Opinion ID: 1402588
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Gang Activity of Los Carnales Locos

Text: {30} Coffin claims that the trial court erred in admitting testimony about the activities of Coffin's gang, LCL. Specifically, Coffin contends that the testimony was inadmissible evidence of character under Rule 11-404 NMRA 1999 or, alternatively, that it was inadmissible because its prejudicial impact substantially outweighed its probative value under Rule 11-403 NMRA 1999. {31} Following Detective Robert Martinez's response to the State's question on cross-examination that the Lomas Trece gang was low key, Coffin, anticipating a question about LCL's activities, objected that the State was attempting to elicit testimony that was inadmissible under Rule 11-404. The State responded that Coffin had opened the door to gang activity and that no questions would be asked about Coffin's activities within the gang. The trial court, noting that Coffin did not object to the reputational inquiry concerning the Lomas Trece gang, ruled that LCL's activities were relevant to rebut Coffin's argument that the altercation with the Martinezes was gang-related. The State then elicited testimony from Detective Martinez that LCL is a very active gang involved in serious crimes, such as drive-by shootings and other crimes involving weapons. {32} Rule 11-404 provides: A. Character evidence generally. Evidence of a person's character or a trait of character is not admissible for the purpose of proving action in conformity therewith on a particular occasion, except: (1) Character of accused. Evidence of a pertinent trait of character offered by an accused, or by the prosecution to rebut the same; (2) Character of victim. Evidence of a pertinent trait of character of the victim of the crime offered by an accused, or by the prosecution to rebut the same or evidence of a character trait of peacefulness of the victim offered by the prosecution in a homicide case to rebut evidence that the victim was the first aggressor; . . . . B. Other crimes, wrongs or acts. Evidence of other crimes, wrongs or acts is not admissible to prove the character of a person in order to show action in conformity therewith. It may, however, be admissible for other purposes, such as proof of motive, opportunity, intent, preparation, plan, knowledge, identity or absence of mistake or accident. Coffin claims that Detective Martinez's reputational testimony that LCL was very active violates the prohibition against character evidence in Rule 11-404(A). See Rule 11-405(A) NMRA 1999 (providing that character evidence, when admissible, may be established by testimony as to reputation or opinion). Coffin further claims that Detective Martinez's testimony concerning LCL's involvement in serious crimes, such as drive-by shootings, violates the prohibition against proving character through other crimes, wrongs or acts in Rule 11-404(B). We disagree. {33} The State did not elicit testimony concerning LCL's activities in order to prove Coffin's character and conformity therewith. Instead, the State sought to rebut Coffin's arguments concerning the reasons for the altercation. Coffin called Detective Martinez as a witness because of his expertise with gangs. He elicited testimony from Detective Martinez that Chris Martinez, Jr. was associated with the Lomas Trece gang. Additionally, Detective Martinez testified on direct examination about the ethnic composition of both Lomas Trece and LCL and the territory that each gang claims. He further testified that Lomas Trece and LCL are rivals. In addition, Coffin attempted to show that the Martinezes made gang signs at John Saldana while he was standing at the drive-up window in front of their car prior to the altercation with Coffin. In his opening statement, Coffin argued that [e]ven a gang member has the right to defend himself against other gang members, and that's what happened that night. [Coffin] was jumped by two members of a rival gang who he did kill defending himself ... {34} Because Coffin introduced the topic of the reputation and activities of the two gangs in order to portray the incident as self-defense, the State was entitled to impeach this evidence and to elicit relevant context surrounding Detective Martinez's testimony. For example, Detective Martinez testified on cross-examination that he had no information that Chris Martinez, Jr. was an active member of Lomas Treceonly that he might associate with active members of the gang. Similarly, to the extent that Coffin attempted to use gang membership to establish the character of Chris Martinez, Jr., Detective Martinez's testimony on cross-examination concerning the relationship between the two gangs was admissible to rebut the implication from direct examination that the gang affiliation of Chris Martinez, Jr. made it more likely that he was a first aggressor in the altercation with Coffin. See Rule 11-404(A)(2). Additionally, evidence of the relative activities of Lomas Trece and LCL was admissible in order to rebut Coffin's suggestion that the Martinezes had a motive to attack Coffin due to a gang rivalry. Cf. State v. Rojo, 1999-NMSC-001, ¶ 47, 126 N.M. 438, 971 P.2d 829 (Under Rule 11-404(B), evidence of a defendant's prior acts is admissible to show proof of motive.). {35} Under Rule 11-403, evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice. Coffin argues that even if the evidence of LCL's gang activities was admissible the trial court should have excluded the evidence pursuant to Rule 11-403. We have consistently afforded trial courts wide latitude in deciding whether to exclude, under Rule 11-403, otherwise admissible evidence. Chamberlain, 112 N.M. at 726, 819 P.2d at 676 (The trial court is vested with great discretion in applying Rule [11-403], and it will not be reversed absent an abuse of that discretion.). Coffin injected the issue of his own membership in LCL into the trial from the very beginning. Additionally, his questioning of Detective Martinez, his own witness, centered around the relationship of the Martinezes to the Lomas Trece gang, apparently in an attempt to further his claim that he was attacked by two members of a rival gang due to gang conflict. On appeal, Coffin admits that gangs were part of the fabric of this case, and neither side attempted to hide the fact. Under these circumstances, we are unable to discern any appreciable unfair prejudice to Coffin from Detective Martinez's testimony on cross-examination. Thus, we conclude that the trial court was well within its discretion in deciding not to exclude the evidence under Rule 11-403.