Opinion ID: 170677
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Sentencing under the vehicular homicide statute

Text: If applied, the rule of lenity would require us to construe any ambiguity in the vehicular homicide statute in Mr. House's favor. However, the New Mexico Court of Appeals found that New Mexico's vehicular homicide statute was not ambiguous because the enhanced penalties for recidivist DWI-related violations and the statute's motivating policies made it clear which offense the legislature considered more serious  the DWI offense. House II, 25 P.3d at 262. This is a determination of state law over which this court has no power to question. Chapman v. LeMaster, 302 F.3d 1189, 1196 (10th Cir. 2002). A state court's interpretation of its own law is binding on a federal court conducting habeas review. Id.; see Parker v. Scott, 394 F.3d 1302, 1319 (10th Cir.2005).