Opinion ID: 867277
Heading Depth: 5
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: IRG evidence

Text: ¶ 11 Hargrave and Boggs had formed the Imperial Royal Guard (IRG), a paramilitary organization that asserted the supremacy of the white race and espoused negative views of racial minorities. Boggs served as Chief of Staff and Hargrave as Assistant Chief of Staff. At Hargrave's campsite, police discovered Hargrave's IRG membership application, his oath of allegiance to the IRG, a binder containing a declaration describing the IRG's tenets, and a camouflage jacket bearing his IRG Assistant Chief of Staff name tag. ¶ 12 The State offered the IRG evidence to establish racial bias as a potential motive for the crimes. It presented evidence that all three victims were members of minority groups and that Boggs had shouted racial epithets during the shootings. Hargrave argues that the trial court erred in admitting the IRG evidence because it was not relevant to the crimes charged and no evidence established that the murders were motivated by racial bias. ¶ 13 Because Hargrave did not object to the IRG evidence at trial, [3] we review its admission for fundamental error, which is error going to the foundation of the case, error that takes from the defendant a right essential to his defense, [or] error of such magnitude that the defendant could not possibly have received a fair trial. State v. Henderson, 210 Ariz. 561, 567 ¶ 19, 115 P.3d 601, 607 (2005) (quoting State v. Hunter, 142 Ariz. 88, 90, 688 P.2d 980, 982 (1984)). To prevail under this standard, Hargrave must first establish that an error occurred, then prove that the error was fundamental in nature and caused prejudice. Id. at 567 ¶¶ 20, 23, 115 P.3d at 607. ¶ 14 Hargrave has not established that any error occurred. Contrary to Hargrave's argument, motive is relevant in a murder prosecution. State v. Hunter, 136 Ariz. 45, 50, 664 P.2d 195, 200 (1983). He counters that the State presented evidence of other motives, such as robbery or retaliation for having been fired from his job. But the fact that the State may have evidence of other motives does not preclude the State from presenting the IRG motive evidence. See Ariz. R. Evid. 404(b); see also State v. Andriano, 215 Ariz. 497, 503 ¶ 26, 161 P.3d 540, 549 (2007) (finding evidence of defendant's extra-marital affair admissible under Rule 404(b) to prove motive, even though less prejudicial evidence of motive existed). ¶ 15 Citing Dawson v. Delaware, 503 U.S. 159, 112 S.Ct. 1093, 117 L.Ed.2d 309 (1992), Hargrave claims that his affiliation with the IRG was protected by the First Amendment. In Dawson, the prosecution attempted to introduce evidence of the defendant's Aryan Brotherhood and swastika tattoos during the penalty phase of his murder trial. 503 U.S. at 161, 112 S.Ct. 1093. The Court held that the First and Fourteenth Amendments prohibited the introduction of this evidence because it was not relevant to the capital sentencing proceedings. Id. at 160, 112 S.Ct. 1093. ¶ 16 Here, in contrast, evidence of Hargrave's affiliation with the IRG was relevant to establish a motive for the crimes and its probative value was not substantially outweighed by the prejudice it might have caused. Hargrave has not satisfied his initial burden of establishing that the trial court committed any error in admitting this evidence. [4]