State v. Branch
State v. Branch
Opinion
{1} Defendant appeals his convictions for aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, negligent use of a deadly weapon, and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. On May 23, 2016, we issued an opinion affirming in part, reversing in part, and remanding for the district court to document its findings related to the serious violent offense designation.
State v. Branch
,
{2} On remand, we withdraw the opinion issued on May 23, 2016, and substitute this opinion in its stead.
{3} As we noted in our original opinion, there is no question that Defendant Lawrence Branch shot and injured his adult son, Joshua Branch, with a .44 caliber revolver. Defendant confessed to the shooting and was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon and negligent use of a deadly weapon. He was also charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for allegedly assaulting his wife, Patricia Branch, on the theory that Defendant's conduct caused Patricia to reasonably believe that he was about to batter her as well. The key issue at trial was whether the shooting, which was the basis for all three charges, was in self defense.
{4} The jury ultimately convicted Defendant on all counts. Penalties for aggravated battery and aggravated assault were each increased by one year pursuant to the statutory firearm enhancement. NMSA 1978, § 31-18-16(A) (1993). The district court then adjudged the aggravated assault conviction *1146 to be a "serious violent offense," which limits Defendant's eligibility for good time credit for time served in a state prison. See NMSA 1978, § 33-2-34(A)(1) (2006, amended 2015).
{5} On appeal, Defendant argues that (1) insufficient evidence and instructional error require reversal of the aggravated assault conviction, (2) multiple punishments violate Defendant's right to be free from double jeopardy, (3) discovery and evidentiary rulings undermined Defendant's ability to present a defense and to confront the State's evidence with respect to all charges, and (4) the serious violent offense designation to the aggravated assault conviction lacks necessary findings. In our original opinion, we affirmed Defendant's convictions for aggravated assault and aggravated battery, vacated his conviction for negligent use of a deadly weapon, and remanded for the district court to document its findings related to the serious violent offense designation. The Supreme Court order quashed the writ of certiorari on the questions presented in Defendant's petition on the above issues, and they are no longer subject to further consideration. See Order at 2, State v. Branch , No. S-1-SC-35951 (Dec. 18, 2017). On remand, and in light of Baroz , however, we hold that Defendant's firearm enhancements for aggravated assault and aggravated battery do not violate double jeopardy and that the district court's decision in this regard is affirmed.
BACKGROUND
{6} By all accounts, Joshua and Defendant spent the morning of May 7, 2012, arguing in the front yard, as they often did, about how best to care for the property they occupied in separate trailers. Joshua, who was a college student in the spring of 2012, left in the middle of the argument to take an exam. The argument resumed upon his return and ended when Defendant fired a single shot, striking Joshua in the thigh. Joshua's injuries resulted in five surgeries and ongoing issues with circulation and limb function. He was on crutches when he testified for the State at trial a year later.
{7} The specific circumstances surrounding the shooting were contested below. The State's witnesses testified that Defendant was visibly upset-"aggravated, agitated"-that morning. When Joshua finished his exam and returned to his parents' trailer, Defendant, with "hatred in his voice," told him to "get ... off the property." The two then shouted back and forth before Joshua attempted to leave. Joshua and Patricia walked toward the concrete slab that surrounded the steps to the porch. He had plans to meet his girlfriend for lunch, and Patricia, attempting to ease the tension, told him to do that. But as Joshua and Patricia talked near the front steps, Defendant walked past them into the house.
{8} At some point prior, two guns-including a .44 caliber super blackhawk (described as a "hand cannon" by one witness)-were moved from their usual spot in a closet at the back of the trailer and stashed in Defendant's recliner, which faced the trailer's front entrance. Defendant armed himself with the .44 within seconds of entering the trailer and then walked back to the front door. Steven Hickman, a family friend who was visiting the Branch home that day, testified that Defendant "went to the door and then [said] 'get ... out of here' and then bang, just like that, that quick, the gun was fired."
{9} Patricia testified that she had her hand on Joshua's shoulder when he was shot. The two were facing one another when she looked up and saw Defendant standing in the doorway with the .44. She hollered, "No!" And Defendant fired. She saw the "fire come out" of the gun, felt something hit her leg, and saw Joshua fall. She testified that she "thought he was going to shoot all of us."
{10} While Joshua lay bleeding on the pavement, Defendant came out of the trailer and placed a set of keys on the dash of a car that was parked under the carport. He then looked over to Patricia, turned, and walked up the road, stopping only to dispose of his pocket knife in a flower pot on the way out. Patricia did not see Defendant again that day.
{11} Defendant's version of events differed in some respects. He testified that he was sitting with Patricia on a swing in the yard when Joshua returned from school. Defendant, who no longer wanted to argue, told Joshua that he would leave. When Defendant stood to do so, he saw that Joshua was furious. As Defendant walked toward the trailer, he saw Joshua and Patricia coming *1147 toward him. He entered the house and saw Joshua outside, nearing the porch and then reaching for the rail by the door. Defendant was frightened because he knew that Joshua was a "violent kid" with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who had been in several fights before, including a fight in the military. He armed himself with the .44 and shot Joshua, who then released the rail and fell to the concrete. Additional facts will be included as needed in the analysis that follows.
DISCUSSION
A. Instructional Error and Sufficiency of the Evidence
{12} Assault consists of "any unlawful act, threat or menacing conduct which causes another person to reasonably believe that he is in danger of receiving an immediate battery[.]" NMSA 1978, § 30-3-1(B) (1963). The offense is aggravated when, as in this case, it is committed with a deadly weapon. NMSA 1978, § 30-3-2(A) (1963). Defendant argues that Section 30-3-1(B) required the State to prove something more than general criminal intent, which was the instruction given to the jury. Specifically, Defendant argues that the State had to prove "specific intent to frighten or put someone in fear of an imminent battery[,]" or at the very least, that one charged with violating Section 30-3-1(B) did so recklessly. Reading limiting principles of this sort into the statute would theoretically ensure some nexus between a defendant and his victim, thereby preventing what might otherwise amount to a construction of the assault statute that criminalizes the infliction of emotional distress for every bystander that is reasonably put in fear by the commission of a nearby crime.
{13} Defendant's argument is characterized as a sufficiency of the evidence challenge, as a challenge to the jury instructions themselves, and as an assertion of ineffective assistance of trial counsel in failing to request more demanding jury instructions. "Our review for sufficiency of the evidence is deferential to the jury's findings. We review direct and circumstantial evidence in the light most favorable to the guilty verdict, indulging all reasonable inferences and resolving all conflicts in the evidence in favor of the verdict."
State v. Webb
,
{14} Defendant's view of Section 30-3-1(B) has some merit. At common law, "[a] criminal assault was an attempt to commit a battery. A tortious assault was an act which put another in reasonable apprehension of immediate bodily harm."
United States v. Dupree
,
*1148
{15} But that is not the law of New Mexico. In
State v. Cruz
, this Court held that specific intent is not an essential element of aggravated assault.
{16} In
State v. Manus
, our Supreme Court-apparently persuaded by that reasoning-confirmed that general criminal intent is all that is required to support a conviction of aggravated assault under Section 30-3-1(B).
State v. Manus
,
{17} The defendant argued that his conviction for aggravated assault of the bystander could not stand because "there was no evidence of any intentional assault directed at [her]."
Id.
¶ 12. Our Supreme Court rejected that argument, holding that "[t]he [s]tate was not required to prove that [the defendant] intended to assault [the bystander], but only that he did an unlawful act which caused [the bystander] to reasonably believe that she was in danger of receiving an immediate battery, that the act was done with a deadly weapon, and that it was done with general criminal intent."
Id.
¶ 14 ;
see
State v. Morales
,
{18} The expansive application of assault in
Manus
controls our construction of Section 30-3-1(B). In accordance with the language of the statute, the State was only required to prove that Defendant "did an unlawful act which caused [the bystander] to reasonably believe that she was in danger of receiving an immediate battery, that the act was done with a deadly weapon, and that it was done with general criminal intent."
Manus
,
{19} Evidence was presented that Defendant's behavior on the day of the shooting was generally threatening. He was "aggravated, agitated at something" on that day; he had "hatred in his voice." He was in the midst of an ongoing argument with Joshua that had taken a turn for the worse. He spent the morning acting erratically-driving around the yard on a backhoe, threatening to "plow Joshua's house down." He demanded that Patricia choose between him and Joshua, but she refused to do so. His demeanor prior to the shooting frightened Patricia.
*1149
{20} According to his own version of events, Defendant ascended the porch steps and saw Joshua coming toward the trailer with Patricia "behind him." Steven and Patricia testified that Defendant armed himself within "a couple of seconds" and shot Joshua while Patricia was standing right next to him. Patricia testified that she saw the muzzle flash, felt something hit her leg, and "thought he was going to shoot all of us." We view this testimony in the light most favorable to the State.
See
Webb
,
{21} Defendant makes one additional (and related) argument with respect to the sufficiency of the evidence for the aggravated assault conviction. He contends that the evidence failed to establish that he made any threat or exhibited any menacing conduct toward Patricia, which he argues is required by the statute. Defendant misreads Section 30-3-1(B). Assault consists of "any unlawful act, threat or menacing conduct which causes another person to reasonably believe that he is in danger of receiving an immediate battery[.]"
B. Double Jeopardy
{22} We next turn to the various double jeopardy issues that Defendant raises. The constitution protects against both successive prosecutions and multiple punishments for the same offense.
Swafford v. State
,
{23} Our courts apply a two-step inquiry to double-description claims. Id. ¶ 25. First, we analyze the factual question, "whether the conduct underlying the offenses is unitary, i.e. , whether the same conduct violates both statutes[,]" and if so, we consider the legal question, "whether the [L]egislature intended to create separately punishable offenses." Id. "If it reasonably can be said that the conduct is unitary, then [we] must move to the second part of the inquiry. Otherwise, if the conduct is separate and distinct, [the] inquiry is at an end." Id. ¶ 28.
{24} Because it is undisputed that this case involves unitary conduct (the firing of a single shot) that resulted in multiple convictions, our analysis will be limited to the question of legislative intent. "Determinations of legislative intent, like double jeopardy, present issues of law that are reviewed de novo, with the ultimate goal of such review to be facilitating and promoting the [L]egislature's accomplishment of its purpose."
State v. Montoya
,
{25} In
State v. Gutierrez
, our Supreme Court modified the
Blockburger
analysis for double jeopardy claims involving statutes that are "vague and unspecific" or "written with many alternatives."
{26} If the statutes survive
Blockburger
, we examine "other indicia of legislative intent."
Swafford
,
{27} Defendant argues that his right to be free from double jeopardy is violated by multiple punishments for (1) aggravated battery and negligent use of a firearm, (2) aggravated assault and aggravated battery, and (3) the firearm enhancements to aggravated assault and aggravated battery. The State concedes at the outset that Defendant's conviction for negligent use of a firearm must be vacated, because-as charged-it is subsumed within the aggravated battery conviction. We agree. We address Defendant's two remaining arguments in turn.
1. Aggravated Assault and Aggravated Battery
{28} The charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon was apparently pursued under the "unlawful act" prong of Section 30-3-1(B). The term "any unlawful act" is a generic one; there are numerous forms of conduct that could fulfill that requirement.
See
Mascarenas
,
{29} Defendant's conviction for aggravated battery, on the other hand, required the State to prove "the unlawful touching or application of force to the person of another
with intent to injure that person or another
." NMSA 1978, § 30-3-5(A) (1969) (emphasis added). Section 30-3-5(A) always includes a statutory element (intent to injure another person) that is never an element of assault under Section 30-3-1(B), even as charged in this case. That is because-as we have discussed at length in this Opinion-assault under Section 30-3-1(B) has no specific intent requirement.
Manus
,
{30} When two statutes survive Blockburger , we look to "the language, history, and subject of the statutes, and we must identify the particular evil sought to be addressed by each offense."
*1151
Montoya
,
{31} In
State v. Roper
, we held that double jeopardy principles are not offended when a defendant is convicted and sentenced for two counts of assault for pointing a gun at two persons at the same time.
2. Firearm Enhancements
{32} Defendant next argues that firearm enhancements to his convictions for aggravated battery and aggravated assault, both committed with a deadly weapon, violate double jeopardy because use of a firearm-the only essential requirement for the increased penalty-was also charged to the jury to prove the underlying crimes.
{33} We consider this issue on remand from the Supreme Court in light of the Court's disposition in
Baroz
.
See
Order at 1-2,
State v. Branch
, No. S-1-SC-35951 (Dec. 18, 2017). In
Baroz
, the defendant was sentenced to a term of eighteen months, followed by one year of parole, for each of his convictions of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.
{34} Given the Supreme Court's holding in Baroz , we conclude that the firearm enhancements in this case do not violate double jeopardy. We withdraw our previous holding that the enhancements must be vacated and instead affirm the district court's ruling that Defendant's sentences for aggravated battery and aggravated assault each be increased by one year pursuant to the statutory firearm enhancement.
C. Discovery and Evidentiary Rulings
{35} Defendant next argues that discovery and evidentiary rulings undermined his right to present a defense and to confront the State's evidence. He argues that the district court erred when it (1) failed to order disclosure of Joshua's military and mental health records, (2) excluded expert testimony related to PTSD, and (3) failed to provide a remedy for the destruction of evidence material to the case. Defendant asserts that these errors, either separately or combined, deprived him of a fair trial.
{36} We review these contentions in a manner highly deferential to the court below. "The granting of discovery in a criminal case is a matter peculiarly within the discretion of the trial court. A trial judge's denial of a defendant's discovery requests will be reviewed according to an abuse of discretion standard."
State v. Bobbin
,
1. Disclosure of Military and Mental Health Records
{37} Defendant issued a subpoena duces tecum directing Joshua, who is a veteran of the Marine Corps, to provide a copy of his military discharge paperwork. Defendant also requested a court order authorizing the release of Joshua's discharge records from the National Archives in St. Louis, Missouri. See 5 U.S.C. § 552a(b)(11) (2014) (permitting the disclosure of agency records "pursuant to the order of a court of competent jurisdiction"). In response, the State asserted that Joshua's discharge records were inadmissible and contained sensitive personal identifying information and protected medical information. The State also asserted that Joshua's prior service as a Marine could not possibly provide a justification for Defendant shooting him in the leg.
{38} At the hearing on the issue, the district court apparently viewed Defendant's various discovery requests as a "fishing expedition." 1 The court asked Defendant to articulate his reasons for seeking Joshua's military records. Defendant asserted that Joshua had been previously involved in "violence against other members of the military." Defendant specifically referred to a fight in the military that may have resulted in Joshua's service being prematurely terminated. He argued that evidence of the fight could be admissible to show Joshua's propensity for violence. He also argued that Joshua was going to take the stand and that the discharge papers would be useful to impeach him. And finally, Defendant argued that the military records could open an avenue into Joshua's mental health history as it relates to PTSD.
{39} The district court correctly determined that, in self defense cases, evidence of specific instances of a victim's prior violent conduct cannot be admitted as propensity evidence of the victim's violent disposition.
See
State v. Armendariz
,
{40} Records are normally discoverable if reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence.
See
Rule 5-503(C) NMRA. While records need not be admissible to be discoverable, a proponent of discovery may still be required to provide "a reasonable basis on which to believe that it is likely the records contain material information."
State v. Garcia
,
*1153
{41} We agree that in camera review would have been the best way to balance Joshua's privacy interests with Defendant's interests in obtaining records that were potentially relevant to his defense.
See
State v. Luna
,
{42} But there is one problem for Defendant. Unlike the defendants in
Luna
,
As in Pohl , we cannot determine whether the suppressed evidence was material to [the d]efendants' claim of self[ ]defense, but, unlike Pohl , [the d]efendants neither requested an in camera hearing nor showed as specific a need as could be expected under the circumstances.... Rather, our review of the argument made during the motion hearing convinces us that [the d]efendants were on a fishing expedition. [The d]efendants made no showing that their rights would be violated but for full disclosure of the master file[.]
{43} There are compelling arguments on appeal that in camera review of Joshua's military records could have been useful to locate material information, such as the identities of character witnesses who could have testified about Joshua's reputation for violence,
see
Rule 11-405(A) NMRA, or corroborating witnesses who arguably could have testified under Rule 11-404(B) NMRA and
State v. Maples
,
2. Testimony Related to PTSD
{44} Defense counsel questioned Joshua at a preliminary hearing about a diagnosis of PTSD related to prior military service. The State then filed a motion in limine to exclude evidence of Joshua's mental health history in the absence of expert testimony establishing the relevance of such evidence. The district court granted that motion, ordering that if "Defendant does not make, through expert testimony, a prima faci [ e ] showing that evidence of [Joshua's] mental health history is relevant, then no such evidence may be introduced." A little over a week before trial, Defendant identified Dr. Alexander Paret, a psychologist, to testify about PTSD. The State moved to exclude Dr. Paret's testimony on the ground that he had no prior contact with Joshua and would have been unable to testify about how PTSD symptoms were specifically manifested in Joshua.
{45} The district court held a hearing on the issue on the day before trial. Defendant conceded that Dr. Paret had never met or *1154 spoken with Joshua and would only testify about PTSD generally because a diagnosis of PTSD goes to the reasonableness of Defendant's assumption that he was in apparent danger when he shot Joshua. The court pointed out that "PTSD is a spectrum" that manifests itself in different people in different ways and that without ever having examined Joshua, Dr. Paret could not assist the jury in determining whether Defendant's alleged concerns about Joshua's PTSD were reasonable. The court suppressed the proposed testimony.
{46} "The very essence of discretion is that there will be reasons for the district court to rule either way on an issue, and whatever way the district court rules will not be an abuse of discretion."
State v. Layne
,
{47} The defendant in Tafoya was prevented from calling a child psychologist to testify that children had fantasized an alleged instance of sexual assault. Id. ¶ 3. The psychologist's testimony "was to have been based upon statements and depositions of the children, as well as tapes of their trial testimony. She had never personally observed the demeanor of the children, nor questioned them herself." Id. On appeal, our Supreme Court held that it was not an abuse of discretion for the trial court to "determine that the probative value of the testimony was slight, based upon the lack of personal observation" by the psychologist. Id. ¶ 7.
{48} The situation is no different here. The district court in this case reasonably discounted the value of Dr. Paret's general testimony about PTSD, which would have made no reference to any observation of Joshua. "PTSD is simply not a monolithic disease with a uniform structure that does not permit of individual variation."
Brunell v. Wildwood Crest Police Dep't
,
3. Destruction of Evidence
{49} At some point on the day of the shooting, Detective Danny Clugsten of the San Juan County Sheriff's Office took photographs of the crime scene that were inadvertently lost. Defendant moved on the morning of trial to dismiss all charges or to otherwise exclude several of the State's witnesses pursuant to
Scoggins v. State
,
{50} We apply a three-part test to determine whether deprivation of evidence by the State constitutes reversible error.
Chouinard
,
{51} Defendant's motion was filed at the last minute and without any good reason for the late filing. The defense team had known for months that the photographs were lost. They nevertheless brought the issue to the court's attention on the morning of trial because, after a discussion the night before, they realized they "had a duty to generate a record." They faxed the motion to opposing counsel at 7:00 p.m. that night, leaving the State little opportunity to respond. It was undisputed that the motion was untimely and that there was no good excuse for the late filing.
{52} In any event, Defendant's argument is not convincing on the merits. While there is no doubt that the State breached a duty to preserve evidence, the district court could reasonably conclude that Defendant did not show materiality or prejudice. Defendant asserted at the hearing that blood spatter in the photographs might show Joshua's location when he was shot. That is speculative because Defendant did not know what was in the photographs. "The mere possibility that an item of undisclosed information might have helped the defense, or might have affected the outcome of the trial, does not establish 'materiality' in the constitutional sense."
State v. Martin
,
{53} Even assuming that there was discernable blood spatter in the photographs, it is unlikely that suppression prejudiced Defendant. The State's theory about Joshua's location when he was shot was not meaningfully different from Defendant's version of events. Joshua testified that he was three to four feet from the railing on the steps to the front porch. Patricia testified to the same effect. Steven saw Joshua lying on the pavement six to eight feet from the trailer after the shooting. And Defendant conceded that Joshua did not follow him onto the porch. All accounts put Joshua in the immediate vicinity of the railing surrounding the door to the trailer when the shooting occurred. The real question was not where Joshua was standing, but whether he was advancing on Defendant. No after-the-fact photograph of blood spatter could have resolved that critical issue.
See
State v. Duarte
,
*1156
{54} We conclude that there was no error in any of the district court's discovery and evidentiary rulings, and therefore, there was no cumulative error.
See
State v. Salas
,
D. Aggravated Assault as a Serious Violent Offense
{55} This final issue arises, as it often does, because the district court used only boilerplate language in a sentencing document to designate a serious violent offense under Section 33-2-34(L)(4)(o) of the Earned Meritorious Deductions Act (EMDA). The EMDA provides that prisoners convicted of serious violent offenses may earn only four (as opposed to thirty) days per month of good time credit for time served in our state prisons. Section 33-2-34(A)(1), (2). The statute divides serious violent offenses into two categories: (1) an enumerated list of crimes, such as second degree murder, that are serious violent offenses as a matter of law; and (2) several "additional offenses that the district court may determine to be serious violent offenses due to the nature of the offense and the resulting harm."
State v. Scurry
,
{56} When, as here, an offense is discretionary under the statute, "a court's designation of a crime as a serious violent offense affects the length of time the defendant serves time in prison," and therefore "it is important that the court make specific findings both to inform the defendant being sentenced of the factual basis on which his good time credit is being substantially reduced, and to permit meaningful and effective appellate review of the court's designation."
State v. Loretto
,
{57} The State argues that "[t]he evidence presented at trial fully supports the trial court's finding that the aggravated assault conviction was a serious violent offense." But the standard is not whether there is sufficient evidence in the record to support the district court's unexplained conclusion. The standard is a bright line that "requires the district court to explain its conclusions."
Scurry
,
{58} The State has not pointed out any specific findings in the record. The judgment and sentence contains only the same run-of-the-mill explanation-"due to the nature of the offense and the resulting harm"-that frequently causes us to remand cases for additional factfinding.
See, e.g.
,
State v. Irvin
,
*1157
{59} We once again remand for findings consistent with the standard described in
Morales
,
CONCLUSION
{60} Defendant's convictions for aggravated assault and aggravated battery, both with a deadly weapon, are affirmed. The firearm enhancements to those convictions are also affirmed. Defendant's conviction for negligent use of a deadly weapon is reversed and vacated. Finally, we remand the serious violent offense designation related to Defendant's aggravated assault conviction back to the district court for specific findings to identify and explain the evidence supporting the designation.
{61} IT IS SO ORDERED.
WE CONCUR:
TIMOTHY L. GARCIA, Judge
STEPHEN G. FRENCH, Judge
Defendant also subpoenaed Joshua's college academic records. That subpoena is not involved in this appeal.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- STATE of New Mexico, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. Lawrence BRANCH, Defendant-Appellant.
- Cited By
- 53 cases
- Status
- Published