Opinion ID: 891590
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: The Affidavit Established a Sufficient Nexus With the Place Searched

Text: {23} We now turn to the issue of whether the evidence supports a finding of probable cause to believe that evidence might be found in the basement bedroom of the house of Defendant's mother. {24} We take this opportunity to clear up some ambiguity in our case law. Some of our cases have implied that probable cause to believe a suspect has committed murder necessarily produces probable cause to search the suspect's home. See Ferrari, 80 N.M. at 718, 460 P.2d at 248 (observing that probable cause that a suspect committed murder [is ordinarily sufficient] to justify the search of [the suspect's] house and the surrounding area and his business). That is not true in every case. Probable cause to believe a defendant has committed a crime, and particularly the crime of murder, will often exist simultaneously with probable cause to believe there is evidence in the accused's home. But probable cause does not follow ineluctably from an allegation of murder or any other crime. The link between the two conclusions must be made by the reviewing judge or magistrate on a case-by-case basis. Numerous courts in our sister states, as well as federal courts, have made clear that probable cause to believe an accused has committed a crime does not necessarily equate to probable cause that the home of the accused will contain evidence of the crime. See, e.g., United States v. Waxman, 572 F.Supp. 1136, 1146 (E.D.Pa.1983) (It does not follow in all cases, however, that simply from the existence of probable cause to believe a suspect is guilty, there also is probable cause to search his residence.); State v. Dillon, 419 So.2d 46, 51 (La.Ct.App.1982) ([F]acts supporting probable cause to arrest do not necessarily give rise to probable cause to search a defendant's residence....); Commonwealth v. Cinelli, 389 Mass. 197, 449 N.E.2d 1207, 1216 (1983) (In the context of a murder charge, relying on United States v. Charest, 602 F.2d 1015, 1017 (1st Cir.1979), for the proposition that [i]nformation establishing that a person is guilty of a crime does not necessarily constitute probable cause to search the person's residence.). {25} The fundamental inquiry is whether there is probable cause to believe there will be evidence of a crime at a particular location. See Herrera, 102 N.M. at 257, 694 P.2d at 513. Residence may be a component of this, but residence is not necessary, nor is it always sufficient, to establish probable cause to believe that the location to be searched contains evidence of a crime. Police must give the issuing magistrate probable cause to believe that evidence will be at the particular location in question, whether it is a suspect's home or not. {26} In this case, there was probable cause to search even though it is not totally clear in the affidavit that Defendant made his residence at his mother's house. The affidavit sought a warrant to search a house at 1506 South Cliff Drive in Gallup. Before filing the affidavit, police had already done a preliminary, consensual search of the basement. {27} In that initial search, police discovered electrical wiring and bedding similar to those found at the crime scene which, as we have already noted, provide an inferential link between Defendant and Victim's death. In addition to this indication that there would be further evidence at the house, Thornton told police that Defendant had been in her house on, or near, the night Victim was last seen with Defendant, and that Defendant left the residence in Thornton's van. It would be a reasonable inference from the information presented in the affidavit that Victim was also at Thornton's house on the night in question. Defendant told his mother he needed to borrow her van to pick Victim up from Griego's house. Defendant later told a different, and conflicting, story to his mother, saying that he had come home alone and that Victim had showed up at Thornton's house with another man. Regardless of which story is true, both place Victim at Thornton's house on the night in question. Finally, it appears from the face of the affidavit that Thornton and Defendant referred to the basement as homea suggestion that the basement was Defendant's primary residence. {28} The magistrate found probable cause. Viewing all of the evidence in totality, we conclude that it had a sufficient basis in evidence to do so. Because the district court concluded otherwise, we reverse the district court as to its granting of Defendant's motion to suppress the evidence gathered pursuant to the search warrant. The district court offered no basis for its conclusions, so we cannot explain in any greater detail our basis for reversing that court.