Opinion ID: 162966
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Mr. Torres's Intent

Text: 34 Mr. Torres argues that, under the Oklahoma law concerning the elements of first degree malice murder and aiding and abetting, the prosecution's evidence is insufficient to establish that he intended the death of Ms. Yanez and Mr. Morales. According to Mr. Torres, not one single witness could testify to a single action of [Mr. Torres] which resulted in the death of the victims, either as perpetrator, or as aider and abettor. Aplt. Br. at 57. Mr. Torres notes that, although the evidence arguably supports the inference that his codefendant Mr. Ochoa shot the victims, the prosecution identified no evidence that Mr. Torres shared the intent to kill the victims or that Mr. Torres aided and abetted Mr. Ochoa in the murders. See id. at 51-60. 35 In rejecting that argument on direct appeal, the OCCA set forth the following evidence supporting the prosecution's theory: 36 Torres and Ochoa parked a car a few blocks from the Yanez/Morales home shortly before the murders. One witness identified Ochoa as one of the men in the car. She could not identify the other man but stated that that other man took a gun from the trunk of the car and put the gun in his waist band. The gun was not a Tech-9, which was the gun used in the killings. Christina Yanez testified that after hearing a number of gunshots and after she called 911, she looked out into the living room and saw Torres and Ochoa standing together. Christina testified that Ochoa was holding something in his hand, but she could not identify what it was. Torres and Ochoa were talking and moving back and forth. Both men were arrested together shortly after the killings and only a few blocks away from the killings. Torres had blood on his clothing which was consistent with his blood, Ochoa's blood and victim Morales' blood. A footprint consistent with Torres' footprint was found a short distance from the Yanez/Morales home. The front door of the Yanez/Morales house looked like it had been kicked in. 37 Torres, 962 P.2d at 15-16. 38 From that evidence, the OCCA stated, the following inferences could be drawn by a rational juror: 39 Obviously, Torres illegally entered the Yanez/Morales home with Ochoa. Torres was more than merely present at the crime scene. The circumstantial evidence supports a finding of intent, particularly given the evidence that Torres had a gun with him prior to the killings and that he illegally entered the Yanez/Morales home. 40 Id. at 16. The OCCA thus concluded that the evidence supported the inference that Mr. Torres intended the death of Ms. Yanez and Mr. Morales, and the court therefore rejected Mr. Torres' challenge to the sufficiency of the evidence. In this appeal, the respondent contends that this analysis was not an unreasonable application of established law. See Aplee. Br. at 26-31. 41 In considering the OCCA's analysis, we begin with the two guideposts for assessing evidence of intent that we identified in Wingfield, 122 F.3d at 1333. As we stated there, a jury may infer intent from Mr. Torres' objective acts and may also infer that a defendant intended the consequences which he announce[ed] a desire to accomplish. Id. 42 Consideration of the second guidepost is straightforward: unlike the record in Wingfield and Johnson v. State, 928 P.2d 309, 315 (Okla.Ct.Crim.App.1996), the record here contains no evidence that Mr. Torres expressed a desire to injure or kill the victims. See Wingfield, 122 F.3d at 1333. Although the prosecution sought to introduce evidence of Mr. Torres' gang affiliation, thereby suggesting that the killings were gang-related, the trial court granted a pretrial motion in limine excluding this evidence from the guilt phase. Thus, the jury had no evidence that Mr. Torres expressed a desire to harm the victims. 43 As to the other guidepost we identified in Wingfield — the aider and abettor's objective acts — we read the OCCA's analysis as concluding that a rational juror could have concluded beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Torres engaged in the following conduct: (1) accompanied by Mr. Ochoa, exited a parked car a few blocks from the Yanez/Morales home shortly before the murders; (2) removed a gun (though not the Tech 9 gun used in the murders) from the trunk of the car and put it in his waist band; (3) accompanied by Mr. Ochoa, broke into the Yanez/Morales residence at 2:40 a.m.; (4) after the shootings, talked to Mr. Ochoa and moved back and forth in the house; 4 and (5) shortly after the killings, left the Yanez/Morales residence accompanied by Mr. Ochoa and was arrested only a few blocks away from the site of the murders. 44 The OCCA also referred to certain items of physical evidence. Mr. Torres had blood on his clothing which was consistent with his blood, Mr. Ochoa's blood, and the victim Mr. Morales's blood. Also, a footprint consistent with Mr. Torres's footprint was found a short distance from the Yanez/Morales home. See Torres, 962 P.2d at 15-16. 45 This evidence is susceptible to interpretation. On the one hand, as the prosecution has vigorously argued, one could view this evidence as indicating that Mr. Torres and Mr. Ochoa jointly formulated a plan to murder Ms. Yanez and Mr. Morales. Alternatively, one could conclude that Mr. Torres and Mr. Ochoa jointly planned to burglarize the residence but that, once they entered the house, Mr. Ochoa acted impulsively by shooting the victims, though this theory is somewhat belied by the forensic pathologist's testimony that Mr. Morales and Ms. Yanez were each shot at least nine times. Rec. Tr. Trans. vol. VII, at 132, 136. One could also conclude that Mr. Torres and Mr. Ochoa had different motives, with Mr. Torres intending a burglary while Mr. Ochoa, unbeknownst to Mr. Torres, intended to kill Ms. Yanez and/or Mr. Morales. Under Jackson and the Oklahoma law regarding malice murder and aiding and abetting, the prosecution did not have the burden of proving that its suggested scenario — a joint plan to murder — was the only possible alternative. However the prosecution did have the burden of presenting evidence from which a rational juror could conclude — beyond a reasonable doubt — that Mr. Torres had the requisite intent to kill the victims. 46 Notwithstanding the lack of evidence on an announced intent by Mr. Torres to kill the victims, our review of the record does suggest that a rational juror certainly could conclude that Mr. Torres had the requisite intent to kill. At 2:40 a.m., Mr. Torres accompanied Mr. Ochoa, who was armed with a semiautomatic weapon, to the residence. Mr. Torres also was armed with a weapon and entered through a door that had been kicked down, all of which suggests anticipation of a confrontation. The victims were shot repeatedly, between nine and twelve times, with seven of the shots fired at each victim being fatal. Rec. Tr. Tran. vol. III at 133, 136. Although there was time to rob the victims after the homicides, Mr. Torres (and Mr. Ochoa) walked back and forth in the house. Ms. Yanez's purse was taken, but money and personal property were found on the victims, suggesting an intent to kill, rather than merely to rob. 5 Mr. Torres and Mr. Ochoa conversed in whispers after the murders, rather than indicating surprise or taking more property. Also, Mr. Torres had blood on his shirt and was well acquainted with Mr. Ochoa.