State Of Washington v. Robert Terrance Jackson Jr. ( 2018 )

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CORT
U OF APPEALS OW I
STATE OF WASHION
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2018 MAY -7 Alf 8:30
IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
DIVISION ONE
STATE OF WASHINGTON, ) No. 76206-1-1
)
Respondent, )
)
v. )
) UNPUBLISHED OPINION
ROBERT TERRANCE JACKSON, JR., )
) FILED: May 7, 2018
Appellant. )
)
VERELLEN, J. — Following a crash that killed Robert Jackson's passenger,
Jackson's blood was drawn to test for alcohol and drugs. Jackson's constitutional
right to investigate his case does not require advisement about the right to
independent blood testing under due process or equal protection.
There was significant media coverage following Jackson's arrest. Because
Jackson does not show a probability of prejudice from pretrial publicity, the trial
court did not abuse its discretion when it denied Jackson's motion for a change of
venue from King County to Snohomish County.
The trial court determined Jackson was a persistent offender based on two
prior convictions for "most serious offenses." The judgment and sentence for one
of the prior convictions cites to the wrong statute. Because the charging
documents from the prior conviction showed the State properly charged and
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convicted Jackson under the correct statute, the trial court did not err in
considering the prior judgment.
The trial court determined Jackson was a persistent offender. He asserts
a jury should have decided the fact of prior convictions. Under the Persistent
Offender Accountability Act,1 a judge may find the fact of a prior conviction. We
conclude the trial court did not violate Jackson's Sixth Amendment right to a jury
trial.
Therefore, we affirm.
FACTS
On November 12, 2015, Jackson was driving through a 25 mile per hour
speed zone at a high rate of speed when he lost control of his vehicle. He crashed
into a utility box. Jackson's passenger, Lindsay Hill, died after being ejected from
the vehicle.
Jackson was transported to the hospital and his blood was drawn for
testing. The test showed Jackson had alcohol and THC2 in his blood. The State
charged Jackson with vehicular homicide, felony hit and run, and unlawful
imprisonment.
Before trial, Jackson moved for a change of venue to Snohomish County
and to suppress the blood test results. The court denied both requests. Moving
forward, Jackson chose to represent himself and waived his right to a jury. During
1 RCW 9.94A.570.
2 Tetrahydrocannabinol (marijuana).
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trial, a forensic scientist testified that based on the level of alcohol in Jackson's
blood at the time of the draw, his blood alcohol level was likely between .13 and
.22 at the time of the crash.
Following a bench trial, the court found Jackson guilty of vehicular homicide
and felony hit and run. Because he had two prior convictions for most serious
offenses, the court found Jackson was a persistent offender and sentenced him to
life imprisonment without parole.
Jackson appeals.
ANALYSIS
I. Blood Test
Jackson contends the trial court erred in denying his motion to suppress the
, results of his blood test. Jackson argues admission of the results violated his
rights to due process and equal protection because the State did not advise him of
the right to independent testing.
Prior to 2013, RCW 46.20.308 provided that "[a]ny person who operates a
motor vehicle within this state is deemed to have given consent ... to a test or
tests of his or her breath or blood."3 The statute required law enforcement officers
to inform individuals subjected to breath or blood tests of their right to independent
blood testing.4 Following a United States Supreme Court decision, the
Washington legislature removed any reference to blood from the informed consent
3 Former RCW 46.20.308(1)(2012).
4 Former RCW 46.20.308(2)(2012)
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statute.5 The statute in effect when Jackson was arrested in 2015 only required
advisement of the right to independent testing for a breathalyzer.6
Jackson argues the due process right to collect evidence and present a
defense includes the right to advisement of the right to independent blood testing.
Although Jackson suggests case law is consistent with this argument, he cites
exclusively to cases decided before the 2013 amendment.
Following the 2013 amendment, in State v. Sosa, Division Three of this
court considered whether criminal defendants had a separate constitutional right to
advisement about independent blood testing.7 The court determined "[t]he fact
that a defendant has a constitutional right to investigate his or her case and
develop evidence does not provide an independent basis for requiring an
advisement about independent blood testing. ...There are no due process
problems with eliminating this requirement."5
Jackson also argues he has a right under equal protection to advisement
about independent blood testing. He contends he is similarly situated to
individuals whose breath is tested and no rational basis supports different
5 Statev. Sosa, 198 Wn. App. 176, 181-82, 393 P.3d 796 (2017); see
Missouri v. McNeely, 569 U.S. 141, 133 S. Ct. 1552, 185 L. Ed. 2d 696(2013)
("We hold that in drunk-driving investigations, the natural dissipation of alcohol in
the bloodstream does not constitute an exigency in every case sufficient to justify
conducting a blood test without a warrant.").
6 Former RCW 46.20.308(1)(2013).
7 198 Wn. App. 176, 183, 393 P.3d 796(2017).
8 Id.4
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treatment. But he provides no authority applying equal protection in a similar
situation. In Sosa, the court concluded, the defendant could not "show he is
similarly situated to individuals whose breath is tested for alcohol concentration, as
required for an equal protection challenge. Blood and breath testing are different
for a variety of reasons. . .. These differences warrant different statutory
treatment."9 Even if blood samples degrade over time, as argued by Jackson, he
had the opportunity to retest the blood sample soon after his arrest and
appointment of counsel.
We follow Sosa and conclude there is no due process or equal protection
right to advisement about independent blood testing. For this reason, the trial
court did not err in denying Jackson's motion to suppress the blood test results.
II. Change of Venue
Jackson argues the trial court abused its discretion in denying his request
for a change of venue to Snohomish County.
A trial court's decision to deny a motion for a change of venue is reviewed
for abuse of discretion.10 We consider nine factors to determine whether the court
abused its discretion:
"(1) the inflammatory or noninflammatory nature of the publicity;
(2) the degree to which the publicity was circulated throughout the
community;(3) the length of time elapsed from the dissemination of
the publicity to the date of trial;(4)the care exercised and the
difficulty encountered in the selection of the jury;(5)the familiarity of
9 Id. at 184.
10 State v. Jackson, 150 Wn.2d 251, 269,76 P.3d 217(2003).
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prospective or trial jurors with the publicity and the resultant effect
upon them;(6) the challenges exercised by the defendant in
selecting the jury, both peremptory and for cause;(7) the connection
of government officials with the release of publicity;(8) the severity of
the charge; and (9) the size of the area from which the venire is
drawn."[11]
"A motion for change of venue should be granted when necessary to
effectuate a defendant's due process guaranty of a fair and impartial trial but a
defendant must show a probability of unfairness or prejudice from pretrial
publicity."12
Jackson was one of 3,200 individuals mistakenly released early due to a
Department of Corrections error. Jackson should have been in custody when the
crash occurred in November 2015. As a result, there was significant media
coverage following Jackson's arrest.
Under the first factor, although Jackson's arrest did receive media attention,
the publicity primarily focused on the error by Department of Corrections in
releasing him early. Although the coverage emphasized the tragedy of Hill's
death, Jackson's prior convictions, and his status as a "felon," the information was
factual.
As to the second factor, in the days after the accident, the coverage was
confined to local news outlets. Although most of the articles came out of King
County, Jackson admits these reports received statewide coverage, which would
11 Id. at 270(quoting State v. Crudup, 11 Wn. App. 583, 587, 524 P.2d 479(1974)).
12 Hoffman, 116 Wn.2d 51, 71, 804 P.2d 577(1991).
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include Snohomish County. Over a month later, national and international news
organizations published articles about the crash and Jackson's arrest.
Neither the first nor the second factor shows a probability of prejudice from
pretrial publicity. At a minimum, Jackson fails to show, under either factor, that a
change of venue to Snohomish County would have mitigated any alleged prejudice.
Similarly, the third factor does not support a change of venue because the
coverage appears to be limited to the two months following the crash. There is no
evidence in the record of specific incidents of continued publicity between
December 2015 and the hearing on the motion for change of venue in February
2016. Additionally, the trial court acknowledged that Jackson could renew the
motion if there was additional publicity between the hearing and trial. Jackson did
not renew his motion, and he failed to present evidence of continued publicity
between February 2016 and the bench trial in July 2016.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth factors relate to jury selection and are not
relevant in this case because Jackson waived his right to a jury trial.
Under the seventh factor, both the governor and the Department of
Corrections secretary publicly commented on Hill's death. The comments
expressed regret over Jackson's early release. The record does not support
Jackson's argument that the officials urged conviction or expressed an
endorsement of the State's case against Jackson. Jackson does not establish a
probability of prejudice under this factor.
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As to the eighth factor, the State charged Jackson with vehicular homicide,
felony hit and run, and unlawful imprisonment. The State concedes these are
serious charges, but courts have denied motions for change of venue involving
charges of similar severity.13
And finally, the ninth factor does not support a change of venue because
King County has a large population from which a venire could have been drawn.
We conclude the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied
Jackson's motion for a change of venue.
III. Persistent Offender
Jackson argues he is not a persistent offender because his prior judgment
for second degree assault is facially invalid. Jackson contends the trial court erred
in denying his motion to exclude the prior judgment.
A "persistent offender" is an individual who has been convicted of any
felony considered a "most serious offense" and has previously "been convicted ...
on at least two separate occasions .. . of felonies that under the laws of this state
would be considered most serious offenses?" Under the Persistent Offender
Accountability Act, "all adult offenders convicted of three 'most serious offenses'
are sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of release."15
13 See Jackson, 150 Wn.2d at 273 (first degree murder); Crudup, 11 Wn.
App. at 559(second degree murder); Hoffman, 116 Wn.2d at 73 (first degree
aggravated murder and first degree assault).
14 RCW 9.94A.030(38)(a)(i), (ii).
15 State v. Witherspoon, 180 Wn.2d 875, 888, 329 P.3d 888 (2014).
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"[A] prior conviction that is unconstitutionally invalid on its face may not be
considered at sentencing."16 A conviction is invalid on its face when it evidences
infirmities of a constitutional magnitude "without further elaboration."17 In the
context of consideration of a prior conviction at sentencing for a subsequent crime,
the court may consider statutory history and charging documents when
determining validity of the prior judgment and sentence.18
Here, the trial court determined Jackson was a persistent offender based on
two prior convictions for "most serious offenses," a 1998 conviction for second
degree assault, and a 2011 conviction for second degree robbery. The judgment
and sentence for the 1998 conviction improperly cites to repealed
RCW 9A.36.020. At the time Jackson committed the offense, second degree
assault was defined in RCW 9A.36.021.
During sentencing in the current case, the State presented the jury
instructions and charging documents from the 1998 case to show that Jackson was
properly charged and convicted under RCW 9A.36.021. In the context of
consideration of a prior conviction at sentencing for a subsequent crime, no case
has relied on jury instructions to determine the validity of the prior judgment and
16 State v. Webb, 183 Wn. App. 242, 250, 333 P.3d 470 (2014).
17 State v. Ammons, 105 Wn.2d 175, 188, 713 P.2d 719 (1986).
18 Webb, 183 Wn. App. 250-51.
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sentence.19 Even without considering the jury instructions, the charging documents
were sufficient to show Jackson's 1998 prior conviction was under RCVV 9A.36.021.
We conclude the trial court did not err in denying Jackson's motion to
exclude his prior judgment. The court properly sentenced Jackson as a persistent
offender.
IV. Right to a Jury Trial
Jackson contends the court violated his Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial
when it determined he was a persistent offender.
In Apprendi v. New Jersey, the United States Supreme Court held that
"[o]ther than the fact of a prior conviction, any fact that increased the penalty for a
crime beyond the prescribed statutory maximum must be submitted to a jury, and
proved beyond a reasonable doubt."29 Consistent with Apprendi, our Supreme
Court has "held that for the purposes of POAA, a judge may find the fact of a prior
conviction by a preponderance of the evidence."21
Jackson does not present any compelling argument challenging this
existing precedent. We conclude the court did not violate Jackson's Sixth
Amendment right to a jury trial.
19 We do not rely upon the dicta in cases cited by the State for the
proposition that the court may also consider jury instructions when determining
facial validity.
29 530 U.S. 466, 490, 120 S. Ct. 2348, 147 L. Ed. 2d 435(2000).
21 Witherspoon, 180 Wn.2d at 892.
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V. Statement of Additional Grounds
In his statement of additional grounds, Jackson asks this court to reverse
and dismiss his conviction for vehicular homicide. Jackson appears to argue there
was insufficient evidence that he was "under the influence of or affected by
intoxicating liquor or any drug."22
"The sufficiency of the evidence is a question of constitutional law that we
review de novo.'"23 To determine whether there is sufficient evidence to sustain a
conviction, we review the evidence in the light most favorable to the State and ask
whether any rational trier of fact could have found the essential elements of the
crime beyond a reasonable doubt.24 "A claim of insufficiency admits the truth of
the State's evidence and all inferences that reasonably can be drawn therefrom."25
RCW 46.61.520 provides:
(1) When the death of any person ensues within three years as a
proximate result of injury proximately caused by the driving of any
vehicle by any person, the driver is guilty of vehicular homicide if the
driver was operating a motor vehicle:
(a) While under the influence of intoxicating liquor or any drug, as
defined by RCW 46.61.502; or
(b) In a reckless manner; or
(c) With disregard for the safety of others.
22 Former RCW 46.61.502(1)(c)(2011).
23 State v. Hummel, 196 Wn. App. 329, 352, 383 P.3d 592(2016)(quoting
State v. Rich, 184 Wn.2d 897, 903, 365 P.3d 746 (2016)).
24 State v. Elmi, 166 Wn.2d 209, 214, 207 P.3d 439(2009).
25 State v. Salinas, 119 Wn.2d 192, 201, 829 P.2d 1068 (1992).
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Here, Jackson's blood was drawn 10 hours after the accident. David
Nguyen, a forensic scientist at the Washington State Patrol Toxicology Laboratory,
testified that based on the level of alcohol in Jackson's blood at the time of the
draw, his blood alcohol level was likely between .13 and .22 at the time of the
crash.
Similarly, in State v. Hill, the State presented evidence that Hill had a .18
percent blood alcohol level over three hours after the accident, and a toxicologist
testified that she had a .23 percent at the time of accident.26 Division Three of this
court held the blood test results and toxicologist's testimony was sufficient
evidence that Hill was intoxicated.27
Viewed in the light most favorable to the State, the fact finder could
reasonably infer from Nguyen's testimony and the blood test results that Jackson
was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the crash. We conclude that the
State presented sufficient evidence to support Jackson's vehicular homicide
conviction.
Next, Jackson asks this court to reverse and dismiss his conviction for
felony hit and run because he was physically incapable of complying with the
statute.
Under RCW 46.52.020(1),"A driver of any vehicle involved in an accident
resulting in the injury to or death of any person . . . shall immediately stop such
26 48 Wn. App. 344, 352, 739 P.2d 707(1987).
27 Id. at 352-53.
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vehicle at the scene of such accident. . . and in every event remain at, the scene
of such accident." Jackson was convicted under RCW 46.52.020(4), which
provides that any driver failing to stop is guilty of felony hit and run. But
RCW 46.52.020(4)(d) states, "This subsection shall not apply to any person
injured or incapacitated by such accident to the extent of being physically
incapable of complying with this section." Jackson has the burden of proving this
statutory affirmative defense.28
Jackson elicited testimony from Dr. James Boehl, the treating emergency
room doctor, that Jackson suffered a head injury as a result of the crash and that
people "with head injuries ... do and say things they normally would not do had
they not suffered a severe blunt trauma to the head."29 Malikai Hill, the victim's
son, testified that shortly after the accident, Jackson looked like he had a
concussion. Evidence that people with concussions may have difficulty
functioning did not compel the trial court, in this bench trial, to find that Jackson's
injuries rendered him physically incapable of staying at the scene of the accident.
28 See State v. W.R., Jr., 181 Wn.2d 757, 762, 336 P.3d 1134(2014)("The
legislature does not violate a defendant's due process rights when it allocates to
the defendant the burden of proving an affirmative defense when the defense
merely 'excuse[s] conduct that would otherwise be punishable.")(alteration in
original)(internal quotation marks omitted)(quoting Smith v. United States, 586
U.S. 106, 110, 1338. Ct. 714, 184 L. Ed. 2d 570 (2013)).
29 RP (July 14, 2016) at 168.
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Stated another way, the possibility of a concussion and possibility of
impairment do not establish Jackson was physically incapable of complying with
\ the hit and run statute.
Therefore, we affirm.
WE CONCUR:
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