Opinion ID: 2599848
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: the error was per se fundamental

Text: {18} Fundamental error consists of error that goes to: (1) the foundation of a defendant's rights, (2) the foundation of the case, or (3) a right essential to the defense of an accused, which no court could or ought to permit him to waive. State v. Garcia, 46 N.M. 302, 309, 128 P.2d 459, 462 (1942). Over the years, the doctrine has evolved such that a conviction will only be reversed if the defendant's guilt is so questionable that upholding a conviction would shock the conscience, or where, notwithstanding the apparent culpability of the defendant, substantial justice has not been served. See State v. Osborne, 111 N.M. 654, 662-63, 808 P.2d 624, 632-33 (1991). Substantial justice has not been served when a fundamental unfairness within the system has undermined judicial integrity. See Cunningham, 2000-NMSC-009, ¶ 21, 128 N.M. 711, 998 P.2d 176. {19} We start with the premise that [i]t is fundamental error to convict a defendant of a crime that does not exist. State v. Maestas, 2007-NMSC-001, ¶ 9, 140 N.M. 836, 149 P.3d 933 (citing State v. Johnson, 103 N.M. 364, 371, 707 P.2d 1174, 1181 (Ct.App.1985)). Because a conviction violating the collateral-felony doctrine is a legal nullity, it would be fundamental error to uphold such a conviction. However, in this case the jury was instructed on alternativesone legally adequate, the other legally inadequate. Relying on Yates v. United States, 354 U.S. 298, 312, 77 S.Ct. 1064, 1 L.Ed.2d 1356 (1957), overruled on other grounds by Burks v. United States, 437 U.S. 1, 98 S.Ct. 2141, 57 L.Ed.2d 1 (1978), we stated in Olguin that a conviction under a general verdict must be reversed if one of the alternative bases of conviction is legally inadequate. Olguin, 120 N.M. at 741, 906 P.2d at 732. We reaffirm this principle yet, at the same time, note also that before reversal is required on the ground that one of the alternatives is legally inadequate, Yates insists that it also be impossible to tell which ground the jury selectedsomething that was not mentioned in Olguin. Yates, 354 U.S. at 312, 77 S.Ct. 1064. In this case, without the jury returning a special verdict detailing which theory of felony murder it relied upon, it is simply impossible for us to determine which ground the jury selected. {20} A similar situation is found in Mosely v. State, 682 So.2d 605 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App. 1996). In Mosely, the trial court instructed the jury that it could find the defendant guilty of attempted manslaughter if it determined that the defendant acted intentionally or with culpable negligence. Id. at 606. The culpable negligence instruction was in error because it would have permitted the jury to find the defendant guilty of attempted involuntary manslaughter, a nonexistent crime in Florida. See id. The State argued that the error was not fundamental because no evidence or argument was presented on the culpable negligence theory. Id. Nonetheless, and notwithstanding the fact that there was evidence adduced at trial showing that the defendant acted intentionally, the appellate court could not determine beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury did not rely upon the erroneous instruction. Id. at 607. In fact, the court adopted a bright-line rule: When jurors are given an instruction that would permit them to find the defendant guilty of a crime that does not exist, the error is fundamental and is per se reversible, and the case must be remanded for retrial. Id. {21} In this case there was plenty of evidence showing that Campos was guilty of the valid predicate felony, aggravated burglary. That said, we simply cannot say beyond a reasonable doubt that the jury did not rely upon the invalid predicate. Doing so would be tantamount to directing a verdict finding Campos guilty of felony murdersomething we are loathe to do. Since we have no idea whether Campos was convicted of a valid crime, substantial justice was not served at Campos's trial; fundamental error results. We reverse the district court, grant Campos a writ of habeas corpus, vacate his conviction of felony murder, and remand for a new trial should the State elect to retry Campos using a valid predicate felony.