State Of Washington v. Manuel Urrieta ( 2015 )

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
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No. 73963-8-1
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Respondent, is
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MANUEL URRIETA, UNPUBLISHED OPINION
Respondent. FILED: December 7. 2015
Spearman, C.J. — Manuel Urrieta appeals his conviction for unlawful possession
of a firearm. He argues that prosecutorial misconduct violated his right to a fair trial. He
also argues that the trial court erred by denying his motion to recall a witness, and
considering inadmissible evidence. Finally, he argues that he received ineffective
assistance of counsel.1 Finding no error, we affirm.
FACTS
Urrieta was driving with three passengers when his car repeatedly drifted out of
its lane. A City of Orting police officer, Daniel Drasher, observed the car and made a
traffic stop. The car smelled of alcohol and Urrieta showed signs of intoxication. Urrieta
admitted that he had been drinking and that he was driving with a suspended license.
1 Urrieta also argues that the trial court violated his right to a public trial and the public's right to
open proceedings by conducting peremptory challenges on paper during voir dire. But since the filing of
the briefs in this matter our Supreme Court has rejected that argument. State v. Love, 183 Wash. 2d 598,
354P.3d841 (2015).
No. 73963-8-1/2
Officer Drasher arrested Urrieta for driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI). Urrieta
refused to take a breath alcohol test.
Meanwhile, a second officer, Officer Hurley, informed Urrieta's passengers that
the car was going to be towed and they needed to leave. Only one of the passengers,
Aaron Letho, was identified on the dispatch record. After the passengers left the scene,
Officer Hurley conducted an inventory search. He found a semiautomatic handgun and
a magazine under the driver's seat. The State charged Urrieta with DUI, driving with a
suspended license, and unlawful possession of a firearm. Urrieta pleaded guilty to the
driving offenses.
At trial on the firearm charge, Officers Drasher and Hurley testified to the events
surrounding Urrieta's arrest. During the recess after the State's case, Urrieta telephoned
his cousin, Francisco Santiago. Urrieta told his attorney that Santiago would testify and
would be there in twenty minutes. The court extended the recess to allow Santiago to
arrive.
Santiago testified that he was the front seat passenger on the night Urrieta was
arrested. He stated that the back seat passengers were his friends Jake Boyd and
Aaron Letho. Santiago testified that he saw Jake Boyd pull a gun out of his pocket and
put it underthe driver's seat. He stated that he had been in frequent contact with Urrieta
but had not told him about Jake Boyd. Santiago's cross examination included the
following exchanges:
Q: You didn't tell anybody about Jake Boyd, did you? You didn't
even tell your cousin, did you?
A: Nobody.
No. 73963-8-1/3
Q: You told nobody. So after the State puts on its case you show
up with this exculpatory evidence saying that you saw someone put the
gun under the seat, correct?
A: Yes.
1Verbatim Report of Proceedings (VRP) at 101.2
Q: And you never said anything. Is that what you want us to
believe, that you knew this the whole time and you wait until after I rested
and my officers leave and then you come here?
A: Yeah.
Q: My officers leave and now you have it. You said that you were
scared. That's what you said. You gave the jury two explanations, right?
First you said that you were scared, right?
A: I was scared.
Q: You were scared. But you just told the jurors that Jake, Jake
Boyd, and what's the other guy's name?
A: Aaron.
Q: We have never talked about this, right?
A: Right.
Q: We never - I'm learning this right now. So you, Jake Boyd and
Aaron, you said this, they are your friends. ... So what are you scared of?
A: I just didn't want to be involved in nothing.
Q: Because you weren't communicating this information to the
attorneys. You were talking to your cousin, weren't you?
A: And his attorney.
Q: You didn't talk to him until today about this Jacob fellow; isn't
that true?
A: I talked to him over the weekend.
Q: Did you talk to the attorney about Jacob?
A: No.
Q: You brought that up today after the officers left, correct?
A: Yes.
Q: So he fthe defense attorney) didn't know about it. In fact,
defense counsel didn't even know that you had been talking on the phone
together, did he?
A: No.
Q: No. And you expect to come in here after all that's been said
and done and just tell the jurors whatever you want?
2 There are two volumes of verbatim report of proceedings referenced as follows: 1VRP - Volume
One, May 15, 19, 20, 30, 2014; 2VRP-jury voir dire and opening statements, May 15, 19, 2014.
No. 73963-8-1/4
[Defense counsel]: I'm going to object at this point. It's
argumentative.
The Court: Sustained. Rephrase...
1VRP at 102-105. (Emphasis added).
Urrieta testified in his own defense. He stated that he did not know the gun was
in the car. He also admitted that he was a convicted felon, he had been driving with a
suspended license, he had been drinking, and he had been charged with DUI. In
response to a question during cross examination, Urrieta stated that he had refused to
take an alcohol breath test. He acknowledged that he was prohibited from having
contact with witnesses, but testified that he did not think the prohibition applied to
Santiago because he was not named on the no-contact form. Urrieta stated that he and
Santiago had not discussed the night of the arrest. He later stated that he and Santiago
had been talking about the night of the arrest since the previous Friday, but that
Santiago had not told him about Jake Boyd. Urrieta then stated that Santiago told him
about Jake Boyd on Sunday, the day before trial. The prosecutor suggested that Urrieta
and Santiago made up the name "Jacob." 1VRP at 121.
Urrieta moved to recall Officer Drasher to establish that Aaron Letho was the
name of the only passenger identified in the police dispatch record. The court found that
the evidence was offered to rehabilitate Santiago by proof of a collateral matter and
denied the motion.
In closing, the prosecutor's argument included the following:
I'm going to point out a mistake that Mr. Santiago made, one of many he
made on the stand. He [Officer Hurley] found a gun, but he also found
something else. ...[Y]ou remember he says there was a magazine and it
had ammunition in it, and it was touching the firearm. . . .
No. 73963-8-1/5
1VRP at 138-139
The Defendant is the one who called [Santiago] and told him to
come here. ... He called him after the State rested. He admitted that on
the stand. I called him, and in the hallway he told his attorney, he will be
here in 20 minutes. 20 minutes, and that's what we were waiting for.
He came here and he had a story. What was his story? And I know
I was hard on him. I know that I was probably overly passionate, but I had
to get to it because this was new information. You don't get to do this, and
you know what? They truly underestimate you. They underestimate you.
They think that they can come in here and change the game, change the
analysis, attack that knowing [element] because that's the only issue,
right? Knowing. He didn't know.
The instructions tell[] you that you are the judge of credibility, and
you get to look at the reasonableness of the testimony. Is it reasonable for
someone you love, let's put yourself in the place of Mr. Santiago, your
cousin who you love. .. .
Mr. Santiago would tell you he saw someone put the gun there, and he
kept it a secret from his cousin that he had been hanging out with every
single day. He even knew that his cousin was in custody for over two
months. He didn't say anything. His cousin was in jail for two months and
he isn't going to say anything? Really? They underestimate you.
Let's talk about the Defendant's testimony. He didn't have to testify,
but he chose to. And I went after him because I wanted the truth. And
what did he tell you? He said—first he said a couple of different things, he
said I didn't talk to my cousin about the case. He says I didn't know about
this. I didn't know what he was going to say.
And then when I kept questioning him, and I was going after him, I
said, why did you want your cousin here if you don't know what he was
going to say?. . . And he said, well, I spoke to him on Sunday. .. .
If he spoke to him on Sunday, that means his cousin lied when he
said he didn't speak to him at all. Thev can't do this to you. They
underestimate you. They are trying to go after the one prong they think
they have room to, and that's knowledge.
Put it on someone else. We will make up a name, Jacob. We will
make this guy up. It's too late for the State to do anything. Thev can't go
out and conduct their investigation. Thev already rested their case.
1VRP at 147-151. (Emphasis added).
No. 73963-8-1/6
DISCUSSION
Urrieta claims that the trial was marred by pervasive prosecutorial misconduct
that denied him a fair trial. He contends that the prosecutor erred by (1) encouraging the
jury to find Urrieta guilty on improper grounds; (2) offering personal opinions on witness
credibility and guilt; and (3) making emotional appeals to the jury that undermined the
presumption of innocence.
To prevail on a claim of prosecutorial misconduct, the defendant must establish
that the prosecutor's conduct was "'both improper and prejudicial in the context of the
entire record and the circumstances at trial.'" State v. Thorgerson. 172 Wash. 2d 438, 442,
258 P.3d 43 (2011) (guoting State v. Magers. 164Wn.2d 174, 191, 189P.3d 126
(2008)). But because Urrieta did not object to the alleged misconduct below, the issue
of prosecutorial misconduct is waived unless the misconduct was flagrant, ill-
intentioned, and so prejudicial that it could not have been cured by an admonition to the
jury. State v. Weber. 159 Wash. 2d 252, 270, 149 P.3d 646 (2006) (citing State v. Stenson,
132 Wash. 2d 668, 719, 940 P.2d 1239 (1997)).
First, Urrieta challenges the prosecutor's comments drawing attention to the fact
that Santiago did not come forward with his evidence until after the State rested its
case. Urrieta argues that these comments encouraged the jury to penalize Urrieta for
the late disclosure of Santiago's evidence, thus urging the jury to convict on improper
grounds. We disagree. Although not well stated, when viewed in context, the
prosecutor's comments merely urged the jury to consider the timing of Santiago's
disclosure in assessing his credibility. Moreover, because the argument was neither
flagrant nor ill intentioned, there was no error.
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No. 73963-8-1/7
Urrieta next argues that the prosecutor offered improper personal opinions on
witness credibility and guilt. It is improper for a prosecutor to state a personal belief as
to the credibility of a witness. State v. Brett. 126Wn.2d 136, 175, 892 P.2d 29 (1995).
However, a prosecutor may "argue an inference from the evidence, and prejudicial error
will not be found unless it is 'clear and unmistakable' that counsel is expressing a
personal opinion." ]d. (quoting State v. Sargent. 40 Wash. App. 340, 344, 698 P.2d 598
(1985)).
Urrieta contends that the prosecutor erred by stating that he "wanted the truth,"
arguing that Santiago made a "mistake," and implying that Santiago invented the name
Aaron Letho. Briefof Appellant at 26. He asserts that these comments conveyed the
message that the prosecutor was personally convinced that Urrieta was lying. We
disagree.
The prosecutor stated that he "went after" Urrieta because he "wanted the truth"
during his summary of Urrieta's testimony in closing argument. The prosecutor
reminded the jury that Urrieta gave inconsistent answers in response to questions
concerning Santiago's testimony. In context, the statement about wanting the truth was
an inference that at least some of Urrieta's answers were not truthful because the
answers continued to change. Similarly, in closing argument, the prosecutor drew the
jury's attention to an inconsistency between Santiago's testimony and Officer Hurley's
testimony. While Santiago testified that he observed Jacob place a gun under the car
seat, Officer Hurley testified that he found not only a gun under the seat, but also a
loaded magazine. From this inconsistency, the prosecutor drew the inference that the
inconsistency was evidence that Santiago made a "mistake" in his testimony. 1VRP at
No. 73963-8-1/8
138. Thus, because the prosecutor did not unmistakably express a personal opinion,
but instead argued an inference from the evidence, there was no error.
Urrieta also asserts that the prosecutor "actively misled the jury by insinuating
Santiago was making up the fact that Letho was in the back seat." Brief of Appellant at
27. The record does not support this argument. The prosecutor suggested that Santiago
and Urrieta made up the name "Jacob," but he did not dispute that the second back seat
passenger was named Aaron Letho.
Next, Urrieta challenges the prosecutor's statements "[t]hey can't do this to you"
and "[t]hey underestimate you," as well as his reference to the 20-minute delay in
proceedings. Briefof Appellant at 28-29. He asserts that these comments undermined
the presumption of innocence by encouraging the jury to be angry at Urrieta and
creating an alliance of the State and the jury against Urrieta. We also reject this
argument.
A prosecutor must not undermine the presumption of innocence. State v. Evans.
163 Wash. App. 635, 643, 260 P.3d 934 (2011). But a prosecutor "is afforded wide latitude
in drawing and expressing reasonable inferences from the evidence, including...arguing
inferences about credibility." State v. Millante. 80 Wash. App. 237, 250, 908 P.2d 374
(1995) (citing State v. Hoffman. 116 Wash. 2d 51, 94-95, 804 P.2d 577 (1991)). Here,
although the prosecutor's choice of language was inartful, the challenged statements
served to emphasize the timing of Santiago's evidence and the inconsistencies in
Urrieta's and Santiago's testimony, leading to the inference that the testimony was not
credible. The prosecutor did not encourage the jury to be angry with Urrieta, but
No. 73963-8-1/9
encouraged the jury to consider the credibility of inconsistent information presented for
the first time at trial. We find no error.
Next, Urrieta argues that his right to present a complete defense was violated
when the trial court denied his motion to recall Officer Drasher. This court reviews a
claim of denial of the right to present a defense de novo. State v. Jones, 168 Wash. 2d
713, 719, 230 P.3d 576 (2010) (citing State v. Iniguez. 167 Wash. 2d 273, 280-81, 217
P.3d 768 (2009).
A criminal defendant has the right to present relevant evidence. Rock v.
Arkansas. 483 U.S. 44, 55, 107 S. Ct. 2704, 97 L. Ed. 2d 37 (1987). Relevant evidence is
that which has "any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence
to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be
without the evidence." ER 401. A defendant has "'no constitutional right to present
irrelevant evidence.'" Jones. 168 Wash. 2d at 720 (quoting State v. Gregory. 158 Wash. 2d
759, 786 n.6, 147 P.3d 1201 (2006)).
In this case, Urrieta moved to recall Officer Drasher or admit the dispatch record
to corroborate that one of the backseat passengers was named Aaron Letho. He argues
that evidence concerning Letho's identity was relevant because the presence of a third
passenger made it more likely that someone else placed the gun under the driver's seat
without Urrieta's knowledge. This argument is unavailing because the presence of three
passengers in the car was undisputed. Evidence that Letho had been identified in the
police dispatch log had no tendency to make it more or less probable that Urrieta knew
the gun was there. The evidence was thus not relevant and the trial court did not violate
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No. 73963-8-1/10
Urrieta's right to present a defense by denying the motion to recall Officer Drasher or
admit the dispatch record.3
Next, Urrieta contends that the admission of evidence that he refused consent to
a breath alcohol test was manifest constitutional error that may be raised for the first
time on appeal.
An error may only be raised for the first time on appeal if it is a manifest error that
affects a constitutional right. RAP 2.5(a)(3). See State v. Kirkman. 159 Wash. 2d 918, 926-
27, 155 P.3d 125 (2007); State v. Scott. 110 Wash. 2d 682, 685-86, 757 P.2d 492 (1988).
When a constitutional error is asserted for the first time on appeal, this court first makes
a "cursory determination" as to whether the alleged error in fact implicates a
constitutional issue. State v. Lynn. 67 Wash. App. 339, 345, 835 P.2d 251 (1992). If it
does, we next examine whether the error is manifest. ]d.
In this case, the alleged error affects a constitutional right because, assuming
arguendo that Urrieta had a constitutional right to refuse a warrantless breath test,4
admitting evidence of his refusal would penalize him for exercising a constitutional right.
State v. Gauthier, 174 Wash. App. 257, 267, 298 P.3d 126 (2013) (trial court improperly
admitted evidence that defendant exercised a constitutional right, thereby penalizing
him for exercising that right) (appeal after remand. 189 Wash. App. 30, 354 P.3d. 900
(2015)). We therefore consider whether the alleged error was manifest.
3We also reject Urrieta's argument that the open door doctrine mandated admission because the
prosecutor accused Santiago of fabricating Letho's name. As discussed above, his argument is not
supported by the record.
4We note that our state Supreme Court has accepted review of this issue in State v. Baird, No.
90419-7.
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No. 73963-8-1/11
"Manifest" in RAP 2.5(a)(3) requires a showing of actual prejudice. Kirkman. 159
Wash. 2d at 935 (citing State v. Walsh, 143 Wash. 2d 1, 8, 17 P.3d 591 (2001)). The
defendant must plausibly show that "'the asserted error had practical and identifiable
consequences in the trial of the case.'" Id., (quoting State v. WWJ Corp.. 138 Wash. 2d
595, 603, 980 P.2d 1257 (1999)). Urrieta contends that the error was prejudicial
because it affected the jury's determination of credibility. The record does not support
this contention. Urrieta testified that he was a convicted felon, that he had been
drinking, and that he was driving with a suspended license. His testimony was internally
inconsistent and inconsistent with Santiago's testimony. Urrieta's assertion that the jury
would likely have found him credible but for the breath alcohol test evidence is not
plausible. Because Urrieta has not shown actual prejudice, the asserted error is not
manifest and cannot be raised for the first time on appeal.
The failure to show prejudice also precludes Urrieta's argument that he received
ineffective assistance of counsel because his attorney failed to object to the breath
alcohol test evidence. To prevail on an ineffective assistance of counsel claim, a
defendant must prove both (1) that counsel's performance "fell below an objective
standard of reasonableness" and (2) that the defective performance resulted in
prejudice. State v. Humphries. 181 Wash. 2d 708, 719-20, 336 P.3d 1121 (2014) (citing
Strickland v. Washington. 466 U.S. 448, 687-88, 108 S. Ct. 2052, 80 L. Ed. 2d 674
(1984)). "Prejudice" is a "reasonable probability that the result of the proceeding would
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No. 73963-8-1/12
have been different" but for the deficient performance. Id. Urrieta cannot show
prejudice. He therefore cannot prevail on his ineffective assistance of counsel claim.5
Finally, Urrieta argues that the "accumulation of errors" in this case denied him
his due process right to a fair trial. Brief of Appellant at 40. Because there was no error,
this argument fails.
Affirmed.
iC Ir^\r^ L .J.
WE CONCUR:
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