Opinion ID: 793728
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Was Valerio convicted?

Text: 19 State law determines whether the defendant has a felony conviction, so New Mexico law controls whether Valerio's deferred sentence for burglary was a conviction. It was. There is no question in this case that the burglary was a felony under New Mexico law. 20 What might raise a serious question in some jurisdictions is that Valerio was never sentenced for the burglary. A judgment of conviction often requires a sentence as well as a guilty plea. Valerio pleaded guilty, but imposition of sentence was deferred. But under New Mexico law, a guilty plea is enough to establish a conviction, even though the defendant is never sentenced. 21 The New Mexico Supreme Court so held in Padilla v. State. 5 In New Mexico, there is a conviction when the defendant pleads guilty: 22 [t]here is some merit to the contention that upon dismissal of criminal charges under the deferred sentence provision... there has been no prior conviction. However, this court in previous cases has determined that the contrary is true, holding that a conviction refers to a finding of guilty and does not include the imposition of a sentence. 6 23 There is no distinction that makes a difference between that case and this one, and Padilla controls. Thus, Valerio was convicted under New Mexico law. 24