Opinion ID: 2599848
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: error occurred at campos's trial because the aggravated-battery alternative was legally inadequate under the collateral-felony doctrine

Text: {9} In New Mexico, our felony-murder statute serves to elevate second-degree murder to first degree when the murder occurs during the commission of a dangerous felony. See State v. Ortega, 112 N.M. 554, 563, 817 P.2d 1196, 1205 (1991). In concert with the general trend in America of limiting its reach, New Mexico has placed five limitations on felony murder. See State v. O'Kelly, 2004-NMCA-013, ¶¶ 22-24, 135 N.M. 40, 84 P.3d 88. One of the limitations is the collateral-felony doctrine, which precludes the State from using a lesser-included offense of second-degree murder as the predicate to felony murder. Id. ¶ 24 (citing Campos, 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 19, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266). {10} The collateral-felony doctrine derived from our concern that the prosecution may be able to elevate improperly the vast majority of second-degree murders to first-degree murders by charging the underlying assaultive act as a predicate felony for felony murder. Campos, 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 19, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266. Thus, the doctrine requires the predicate felony to be collateral to the murder, which, in turn, precludes the State from using a lesser-included offense of second-degree murder as a predicate felony. See id. ¶¶ 10, 19. Moreover, applying the strict-elements test in the abstract, see State v. Vallejos, 2000-NMCA-075, ¶ 13, 129 N.M. 424, 9 P.3d 668, it is clearly not possible to commit second-degree murder without also committing some form of aggravated assault or aggravated battery. Thus, aggravated assault and aggravated battery may never be used as predicate felonies to felony murder even though some statutory elements of those two crimes differ from second-degree murder. Campos, 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 23, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266. Ultimately, the doctrine's purpose is to further the legislative intent of holding certain second-degree murders to be more culpable when effected during the commission of a felonythereby elevating them to first-degree murderswhile maintaining the important distinction between the classes of second- and first-degree murders. Id. ¶ 22. {11} Analysis under the collateral-felony doctrine is not to be confused with a double jeopardy analysis. First, under a collateral-felony analysis we consider whether the predicate felony is a lesser-included offense of second -degree murder. Under a double jeopardy analysis, we consider whether the predicate offense is a lesser-included offense of first -degree murder. Id. ¶ 22 n. 3. Furthermore, when the collateral-felony doctrine is violated, the defendant's felony-murder conviction is vacated, whereas when double jeopardy is violated, the conviction of the predicate felony is vacated. See id. Finally, when two charges violate double jeopardy because the conduct underlying each is unitary, the collateral-felony doctrine is not necessarily violated. See id. ¶ ¶ 25, 48 (holding that first-degree criminal sexual penetration was a proper predicate felony under the collateral-felony doctrine notwithstanding the fact that double jeopardy was violated because the conduct was unitary). As was stated in Vallejos, [t]he two doctrines are distant cousins if anything, and one acts at one's peril in drawing superficial parallels between the two. 2000-NMCA-075, ¶ 12, 129 N.M. 424, 9 P.3d 668. Double jeopardy is not at issue in this case. {12} Since it is not possible to commit second-degree murder without also committing some form of aggravated battery, Campos's conviction of felony murder would be legally void if the jury used aggravated battery with a deadly weapon as the predicate felony. We meant what we said in Campos : all forms of aggravated assault and aggravated battery will always be deemed to be non-collateral. 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 23, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266. On certiorari, the State concedes as much, stating in its answer brief: If . . . the only predicate felony for the felony murder charge was aggravated battery, the collateral felony doctrine would clearly apply. However, since the predicate felonies were submitted to the jury as alternates and we do not know which the jury relied upon, we are left with the question of whether aggravated burglary was an appropriate predicate and, if so, whether this cured any error.
{13} To be guilty of aggravated burglary, a defendant must, without authorization, enter a structure with the intent to commit a felony therein, and either: (1) be armed with a deadly weapon, (2) arm himself with a deadly weapon while inside, or (3) commit a battery upon a person while inside, or while entering or leaving. § 30-16-4. At Campos's trial, the jury instruction stating the elements of aggravated burglary relied upon the battery prong, not on either of the deadly weapon prongs. Thus, Campos argues that since the basis for the predicate felony of Aggravated Burglary involved the underlying assaultive conduct, it too would violate the collateral-felony doctrine. {14} Because this argument is answered by Campos and State v. Duffy, 1998-NMSC-014, 126 N.M. 132, 967 P.2d 807, we disagree. In Duffy, after killing an elderly woman while snatching her purse, the defendant was convicted of felony murder predicated on robbery. Id. ¶¶ 1-2. Among other things, the defendant argued that the collateral-felony doctrine was violated because the robbery . . . was the same act that caused [the victim's] death. Id. ¶ 23. We stated in Duffy that Campos requires us to look, not to the nature of the act, but rather to whether the legislature intended that a particular felony should be able to serve as a predicate to felony murder. Id. (emphasis added) (citing Campos, 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 22, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266). Because it is possible to commit murder without also committing robbery, it was clear to us that the legislature did not intend to prohibit robbery from being used as the predicate to felony murder. Id. ¶ 25. Thus, notwithstanding the fact that the same conduct underlay each charge, we upheld the defendant's conviction of felony murder. Id. ¶ 28. Similarly, in Campos the defendant's conduct underlying his conviction of criminal sexual penetration (CSP) and felony murder was unitary. Campos, 1996-NMSC-043, ¶ 48, 122 N.M. 148, 921 P.2d 1266. Nevertheless, since it is not a lesser-included offense of second-degree murder, we held that CSP was properly used as a predicate for felony murder. Id. ¶ 25. {15} It is possible to commit second-degree murder without ever committing some form of aggravated burglary. Even in the situation, as here, where the factor raising simple burglary to aggravated burglary is the conduct underlying a second-degree murder, the fact remains that two elements of burglarywhether aggravated or notnever contained in second-degree murder are: (1) the unauthorized entry of a structure, and (2) the intent to commit a felony therein. See NMSA 1978, § 30-16-3 (1971). Simple burglary is collateral to second-degree murder and does not violate the collateral-felony doctrine. As such, it is irrelevant that the element raising simple burglary to aggravated burglary in this case was that of Campos's underlying murderous battery. Thus, aggravated burglary was correctly used as a predicate to felony murder. {16} Finally, we note that Campos's reliance on Crain is misplaced. The issue in Crain was whether the defendant's right to be free from double jeopardy was violated when he was convicted of three statutory provisions for conduct that was unitary. 1997-NMCA-101, ¶¶ 15-17, 124 N.M. 84, 946 P.2d 1095. As discussed above, the collateral-felony doctrine is an issue distinct from double jeopardy and care must be taken not to conflate the two.
{17} Campos asserts that even if aggravated burglary was a valid predicate in this case, his felony-murder conviction must be vacated because the aggravated-battery predicate was clearly not valid. According to the State, since substantial evidence supports the valid predicate felony of aggravated burglary, no error occurred and we should uphold Campos's conviction of felony murder. See State v. Salazar, 1997-NMSC-044, ¶ 32, 123 N.M. 778, 945 P.2d 996. Error occurred at Campos's trial because one of the alternative bases for his conviction was legally inadequate. See State v. Olguin, 120 N.M. 740, 741, 906 P.2d 731, 732 (1995). Had Campos preserved this issue and raised it on direct appeal, we would undoubtedly have vacated his conviction and remanded for a new trial. However, as noted, our review here is for fundamental error. We recognized in State v. Cunningham that not affording more scrutiny for fundamental error would eliminate the preservation of error requirement of our appellate jurisprudence. It would also compromise the intent embodied in Rule 12-216, which makes fundamental error an exception to the general rule requiring preservation of error. 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 18, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176.