Title: Martinez v. People

State: colorado

Issuer: Colorado Supreme Court

Document:

470 P.2d 26 (1970) Raymond MARTINEZ, Plaintiff in Error, v. The PEOPLE of the State of Colorado, Defendant in Error. No. 22870. Supreme Court of Colorado, En Banc. June 8, 1970. *27 John S. Carroll, Rebecca L. Bradley, Denver, for plaintiff in error. Duke W. Dunbar, Atty. Gen., John P. Moore, Deputy Atty. Gen., George E. DeRoos, Asst. Atty. Gen., Denver, for defendant in error. DAY, Justice. Raymond Martinez was found guilty of assault with intent to commit robbery. From that judgment he brings writ of error. One assignment of error advanced by Martinez is that the court erred in allowing Martinez to proceed to trial pro se because (a) he had never intelligently waived his right to counsel; (b) he was influenced in his decision by a choice between his right to counsel and his right to a speedy trial; and (c) he clearly was not competent to try his own case. The record establishes that Martinez was arrested on December 23, 1965. He was arraigned on January 12, 1966, at which time he indicated he was indigent and that he did not have an attorney. He raised objections to having the public defender represent him and insisted upon defending himself. He stated that if the court appointed an attorney he would refuse to cooperate with him. The judge then hearing the matter interpreted his remarks to apply to not only the public defender but any other attorney that might be appointed. This judge strongly urged that the defendant accept an appointed attorney. The defendant was next before a second judge, again not the trial judge, and was again most strongly urged to accept an appointed attorney. This judge described to him some of the involved matters that might be encountered and the reasons why he could not adequately represent himself. The defendant persisted in his refusal to have an appointed attorney. On the date of the trial, the judge before whom Martinez was tried went to great lengths in an attempt to convince the defendant that he should have appointed counsel. Finally, the judge told him that he was going to arrange for the appointment of counsel anyway, to which the defendant replied, "I don't want counsel." *28 A suggestion was made by the trial judge that appointment of an attorney to sit with defendant might be arranged. The defendant responded in an ambiguous manner, possibly indicating that he would accept such an arrangement. Later, however, at the end of the conference concerning the appointment of counsel, the defendant made a statement which we interpret as a refusal even to have an attorney sit with him. We are here confronted with two constitutional rights. One is that an indigent defendant in a criminal case has a federal constitutional right to have counsel represent him at his trial. In Gideon v. Wainright, 372 U.S. 335, 83 S. Ct. 792, 9 L. Ed. 2d 799, the United States Supreme Court expressly held that the Sixth Amendment was made obligatory on the states by way of the Fourteenth Amendment. But there is also a constitutional right of a defendant to defend himself. Article II, section 16 of the constitution of Colorado provides that the accused "shall have the right to appear and defend in person and by counsel." While the United States Constitution does not specifically provide that an accused may proceed pro se, the federal courts have recognized such a right. The United States Supreme Court in Johnson v. Zerbst, 304 U.S. 458, 58 S. Ct. 1019, 82 L. Ed. 1461, has held that a defendant will be permitted to proceed without counsel only if he has an intelligent understanding of the consequences of so doing. Herein Martinez said he knew what was involved and could handle the matter. There must be a limit beyond which trial judges do not have to proceed when one refuses counsel. The limit was reached in this case, and it was not error for the court to proceed with the trial. Although we hold that the court, under the circumstances, acted properly in proceeding with the trial without counsel for the defendant, we find that when it became apparent that defendant was not competent to defend himself the court did not properly protect the defendant's rights in instructing the jury. Prejudicial error ensued in the failure to properly instruct the jury on a vital element concerning specific intent necessary to commit the crime charged. The evidence adduced by the people and on cross-examination of the defendant made it apparent that Martinez was intoxicated at the time of the alleged commission of the assault. He had been drinking for six hours. The condition he was in was demonstrated by the ease with which the complaining witness overcame and subdued the defendant who had an unloaded gun which he had found just a few minutes before. It is apparent from the record that Martinez did not know that intoxication, if proven, might remove the element of specific intent from the crime with which he was charged. He did not request an instruction on voluntary drunkenness; clearly he did not know what it was. The court, however, should have recognized this factor as an element in defense of the charge and should have instructed the jury on the matter of voluntary drunkenness. Brennan v. People, 37 Colo. 256, 86 P. 79, is declarative of Colorado law on the question. This court there said: In Brennan the trial court refused an instruction embodying the above intendment of the law in a first degree murder case. *29 This court held that it was reversible error to refuse the instruction. Intent to rob requires knowing, deliberate action. To sum up, a reading of the transcript indicates that the defendant was so inept that he did not and could not conduct a proper defense for himself. Therefore, the absence of defense counsel in this case and the total ineptness of the defendant to conduct a defense for himself actually resulted in a lack of due process. Although our disposition of the cause makes it unnecessary to consider the other assignments of error advanced by the defendant, we deem it appropriate to comment on the argument advanced concerning the giving of the instruction on the presumption of innocence. This is a stock instruction which has been used by the courts for years, and because of its long history we would not hold that the giving of the instruction was reversible error. Nevertheless the instruction is not a good statement of the law and the giving of it has fallen in disrepute in other courts. For Colorado to continue to use it would perpetuate our blind tread down the path laid out for us by those who have gone before. The instruction as given and as widely used reads as follows: An almost identical instruction was considered in Reynolds v. United States, 238 F.2d 460, 16 Alaska 502 (9th Cir.). The criticism of the instruction is well set out in that case, and we are persuaded by its logic and common sense. The court said: *30 The court then stated it was in agreement with Gomila v. United States, 146 F.2d 372 (5th Cir.) and Judge Frank's dissent in United States v. Farina, 184 F.2d 18 (2d Cir.) cert. denied 340 U.S. 875, 71 S. Ct. 121, 95 L. Ed. 636. The same court in Shaw v. United States, 244 F.2d 930, 17 Alaska 1, reaffirmed its holding in the Reynolds case with the following qualification: The Supreme Court of Mississippi has also condemned this instruction in a series of recent cases. See Murphy v. State, Miss., 195 So. 2d 847; Keith v. State, Miss., 197 So. 2d 480; Chinn v. State, Miss., 210 So. 2d 666. We adopt the reasoning of the Reynolds case and recommend a rewording of the instruction in all future cases to conform with the views so ably expressed in Reynolds. The instruction in the Reynolds case, without the offending qualifying language, which we believe will be a more acceptable instruction, reads: The judgment is reversed and the cause remanded for a new trial.