rest of the opinion.
¶ 44 During its introductory remarks, the trial court stated, as is pertinent here, that "the defendant is never compelled to testify, and the fact that he does not cannot be used against him or as an inference of guilt and should not prejudice him in any way."
¶ 45 During her voir dire, defense counsel asked the prospective jurors whether, despite this instruction, they would have "real concerns as to whether ... you can find [defendant] not guilty" if he did not testify.
*841Jurors 7, 10, and 12 all responded indicating that they harbored such concerns.
¶ 46 The responses of these three jurors obviously raised the question whether they would follow the pertinent law during the trial and during their deliberations. But I would conclude, for the following reasons, that the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied defendant's challenges for cause concerning them. See People v. Merrow,
I. The Court Instructed All Jurors to Volunteer Relevant Information During Voir Dire, and the Jurors in This Case Did So Repeatedly
¶ 47 The trial court told the jurors in its opening remarks that "it is very important that you listen to the questions asked and that you answer them to the best of your ability." The court added that, when it asked questions, "I may ask a very general open-ended question and ask all those that it applies [to] to raise their hand[s]. And then you may ... answer it."
¶ 48 The court repeated this direction a short time later when it stated, "I'm going to ask some questions ... of you as a whole. And if ... you have an answer to ... these questions, please just raise your hand."
¶ 49 By my count, the prospective jurors, some of them more than once, followed this procedure almost seventy times during the court's initial questioning before the attorneys began their own inquiries. As a result, I would conclude that each prospective juror clearly understood, from the beginning of voir dire, that he or she should volunteer a response when the court asked a pertinent question.
¶ 50 The pattern of jurors volunteering information continued during defense counsel's questions. She ultimately questioned fifteen prospective jurors about whether they had "concerns" if defendant did not testify. Although the record is not entirely clear because it does not indicate all the jurors who may have raised their hands in response to defense counsel's questions, many jurors volunteered their responses. It appears to me that jurors 7, 10, and 12 were among these volunteers.
II. After Jurors 7, 10, and 12, Among Others, Expressed Their Concerns, the Trial Court Instructed the Prospective Jurors That They Could Not Use Defendant's Failure to Testify Against Him
¶ 51 After the first twelve jurors spoke with defense counsel about this issue, including jurors 7, 10, and 12, the court instructed the jury that a "very important part of our judicial system is that the [defendants] never ha[ve] to present any evidence or testify themselves. And you cannot use th[e] fact that a defendant does not take the stand as any evidence one way or the other." The court added:
• "The only evidence that matters is the evidence that comes from the witness stand";
• "[A] defendant for whatever reason ... can choose not to take the stand";
• "If a defendant does not take the stand, that is the defendant's decision"; and
• "[T]he jury is instructed that [it] cannot guess [what] that reason is."
III. The Court and Defense Counsel Asked Narrow and Focused Questions That Would Prompt Reasonable Jurors to Volunteer a Response If They Still Had Concerns About Finding Defendant Not Guilty If He Did Not Testify
¶ 52 After instructing the jury about the pertinent law, the court asked the jurors two questions. Was there "anyone" who would convict defendant despite the court's instruction that, if the jury found that the prosecution did not prove all the elements of the offense beyond a reasonable doubt, then the jury was required to acquit him? Was there "anyone" who would find defendant guilty "because he didn't testify even though there wasn't evidence to prove the case?"
¶ 53 One juror, number 25, volunteered a response to these questions. He stated that, *842if defendant did not testify, then defendant must have "something to hide ... [a]nd to me that's guilty." The court excused this juror for cause.
¶ 54 Defense counsel then asked the prospective jurors a similarly focused question. "[I]s there anyone back here, some hands were raised before, who [has heard] ... what the [j]udge had to say, [and who] still feels that if you don't hear from [defendant] that would be a problem for you reaching a verdict of not guilty in this case?" (Emphasis added.)
¶ 55 Three jurors responded. One stated that if "I don't hear [defendant's] story, I could not" acquit him. A second agreed with that statement. But a third replied, "I was glad to have the added information about how to approach it." Jurors 7, 10, and 12 did not respond.
¶ 56 Jurors 7, 10, and 12 were obviously included in the word "anyone," which was contained in the court's and defense counsel's questions. And defense counsel's question further inquired whether, after listening to the court's instruction, any juror still felt that the juror's ability to acquit defendant would be impaired if he did not testify.
¶ 57 I would conclude that the direct and focused phrasing of the court's and defense counsel's questions indicates that the prospective jurors would only have responded affirmatively if they would not follow the court's instructions. In this context, silence means to me that jurors 7, 10, and 12, would have followed the court's instructions.
¶ 58 Their silence in the face of the court's and defense counsel's questions further convinces me that jurors 7, 10, and 12 were following the rules of voir dire that the court had laid out in its opening remarks, and which had been followed repeatedly during voir dire. We know that other jurors volunteered answers to the court's and defense counsel's questions, and the record does not suggest that Jurors 7, 10, and 12 had difficulty speaking up.
¶ 59 In my view, reasonable jurors in these circumstances would only have answered these questions verbally if they still harbored concerns about the prospect that defendant might not testify. See State v. Akins,
IV. Opinions from Other Jurisdictions That Engage in Similar Analysis Support the Conclusion that I Would Reach
¶ 60 The facts of this case are much like those in United States v. Martinez-Martinez,
¶ 61 Similarly, State v. Garrison,
¶ 62 The prosecutor in Garrison asked the jury a series of questions about a defendant's right not to be present in court. These questions included vocabulary that was similar to the words the trial court and defense counsel used here. There were inquires such as: (1) "does everyone ... understand" that the defendant could choose to exercise his right not to attend the trial; (2) "do you understand" that his presence or absence was not evidence; (3) "is there anyone here" who did not understand that concept; and (4) "is there anyone here" who could not put aside the defendant's potential absence in evaluating the testimony and evidence that would be submitted? There was no response *843to any of these questions, and the prosecutor noted that he saw "no hands."
V. Colorado Law Supports the Conclusion That I Would Reach
¶ 63 It is fair to say in this case that jurors 7, 10, and 12 "displayed a preconceived opinion that defendants in general should testify in their own defense." People v. Vecchiarelli-McLaughlin,
¶ 64 It is one thing if a juror "display[s] persistent doubts" about whether the juror can be "fair in the absence of testimony from the defendant." Id . It is another thing if the "examination" of jurors or "other evidence" satisfies the trial court that the juror will " 'render an impartial verdict according to the law and the evidence submitted to the jury at trial.' " Id . at 75 (quoting § 16-10-103(j), C.R.S.2013 ).
¶ 65 We do not have the trial court's perspective on prospective jurors. We do not know whether jurors 7, 10, and 12 were hesitant or emphatic when they expressed their concerns. Unlike the trial court, we do not know what the demeanor of jurors 7, 10, and 12 was when they expressed those concerns, or when the court instructed them, or when the court and defense counsel asked them the three questions, or when the other jurors supplied answers to those questions.See Carrillo v. People,
¶ 66 The expression of the "preconceived opinion" by Jurors 7, 10, and 12 that defendant should testify was comparatively brief. I would not characterize their statements as "persistent." See Vecchiarelli-McLaughlin,
¶ 67 I would conclude, under the circumstances here, that the silence of jurors 7, 10, and 12 in response to the court's and defense counsel's questions was an assurance that they would follow the court's instructions. See People v. Drake,
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