IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON

STATE OF WASHINGTON,

Respondent,

v.

FRANCISCO JAVIER VALDIVIAENRIQUEZ,

Appellant.

No. 77414-0-I

DIVISION ONE

UNPUBLISHED OPINION

CHUN, J. — A jury convicted Francisco Javier Valdivia-Enriquez of one 

count of rape of a child in the first degree and one count of rape of a child in the 

second degree. The charges stemmed from incidents occurring years earlier 

when the victim, J.M.A.H., was a child. By the time of the charges, J.M.A.H. was 

20 years old. On appeal, Valdivia-Enriquez claims (1) the trial court erred in 

denying his motion to admit evidence of J.M.A.H.’s juvenile criminal record, and 

(2) the State engaged in prosecutorial misconduct by vouching for the credibility 

of J.M.A.H. We affirm. However, we remand the case for the trial court to strike 

the DNA collection fee from the Judgment and Sentence.1

I.

BACKGROUND

When he was 20 years old, J.M.A.H. had a sexual encounter with his 

 

1 This matter comes to us on remand from our Supreme Court for reconsideration 

in light of State v. Arndt, 194 Wn.2d 784, 453 P.3d 696 (2019). Based on our review of 

Arndt, we see no reason to depart from the reasoning and conclusion set forth in our 

original opinion, filed on August 5, 2019.
No. 77414-0-I/2

2

girlfriend that caused bad memories to resurface. J.M.A.H then revealed to his 

girlfriend that his former soccer coach and friend, Valdivia-Enriquez, molested 

and raped him as a child. His girlfriend convinced J.M.A.H. to report the abuse to 

the police. The State charged Valdivia-Enriquez with one count of rape of a child 

in the first degree and one count of rape of a child in the second degree.

Prior to trial, Valdivia-Enriquez moved to admit evidence of J.M.A.H.’s 

lengthy juvenile criminal record, including multiple adjudications for theft-related 

residential burglary, as well as an adjudication for possession of stolen property 

and theft of a firearm. Valdivia-Enriquez requested admission of this evidence 

under ER 609(d) and ER 404(b) and sought to admit this evidence to 

demonstrate that J.M.A.H. made the accusations of sexual assault to repair the 

family relationships strained by his prior juvenile criminal behavior. ValdiviaEnriquez also hoped to admit the juvenile convictions for the jury to evaluate and 

assess J.M.A.H.’s credibility. The trial court denied admission of this evidence. 

A jury convicted Valdivia-Enriquez as charged. The trial court sentenced 

Valdivia-Enriquez to a standard range sentence and imposed legal financial 

obligations, including a $100 DNA collection fee.

Valdivia-Enriquez appeals. 

II.

DISCUSSION

A. Evidentiary Issues

Valdivia-Enriquez argues the trial court deprived him of the right to present 

a defense by prohibiting him from impeaching J.M.A.H. with evidence of prior 
No. 77414-0-I/3

3

juvenile convictions for crimes of dishonesty. The State asserts the trial court 

properly excluded the evidence because Valdivia-Enriquez failed to show the 

relationship between the witness’s juvenile record and his testimony. We agree 

with the State. 

The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution and article 1, 

section 22 of the Washington Constitution grant criminal defendants the right to 

present a defense and the right to confront and cross-examine adverse 

witnesses. State v. Hudlow, 99 Wn.2d 1, 14-15, 659 P.2d 514 (1983). However, 

the right to present a defense is not absolute. State v. Jones, 168 Wn.2d 713, 

720, 230 P.3d 576 (2010). It is subject to the established rules of evidence. 

State v. Lizarraga, 191 Wn. App. 530, 553, 364 P.3d 810 (2015). “Defendants 

have a right to present only relevant evidence, with no constitutional right to 

present irrelevant evidence.” Jones, 168 Wn.2d at 720 (emphasis omitted). 

Additionally, courts may deny cross-examination if the evidence sought is vague, 

argumentative, or speculative. State v. Darden, 145 Wn.2d 612, 621, 41 P.3d 

1189 (2002). 

We review for abuse of discretion a trial court’s decision to exclude 

evidence. State v. Perez-Valdez, 172 Wn.2d 808, 814, 265, P.3d 853 (2011). “A 

trial court’s evidentiary ruling is an abuse of discretion only if it is ‘manifestly 

unreasonable or based upon untenable grounds or reasons.’” Perez-Valdez, 172 

Wn.2d at 815 (quoting State v. Powell, 126 Wn.2d 244, 258, 893 P.2d 615 

(1995)). When a defendant alleges that a constitutional error arises from an 

adverse evidentiary ruling, we first review for abuse of discretion. State v. Blair, 
No. 77414-0-I/4

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3 Wn. App. 2d 343, 353, 415 P.3d 1232 (2018); State v. Clark, 187 Wn.2d 641, 

648-49, 389 P.3d 462 (2017). If we determine the court has not abused its 

discretion, the inquiry ends because there is no error. Blair, 3 Wn. App. 2d at 

352. If the trial court abused its discretion, we turn to a de novo review of the 

constitutional claim. Blair, 3 Wn. App. 2d at 353. 

1. Credibility 

Valdivia-Enriquez requested admission of J.M.A.H.’s prior juvenile 

adjudications to impeach credibility. ER 609 governs the admissibility of prior 

convictions for crimes of dishonesty for purposes of attacking credibility. 

ER 609(d) generally bars admission of evidence of juvenile adjudications to 

impeach credibility. But the court may allow evidence of juvenile convictions “if 

conviction of the offense would be admissible to attack the credibility of an adult 

and the court is satisfied that admission in evidence is necessary for a fair 

determination of the issue of guilt or innocence.” ER 609(d). This requires an 

“indication of special reasons favoring admissibility” amounting to “a positive 

showing that the prior juvenile record is necessary to determine guilt.” State v. 

Gerard, 36 Wn. App. 7, 12, 671 P.2d 286 (1983). The trial court has broad 

discretion on admissibility of juvenile adjudications sought solely for general 

impeachment purposes. Gerard, 36 Wn. App. at 11. 

Valdivia-Enriquez fails to establish any special reason favoring admission 

of evidence otherwise inadmissible. Therefore, the trial court did not err in 

finding the prior adjudications unnecessary for a fair determination of guilt or 
No. 77414-0-I/5

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innocence and properly exercised its broad discretion to deny admission of the 

evidence. 

2. Motive

Valdivia-Enriquez also sought admission of the juvenile convictions to 

support his defense that J.M.A.H. made the allegations of molestation in order to 

improve J.M.A.H.’s strained relationship with his family. Valdivia-Enriquez argued 

the convictions showed motive:

As far as for motive, it’s on the basis of why he and his family might 

be on bad footing and why, as a way to get back on better footing 

with his family, it would explain, “All my behavior was kind of based 

on the fact that Mr. Valdivia had done this horrible things [sic] to me, 

and that’s why I had all these indiscretions and everything,” and now 

that he has revealed it, his life -- his relationship with his family is 

much better and they moved along and things like that.

The trial court determined the evidence lacked a sufficient nexus with the alleged 

motive, and that the prejudicial impact outweighed the very low probative value of 

the evidence.

ER 404(b) allows admission of evidence of other crimes to show motive. 

Prior juvenile adjudications are also admissible to show bias or motive. Gerard, 

36 Wn. App. at 11. Even when relevant to prove motive, the trial court must 

evaluate the evidence under ER 403 and “exercise its discretion in excluding 

relevant evidence if its undue prejudice substantially outweighs its probative 

value.” State v. Fuller, 169 Wn. App. 797, 829-30, 282 P.3d 126 (2012). 

Valdivia-Enriquez requested admission of J.M.A.H.’s prior juvenile 

adjudications to show motive. Upon inquiry from the trial court, Valdivia-Enriquez 

acknowledged he lacked any proof that the prior convictions led to the strained 
No. 77414-0-I/6

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relationship between J.M.A.H. and his family. The evidence of motive was 

“inference with a few steps” from anticipated testimony of an “icy” family 

relationship prior to J.M.A.H.’s disclosure of the abuse. Valdivia-Enriquez also 

admitted that he could raise this defense without the juvenile adjudications: “I 

could do that without convictions. I believe that that provides a little bit of a 

further story.”

Based on these statements, J.M.A.H.’s prior juvenile adjudications were 

not essential to Valdivia-Enriquez’s defense. The trial court properly found very 

low or “non-existent” probative value of the juvenile adjudications. Moreover, the 

link between J.M.A.H.’s juvenile record and the alleged motive was merely 

speculation. Denial of this speculative evidence falls within the court’s discretion. 

See Darden, 145 Wn.2d at 621. The trial court did not abuse its discretion by 

denying admission of the juvenile adjudications as evidence of motive. 

Because the trial court’s decision on the juvenile adjudications did not 

amount to an abuse of discretion, we do not reach Valdivia-Enriquez’s claimed 

violation of his constitutional right to present a defense. See Blair, 3 Wn. App. 2d 

at 352. 

B. Prosecutorial Misconduct

Valdivia-Enriquez asserts the prosecutor engaged in misconduct that 

deprived him of his right to a fair trial by vouching for the credibility of the sole 

witness against him. The State contends the prosecutor did not express a 

personal belief regarding the witness’s credibility. Instead, the State argues the 
No. 77414-0-I/7

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prosecutor drew reasonable inferences from the evidence. We agree with the 

State. 

The prosecutor referred to J.M.A.H. as credible on multiple occasions 

during her closing argument. The record shows the prosecutor making

statements such as “Ladies and gentlemen, [J.M.A.H.] is credible, and the 

reason why we know that the State proved this case beyond a reasonable doubt 

really comes down to that,” and “It comes down to the fact that the credibility of 

[J.M.A.H.] is without question. Without question.” Valdivia-Enriquez argues that

these instances, as well as other examples discussed below, indicate

prosecutorial misconduct. 

A defendant that claims prosecutorial misconduct must prove that the 

prosecutor’s comments were both improper and prejudicial. In re Pers. Restraint 

of Glasmann, 175 Wn.2d 696, 704, 286 P.3d 673 (2012). A prosecutor’s 

comments are prejudicial only if there is a “‘substantial likelihood the misconduct 

affected the jury’s verdict.’” State v. Yates, 161 Wn.2d 714, 774, 168 P.3d 359 

(2007) (emphasis omitted). Where, as here, the defendant failed to object to an 

improper remark below, such failure “‘constitutes a waiver of error unless the 

remark is so flagrant and ill intentioned that it causes an enduring and resulting 

prejudice that could not have been neutralized by an admonition to the jury.’” 

State v. Thorgerson, 172 Wn.2d 438, 443, 258 P.3d 43 (2011) (quoting State v. 

Russell, 125 Wn.2d 24, 86, 882 P.2d 747 (1994)). “Jurors are presumed to 

follow the court’s instruction.” In re Pers. Restraint of Phelps, 190 Wn.2d 155,

172, 410 P.3d 1142 (2018).
No. 77414-0-I/8

8

Prosecutors have “wide latitude to draw and express reasonable 

inferences from the evidence” in their closing arguments. State v. Robinson, 189 

Wn. App. 877, 893, 359 P.3d 874 (2015). “The prejudicial effect of a 

prosecutor’s improper comments is not determined by looking at the comments 

in isolation but by placing the remarks ‘in the context of the total argument, the 

issues in the case, the evidence addressed in the argument, and the instructions 

given to the jury.’” State v. McKenzie, 157 Wn.2d 44, 52, 134 P.3d 221 (2006) 

(quoting State v. Brown, 132 Wn.2d 529, 561, 940 P.2d 546 (1997)). 

Prosecutorial misconduct by vouching occurs when the prosecutor either 

(1) places the prestige of the government behind the witness, or (2) indicates that 

information that was not presented to the jury supports the witness’s testimony. 

Robinson, 189 Wn. App. at 892–93. Further, there is a difference between the 

prosecuting attorney’s individual opinion presented as an independent fact, and 

“‘an opinion based upon or deduced from the testimony in the case.’” McKenzie, 

157 Wn.2d at 53 (quoting State v. Armstrong, 37 Wn. 51, 54–55, 79 P. 490 

(1905) (emphasis omitted)). 

Valdivia-Enriquez cites an instance in which the prosecutor, as part of a 

PowerPoint presentation, presented a slide entitled “[J.M.A.H.] is credible.” In 

isolation, such a title may suggest prosecutorial vouching, but the content and 

context of the slide shows otherwise. Following the title, the prosecutor listed 

four bullet points as a means to guide the jury during her discussion of the 

witness’s credibility. The bullet points, “NO MOTIVE,” “Disclosure,” 

“Corroboration,” and “Demeanor,” mirrored the prosecutor’s talking points as she 
No. 77414-0-I/9

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asserted why the evidence supported the witness’s credibility. The prosecutor 

cited examples from the record that demonstrated the lack of “bad blood” 

between Valdivia-Enriquez and the witness’s family to emphasize the lack of 

motive, as well as the dubious likelihood that the witness could provide “the 

performance of a lifetime” and continuously feign distraught emotions, such as 

crying, as he recounted the events. This allowed the jury to consider the 

evidence and make inferences about credibility and in turn did not demonstrate 

prosecutorial vouching for J.M.A.H.’s credibility. 

Valdivia-Enriquez also asserts the prosecutor vouched for the witness 

through statements such as “we know [J.M.A.H.] is credible” and that the 

witness’s credibility was “without question.” Again, the court cannot view such 

comments in isolation. When viewed in context, the comments express 

reasonable inferences from the evidence. For example, the prosecutor followed

“we know [J.M.A.H.] is credible” with a reminder of the situation in which the 

witness first disclosed the incident to emphasize the witness’s motivation: 

. . . [J.M.A.H.] was in the middle of an act with his girlfriend that was 

supposed to be interesting and fun and new, but it went horribly south 

when he hurt her and all of these memories flooded back into his 

back [sic]. He described a physical, visceral response to seeing pain 

and fear in his girlfriend’s eyes because he was placing himself in 

the shoes of the person who had done it to him. 

The prosecutor used this example along with the surrounding evidence following 

the incident to corroborate the credibility of the witness.

Further examples, such as the witness’s desire to quit soccer, his 

emotional withdrawal from family, and his motivation for disclosing the crime, 
No. 77414-0-I/10

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provided the jury with evidence to consider as it evaluated the witness’s 

credibility. The prosecutor addressed credibility by examining the witness’s 

retelling of the incident and resulting emotional behavior after the incident, and 

thereby did not inappropriately vouch for the witness’s credibility.

In light of the foregoing, we conclude that the prosecutor did not place the 

prestige of the government behind the witness or cite information not provided as 

evidence to the jury in order to support the witness’s testimony. As a result, 

Valdivia-Enriquez fails to prove prosecutorial misconduct through vouching. 

Even if Valdivia-Enriquez were able to successfully argue the comments 

were improper, he fails to prove his additional burden that the prejudice resulting 

from the prosecutor’s flagrant and ill-intentioned comments was not curable by a 

jury instruction. Valdivia-Enriquez argues that the comments would unduly 

influence the jurors. However, the prosecution reminded the jury during its 

closing argument that it was up to the jury to “go back into that room to determine 

who was credible, what testimony was credible.” Furthermore, the jury 

instructions in this case ordered jurors to disregard remarks and comments of 

any lawyer if they are inconsistent with the law or evidence, while also reminding 

jurors that the lawyers’ statements are not evidence. In addition, the jury 

instructions informed jurors that they are “the sole judges of the credibility of each 

witness.” 

Had Valdivia-Enriquez objected to the prosecutor’s statements during 

closing arguments, the trial court could have reiterated these jury instructions. 

Because jurors are presumed to follow the court’s instructions, and because the
No. 77414-0-I/11

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instructions told the jurors to consider themselves the only determiners of 

credibility, Valdivia-Enriquez cannot demonstrate that the comments resulted in 

prejudice. 

C. DNA Fee

Valdivia-Enriquez and the State both request remand for the trial court to 

strike the $100 DNA collection fee because the State previously collected 

Valdivia-Enriquez’s DNA due to prior convictions. A legislative amendment 

effective June 7, 2018, eliminated the mandatory $100 DNA collection fee where 

“the state has previously collected the offender’s DNA as a result of a prior 

conviction.” RCW 43.43.7541. This amendment applies prospectively to 

Valdivia-Enriquez due to his pending direct appeal at the time of the 

amendment’s enactment. State v. Ramirez, 191 Wn.2d 732, 747, 426 P.3d 714 

(2018). As a result, we remand for the trial court to strike the DNA fee from the 

Judgment and Sentence. 

Affirmed. Remanded to strike the DNA collection fee. 

WE CONCUR: