Court Opinion

ID: 9575884
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 21:18:14.013591+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:48:21.983424
License: Public Domain

Justice VOLLACK
dissenting:
The majority finds that the trial court erred by failing to draft an instruction regarding Nunez’s alibi defense after properly rejecting Nunez’s tendered instruction. I disagree. Instructions regarding the defense of alibi will, under our holding in People v. Huckleberry, 768 P.2d 1235 (Colo.1989), be included in the instructions given regarding the elements of a charged offense and the prosecution’s burden of proof. An affirmative duty to correct a tendered instruction does not arise when the tendered instruction is encompassed in existing instructions. When considered as a whole, the instructions in this case adequately informed the jury of Nunez’s alibi defense; reversal of his conviction is not warranted. I respectfully dissent.
*268I.
The majority finds that “the trial court properly refused to give [Nunez’s] tendered instruction” because the instruction “improperly suggested that alibi was an affirmative defense.” Maj. op. at 264. The majority bases this finding on People v. Huckleberry, 768 P.2d 1235 (Colo.1989), wherein we held that alibi is not an affirmative defense and requires no special instructions. Id. at 1238-39. However, the majority concludes that alibi, as a “theory of the case,” must be the subject of an instruction in this case because the instructions do not encompass Nunez’s defense of alibi. Maj. op. at 266. In reaching this conclusion, the majority disregards the substance of our holding in Huckleberry where we characterized the nature of an alibi defense.
In Huckleberry, we were called on to determine whether “the defense of alibi [is] an affirmative defense requiring a jury instruction.” Id. at 1238. We noted that defendants are entitled, by statute, “to an instruction informing the jury that the prosecution ‘has the burden of proving the guilt of the defendant ... beyond a reasonable doubt as to the affirmative defense, as well as to all the elements of the crime charged.’ ” Id. (quoting § 18-1-407, 8B C.R.S. (1986)).
We concluded that an alibi defense was not an affirmative defense because it “does not require proof or disproof of factual issues beyond those necessary to establish the elements of the offense charged.” Id. at 1239. We did not determine whether an alibi defense cast in the posture of a “theory of the case” merited special instructions. However, Huckleberry dictates with stronger reasoning that no special instructions on alibi are required to inform a jury that a defendant’s theory of the case is alibi.
A.
A “theory of the case” has been defined as “[t]he basis of liability or grounds of defense.” Black’s Law Dictionary 1478 (6th ed. 1990). An alibi, as a ground of defense, “essentially denies that the defendant committed the act charged.” Huckleberry, 768 P.2d at 1238. In Huckleberry we relied on this court's opinion in McNamara v. People, 24 Colo. 61, 48 P. 541 (1897), wherein this court held:
In order to avail himself of the defense of alibi, it is not incumbent upon the accused to establish that he was not present at the commission of the crime, or that he was in some other place. If the evidence is sufficient to raise a reasonable doubt in the minds of the jury as to whether he was or was not present at the commission of the crime, he is entitled to an acquittal.
Id. at 67-68, 48 P. 543. Accordingly, the defense of alibi “emphasizes the significance of particular issues of fact the People must establish in every criminal case— namely, that the defendant was present ... at the scene of the event and that the defendant was personally responsible for the prohibited conduct.” Huckleberry, 768 P.2d at 1239. We concluded that “no special instructions are necessary to inform the jury of the People’s burden to prove that a defendant alleged to have committed an offense did commit that offense.” Id.
The Washington Supreme Court reached a similar conclusion in State v. Adams, 81 Wash.2d 468, 503 P.2d 111 (1972). The Adams court considered whether alibi instructions “should be retained as an integral part of the charge to the jury.” Id., at 477, 503 P.2d at 116. The court observed:
The instructions taken as a whole, without an instruction on alibi, should sufficiently present to the jury a statement of the law on presumption of innocence, burden of proof, reasonable doubt, assessment of credibility and such other instructions as the trial court in its sound discretion believes essential to elucidate the law.
Id., at 478, 503 P.2d at 116. The Adams court concluded that “the modern view [is] that an instruction on alibi ... is better omitted from the charge to the jury.” Id., at 478, 503 P.2d at 116.
Both Huckleberry and McNamara instruct that the defense of alibi only emphasizes the prosecution’s burden of proof in every criminal case. Huckleberry, 768 *269P.2d at 1239; McNamara, 24 Colo, at 67-68, 48 P. at 543-44. Accordingly, I am compelled to conclude, as we did in Huckleberry, that no special instructions are necessary to inform the jury that the prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that an accused committed all the elements of the charged offenses. Huckleberry, 768 P.2d at 1239.
B.
The majority states that “a trial court has an affirmative obligation to cooperate with counsel to either correct the tendered theory of the case instruction or to incorporate the substance of such in an instruction drafted by the court.” Maj. op. at 265. The majority finds that the district court did not execute its affirmative duty to either cooperate or correct Nunez’s tendered instruction. I disagree.
The duty to assist defendants in such a fashion is well established in Colorado case law. People v. Parsons, 199 Colo. 421, 610 P.2d 93 (1980). However, that duty does not arise when the defendant’s theory of the case is encompassed in other instructions. People v. Tippett, 733 P.2d 1183, 1195 (Colo.1987); People v. Moya, 182 Colo. 290, 292, 512 P.2d 1155, 1156 (1973). Based on the following discussion, I conclude that the district court was under no obligation to correct Nunez’s tendered instructions because their substance was incorporated in existing instructions.
II.
“The general rule in Colorado is that an instruction embodying the defendant’s theory of the ease must be given if there is any evidence in the record to support it.” People v. Fuller, 781 P.2d 647, 651 (Colo.1989); People v. Dillon, 655 P.2d 841, 845 (Colo.1982). “[I]t is ... long recognized that it is not error for a trial court to refuse to give a defense theory instruction when the contents of that instruction is [sic] embodied in other instructions given by the court.” Tippett, 733 P.2d at 1195. “[A]ll the instructions given must be considered together” when determining whether the jury has been informed of the defendant’s theory of the case. Id.
In People v. Vigil, 718 P.2d 496 (Colo.1986), a defendant asserted that a district court erred by refusing his tendered instruction on the credibility of eyewitness identification. Id. at 503. We stated that it was not error for the court to have refused the defendant’s instruction because the jury received a general instruction on the credibility of witnesses. Id. We noted that numerous cases supported such a finding. Id. We concluded that applicability of the rule — that a trial court may properly refuse to give an instruction on eyewitness credibility when the contents of that instruction are embodied in other instructions given by the court — “is not affected by the defendant’s claim that his ‘theory of the case’was mistaken identity.” Id. (emphasis added).
In the present case, the jury was instructed that every person charged with a crime is presumed innocent; that the prosecution bears the burden of proving the existence of all the elements necessary to constitute the crime charged beyond a reasonable doubt; that the defendant must be found not guilty if any one or more of the elements is not proven beyond a reasonable doubt; and that the prosecution had to prove that the defendant took anything of value from the person or presence of Ernest Reeve on or about December 31, 1987.
Nunez tendered two instructions, the first of which stated:
Evidence has been introduced tending to establish an alibi which amounts to a contention that at the very time of the commission of the crime, Marcus Nunez was at another place under such circumstances that he could not, with ordinary exertion, have reached the place where the crime was committed.
If, after consideration of all the evidence in this case, you have a reasonable doubt whether the Defendant was present at the time and place the alleged offense was committed, you must acquit him.
The burden is upon the People to prove each and every element of the charge as *270explained in Instruction No. — beyond a reasonable doubt.
The second instruction tendered by Nunez reiterated that
the burden is always upon the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt each and every material element of any lesser included offense....
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After considering all the evidence, if you decide that the prosecution has failed to prove one or more elements of the crime charged or of a lesser included offense, you should find the Defendant not guilty....
During an in camera proceeding, the following colloquy occurred between counsel for both parties and the judge:
THE COURT: Okay, ready for your motion?
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, at this time I would renew my motion for judgment of acquittal based on the insufficiency of the evidence.
THE COURT: Okay, motion’s denied.
And are you waiving the presence of your client for this?
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: I will, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Okay. I hand to the attorney for the People Instructions 1 through 21 and ask if you have any objection thereto.
[THE PEOPLE]: I’ve looked at them and have no objection.
THE COURT: Any additional ones to tender?
[THE PEOPLE]: None.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Your Honor, I have no objection to the instructions; however, I do have two instructions to tender. One is an instruction relating to alibi. I would ask that that be marked by the Court as Defendant’s Tendered Instruction No. 1. And á tendered instruction No. 2, wherein are the elements of the crime of the lesser offense of robbery.
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THE COURT: Okay, any objection to the form of verdicts?
[THE PEOPLE]: None by the People.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Only insofar as it doesn’t include the lesser of robbery.
THE COURT: Okay. Thank you, folks.
[DEFENSE COUNSEL]: Judge, and I don’t want to hold Wesley up, but, just for the record, I would state briefly my argument regarding the lesser included offense. And that is that there’s ... a distinction between the gravamen of offenses which endanger an individual or weapons which endanger an individual and those which create an appearance of danger. And thus, the deadly weapon statute should be subject to two interpretations. One is a deadly — a gun, loaded or unloaded, is a deadly weapon insofar as it would apply to a crime of menacing where the fear is as a result of the weapon. And I would cite in support of that People versus McPherson, [200 Colo. 429], 619 P.2d, a Colorado — P.2d page 38, Colorado Supreme Court, 1980.
The other side would be the cases such as the situation in Bowers where there is an — indeed an enhanced probability of danger or harm to another person. It’s therefore my argument that although an unloaded weapon would be sufficient for menacing, an unloaded weapon doesn’t qualify as a deadly weapon for purposes of mandatory sentence nor to raise robbery to aggravated robbery in that it does not create a danger that a loaded weapon would.
After counsel for Nunez finished, the court recessed.
During the argument, counsel for Nunez did not refer to Defendant’s Tendered Instruction No. 1 as his theory of the case. Counsel for Nunez did not focus his argument on Tendered Instruction No. 1. Counsel for Nunez did not mention Instruction No. 1, except to state that it concerned alibi. Conversely, counsel for Nunez directed all of his argument to Defendant’s Tendered Instruction No. 2, concerning the lesser included offense.
The district court rejected Nunez’s tendered instructions on that day. The record *271does not reveal that counsel for Nunez made any objections to the district court regarding the denial of the tendered instructions. The court of appeals found that the district court did not err by refusing to give the instructions because the instructions “follow[] almost verbatim the affirmative defense instruction which was properly refused in Huckleberry.” People v. Nunez, 824 P.2d 54, 55 (Colo.App.1991); see Huckleberry, 768 P.2d at 1237.
The majority, however, finds that “the trial court failed to correct Nunez’s tendered alibi instruction or to incorporate an alibi instruction in the other jury instructions.” Maj. op. at 266. This finding im-permissibly imposes on district courts a duty to act as an advocate for the defendant. Nunez may only have the benefit of a theory of the case instruction not encompassed in other instructions. Nunez did not tender an alibi instruction as his theory of the case, nor does the record reveal that he objected to its rejection. The majority’s finding, however, requires district courts to ascertain which purposes the tendered instruction concerns, and to subsequently draft an instruction suitable for that purpose if the tendered instruction is ambiguous. I am not inclined to place district courts in such an untenable position wherein district judges must substitute their judgment for that of defense counsel’s trial strategy and second-guess what is best for the defendant.
The tendered instructions do no more than emphasize that which is found in the existing instructions: that the prosecution is required to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Nunez was guilty of all of the elements of the charged offenses. A proposed special instruction that only emphasizes the prosecution’s burden of proof is not warranted solely on the basis that counsel for Nunez chose to label the instruction a “theory of the case” as opposed to “affirmative defense” on appeal. See Huckleberry, 768 P.2d at 1238-39. Nunez attempts to do no more than that which the defendant attempted and which was rejected in Vigil. By adopting Nunez’s contention, the majority places form (or label) over substance. I conclude that the district court did not err by refusing Nunez’s proposed instructions.
I am authorized to say that Chief Justice ROVIRA joins in this dissent.