Opinion ID: 1200964
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: communication between court and juror

Text: Defendant contends the court violated his constitutional right to be present during every stage of his trial by communicating with a juror during deliberations outside of his presence. The record indicates that on November 20, 1989, the jury began deliberations after lunch, and, later that day, communicated to the court that it would like to remain longer that day to continue deliberations. After returning the following morning at 9:00 a.m. and deliberating for forty-five minutes, the jury reached its verdict. As soon as the attorneys arrived that morning the court notified them of the 8:15 a.m. communication by one of the jurors, who informed the court that her father had died the previous evening and asked if an alternate juror could be called in. The trial court refused the request and asked the juror if she could continue deliberating, to which she affirmatively replied. Defendant suggests that his claim is analogous to State v. Wilson, 109 N.M. 541, 787 P.2d 821 (1990). However,  Wilson acknowledged that not every instance of communication between a judge and juror during trial outside a defendant's presence was reversible error. State v. Haar, 110 N.M. 517, 523, 797 P.2d 306, 312 (Ct. App.), cert. denied 110 N.M. 330, 795 P.2d 1022 (1990). We distinguish this case from Wilson on two grounds. First, Wilson's conviction was reversed based on a finding of cumulative error to which the improper juror communication merely contributed. The reversal was not solely based upon the communication. Second, the juror in Wilson persisted in making his objection to further service known to the judge    [and] had a far more disabling fear, namely that his religious convictions would mandate his complete incapacity to serve on the jury. Here the juror's request to leave jury service summarily was refused without persistence or objection on the part of the juror. Unlike Wilson, the trial judge in the instant case had no advance knowledge of the juror's personal circumstances and notified the attorneys within minutes of their arrival at the courthouse. We find no error in the way the communication was handled by the judge and no prejudice to defendant.