Opinion ID: 2519777
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Overcharging and Double Jeopardy.

Text: {9} Defendant asserts that overcharging of offenses led the trial court to err when it accepted verdicts that resulted in multiple convictions for overlapping or contradictory charges. Under this claim, Defendant challenges his convictions for first degree murder, armed robbery, conspiracy, tampering with evidence, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, and receiving a stolen vehicle. {10} The State tried Defendant for first degree murder under two theories of first degree murder: murder by deliberate killing and murder in the commission of a felony. Jury instructions were given on the alternative bases for the first degree murder charge for each of the three victims. Instead of a general verdict form for first degree murder for each victim, separate verdict forms were given for each alternative. The jury found Defendant guilty of both alternatives for each count. Defendant claims that his convictions under both theories of first degree murder resulted from ambiguous jury instructions because the jury was not told that it could not convict him for both deliberate murder and felony murder. This failure, he contends, resulted in contradictory convictions, violating principles of due process and double jeopardy under the federal and state [2] constitutions. {11} We disagree with Defendant's claims for several reasons. We first note that, contrary to Defendant's assertions, the jury was instructed in the alternative on both theories of first degree murder. For example, in the jury instruction for the first victim, the instructions for felony murder included the following language: For you to find the defendant Valentin Reyes guilty of Felony Murder, which is First Degree Murder, as charged in the alternative to Count I .... Count I was the charge of first degree murder by deliberate killing. This language was repeated in each of the felony murder instructions for the other two victims. {12} The jury was instructed on the elements of deliberate intent murder for each of the victims in accordance with UJI 14-201 NMRA 2002, as follows: For you to find the defendant guilty of First Degree Murder by a deliberate killing as charged in Count I, the State must prove to your satisfaction beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of the crime: 1. The defendant killed [the victim]; 2. This killing was with the deliberate intention to take away the life of [the victim]; 3. This happened in New Mexico on or about the 25th day of February, 1997. {13} The elements of the felony murder theory of first degree murder are contained in UJI 14-202 NMRA 2002. The jury was instructed on those elements as follows: For you to find the defendant Valentin Reyes guilty of Felony Murder, which is First Degree Murder, as charged in the alternative to Count I, the State must prove to your satisfaction beyond a reasonable doubt each of the following elements of the crime: 1. The defendant Valentin Reyes committed the crime of Kidnapping and/or False Imprisonment and/or Armed Robbery; 2. Valentin Reyes caused the death of [the victim] during the commission of Kidnapping and/or False Imprisonment and/or Armed Robbery; 3. Valentin Reyes intended to kill or knew that his acts created a strong probability of death or great bodily harm; 4. This happened in New Mexico on or about the 25th day of February, 1997. {14} Although Defendant contends that a guilty verdict for both of these crimes was potentially contradictory, he does not explain this claim further or cite any authority in support of it. We are not persuaded by Defendant's assertions. On their face, the crimes of deliberate intent murder and felony murder are not inherently contradictory. In this case, the two crimes are not factually contradictory. As the State points out, and Defendant acknowledges, the jury could have concluded that Defendant was guilty under each alternative. {15} Substantial evidence was presented on both theories of first degree murder. As to the deliberate intent theory of first degree murder, the jury heard evidence that each of the victims was bound hand and foot and each had been strangled with a ligature. The pathologist testified that it takes several minutes of sustained pressure to kill someone by strangulation. This testimony provided sufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that Defendant acted with the deliberate intention to kill. See State v. Rojo, 1999-NMSC-001, ¶ 24, 126 N.M. 438, 971 P.2d 829 (holding that evidence of the method used to kill the victim, strangulation by ligature, when combined with circumstantial evidence and reasonable inferences arising from the surrounding circumstances, was sufficient to prove the requisite intent to kill). {16} For the second theory of first degree murder, felony murder, the jury was instructed that to convict Defendant of felony murder they must find that he committed the crimes of kidnapping, and/or false imprisonment, and/or armed robbery and that Defendant caused the death of the victims during the commission of one of those crimes. The jury heard testimony that all three victims were bound hand and foot. A rational jury could reasonably have determined that Defendant committed the crime of false imprisonment by confining the victims against their will without authority to do so. See State v. Muise, 103 N.M. 382, 388, 707 P.2d 1192, 1198 (Ct.App.1985) (The restraint constituting false imprisonment may arise out of words, acts, gestures or similar means which result in a reasonable fear of personal difficulty or personal injuries if the victim does not submit.). The jury could have found that the third victim was kidnapped when he was restrained by being gagged and bound hand and foot, or when he was carried away from Albuquerque in the stolen car, or when he was used sexually by one of the co-defendants. See State v. Pisio, 119 N.M. 252, 260, 889 P.2d 860, 868 (Ct.App.1994) (holding that conduct for kidnapping began at the point in which the victim's physical association with the defendant was no longer voluntary). In State v. McGuire, 110 N.M. 304, 309, 795 P.2d 996, 1001 (1990), this Court concluded that once the defendant had confined the victim with the requisite intent to hold the victim for service against the victim's will, he had committed the crime of kidnapping, although the kidnapping continued throughout the course of defendant's other crimes and until the time of the victim's death. When the four men were arrested in Kansas, Defendant was driving the car belonging to one of the victims. From the trial testimony, the jury could have reasonably determined that an armed robbery occurred in that the car was taken by force or violence using an instrument that could cause death or very serious injury. {17} In State v. Salazar, 1997-NMSC-044, 123 N.M. 778, 945 P.2d 996, this Court dealt with an analogous due process question. The defendant in that case challenged his conviction on a general verdict of first degree murder which had been based on the alternative theories of murder by deliberate killing and depraved mind murder. Id. ¶ 33. He contended that the jury not only had to be unanimous in its verdict of guilty, but also unanimous in convicting on one of the alternative theories. Id. In rejecting that argument, we held that a jury's general verdict will not be disturbed in such a case where substantial evidence exists in the record supporting at least one of the theories of the crime presented to the jury. Id. ¶ 32; accord State v. Olguin, 120 N.M. 740, 741, 906 P.2d 731, 732 (1995) (holding that due process does not require a general verdict of guilt to be set aside if one of the two alternative bases for conviction is supported by sufficient evidence). In this case, substantial evidence was presented at trial to support convictions under either theory of first degree murder; all elements of the crime were proved. {18} As to Defendant's double jeopardy claims, although we typically address these claims for multiple punishments under the analysis set forth in Swafford v. State, 112 N.M. 3, 13-14, 810 P.2d 1223, 1233-34 (1991), in this case we apply the established principle articulated in State v. Santillanes, 2001-NMSC-018, ¶ 5, 130 N.M. 464, 27 P.3d 456 for multiple homicide convictions arising out of the death of a single victim. Generally, one death should result in only one homicide conviction. Santillanes, 2001-NMSC-018, ¶ 5, 130 N.M. 464, 27 P.3d 456 (internal quotation marks and quoted authority omitted). Thus, we agree with Defendant that under our case law there cannot be six guilty verdicts for three deaths. The trial court dealt with the multiple verdicts by running each felony murder conviction concurrently with the corresponding deliberate murder conviction and then running each of the deliberate murder convictions consecutively. However, we determine that the proper way to resolve the sentencing issues is to regard the guilty verdicts as a general verdict of guilt for first degree murder based on two alternative theories. We remand for the trial court to enter an amended judgment, sentence, and commitment order reflecting a general verdict of first degree murder.
{19} Defendant also contends that his convictions for armed robbery, three counts of conspiracy, and three counts of tampering with evidence resulted from overcharging by the prosecutor and thus violated double jeopardy. First, we address Defendant's contention that his convictions for both felony murder and armed robbery violate double jeopardy principles. We reject this argument. The evidence in this case supports an inference that the force Defendant and his co-defendants used to commit armed robbery and the force they used to kill the owner of the car were distinct. See State v. Cooper, 1997-NMSC-058, ¶ 59, 124 N.M. 277, 949 P.2d 660 (describing indicia of distinctness, which include separation between the illegal acts in time or distance, the nature of the acts, the objectives and results of the acts, intervening events, and the behavior of the defendant between acts). The State introduced evidence that the defendants inflicted blunt head and neck trauma with a closet rod to the owner of the car but did not do so to the other victims, supporting an inference that this beating was to obtain the vehicle. The evidence also demonstrates that the defendants strangled to death the car owner as well as the second victim in the motel room, supporting the inference that the car owner's killing was separate in both time and objective from the force used to commit the robbery. See State v. Barrera, 2001-NMSC-014, ¶ 36, 130 N.M. 227, 22 P.3d 1177 (holding that the defendant's different intentions and objectives, to silence the victim and to steal her vehicle, provided adequate indicia of distinctness and rejecting the double jeopardy claim). {20} With respect to the conspiracy charges, we conclude that there was sufficient evidence of separate conspiracies to support Defendant's convictions. Where there is one agreement to commit two or more criminal acts, the perpetrators are guilty of a single conspiracy. State v. Sanders, 117 N.M. 452, 457, 872 P.2d 870, 875 (1994). However, the number of agreements to break the law determines the number of criminal conspiracies subject to prosecution. Id. This Court reviews this issue under the sufficiency-of-evidence standard. Id. This standard requires us to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the State, resolving all conflicts and indulging all reasonable inferences in support of the jury's verdict. State v. Tisthammer, 1998-NMCA-115, ¶ 27, 126 N.M. 52, 966 P.2d 760 (relying on Sanders, 117 N.M. at 456, 872 P.2d at 874). Generally, the agreement is a matter of inference from the facts and circumstances. Id. (quotation marks and quoted authority omitted); accord Sanders, 117 N.M. at 458, 872 P.2d at 876. {21} We conclude that the State presented sufficient evidence of a conspiracy to commit armed robbery. The State presented evidence that the defendants did not possess a vehicle but wished to leave New Mexico. Defendant and his co-defendants were apprehended with the stolen car outside of the State. Witnesses testified that the victims had joined the defendants at the motel in anticipation of a sexual encounter. The State presented testimony that there were three victims, including two men who weighed close to two hundred pounds, and four perpetrators, who were all, in relation to the victims, small men: each was five foot four or less in height and weighed one hundred and fifty pounds or less. The defendants bound the victims. Based on the fact that the defendants were able to restrain the victims, the jury could reasonably infer from the number and size of the victims that the defendants had a preexisting plan to overtake the victims. As discussed above, the State presented evidence that the owner of the car suffered extensive head and neck trauma, caused by the closet rod, which differed from the injuries to the other two victims. The evidence of bloody fluid in his lungs also indicates that the car owner had his head held underneath water in the bath-tub. The jury could infer from this evidence of a specific assault upon the car owner with the closet rod that the defendants' preexisting plan consisted of luring the victims to the motel in order to commit armed robbery for the purpose of obtaining a vehicle to leave New Mexico. {22} With respect to the conspiracy to commit murder, the State presented evidence that, after the beating, the car owner was strangled to death in the motel room as was the second victim. The pathologist testified that this manner of killing takes several minutes of pressure to accomplish the murder. Additionally, the State presented evidence that the defendants concealed one victim's wallet in a plumbing access panel under the bathroom fixtures, as well as another victim's identification card under the television set. The defendants also hid two of the victims under the beds in the motel room. From this evidence, the jury could reasonably infer that the defendants, having inflicted severe, life threatening injuries with the closet rod upon the car owner during the commission of the armed robbery, then agreed to silence the victims and attempt to cover up their crimes. {23} Finally, with respect to the conspiracy to commit kidnapping, the State presented evidence that Defendant and the others bound and gagged the third victim, wrapped him in a bedspread, placed him in the car, and transported him out of Albuquerque. A co-defendant's semen was found in this victim's anus. Based on this evidence, the jury could reasonably infer that Defendant agreed to hold the victim to service, thus supporting the conspiracy to commit kidnapping conviction. {24} Defendant contends that, at most, only one continuous conspiratorial agreement existed, relying upon State v. Jackson, 116 N.M. 130, 134, 860 P.2d 772, 776 (Ct.App.1993). We disagree. In Jackson, the defendant and his accomplice agreed to find someone to rob and the Court of Appeals concluded that this agreement supported only one conspiracy despite the fact that the defendant and his accomplice eventually robbed and murdered two victims who were together. Id. The Court of Appeals held that the inference was that the original conspiracy matured and expanded to include the additional objective of robbing two victims rather than one. Id. In the present case, we are not faced with three conspiracy charges of one crime committed against three victims; rather, Defendant entered into three agreements for five acts for different victims: one armed robbery, three murders, and one kidnapping. The defendants agreed to commit armed robbery against the victim who owned the car they wished to take. They agreed to kidnap the third victim. Finally, Defendant and his accomplices agreed to kill all three victims. [M]ultiple agreements to commit separate crimes constitute multiple conspiracies. United States v. Broce, 488 U.S. 563, 571, 109 S.Ct. 757, 102 L.Ed.2d 927 (1989). In Sanders, this Court affirmed the defendant's convictions for first degree murder, tampering with evidence, attempted fraud, and fraud, as well as four conspiracy convictions to commit these crimes. Sanders, 117 N.M. at 454, 872 P.2d at 872. Based upon the facts, circumstances, and inferences of the case, we rejected the defendant's argument that there was no evidence of more than one conspiracy because there was only one motive, and we concluded that the defendant and his accomplice entered into separate conspiracies. Id. at 457, 872 P.2d at 875. Clearly, if the defendant commits two discrete acts violative of the same statutory offense, but separated by sufficient indicia of distinctness, then a court may impose separate, consecutive punishments for each offense. Swafford, 112 N.M. at 13, 810 P.2d at 1233. Similarly, we believe that the inferences reasonably drawn from the evidence in this case support three conspiracies. {25} Based on the differing treatment of the three victims and the distinct timing of the various crimes, we conclude that the State presented sufficient evidence to support separate agreements between Defendant and his co-defendants to commit armed robbery, the three murders, and the kidnapping. See State v. Ketchum, 45 Conn.App. 270, 696 A.2d 987, 991-92 (1997) (holding that jury could reasonably find that there were two separate conspiracies when group of attackers decided, while assaulting the victim, to then rob him). These three separate agreements support the three separate convictions of conspiracy beyond a reasonable doubt. Similarly, with regard to the three convictions for tampering with evidence, those convictions are supported by evidence of three separate acts presented at trial. {26} We reach a different conclusion, however, with regard to the convictions for unlawful taking of a vehicle, contrary to Section 66-3-504, and receiving a stolen vehicle, contrary to Section 66-3-505. Defendant argues that under the facts of this case Defendant cannot be convicted of both crimes. We agree. See State v. Stephens, 110 N.M. 525, 526, 797 P.2d 314, 315 (Ct.App.1990) (deciding that, under the facts of the case, one who steals property cannot be convicted of receiving or retaining the same property). For this reason, we reverse Defendant's conviction for receiving a stolen vehicle. This decision does not affect the length of Defendant's sentence because the trial court ordered the eighteen month sentence for this conviction to be served concurrently with the sentences for armed robbery and unlawful taking of a motor vehicle.