AI Generated Opinion Summaries

This summary was computer-generated without any editorial revision. It is not official, has not been checked for accuracy, and is NOT citable.

Facts

• The Defendant, Crystal Vigil, was convicted of first-degree, willful and deliberate murder for the killing of her boyfriend, Zachariah Holderby. The incident occurred after a day of drinking and meth use, following an altercation between the Defendant and the Victim. The Defendant shot the Victim in the head from several feet away in the presence of several witnesses, after which she fled the scene. The murder weapon was never located (paras 3-6).

Procedural History

• [Not applicable or not found]

Parties' Submissions

• Appellant: The Defendant argued that the evidence presented at trial was insufficient to sustain a conviction for first-degree, willful and deliberate murder, her right to confrontation was violated, and the trial court erred in denying her request to provide the jury her tendered instruction on accident (paras 7, 11, 23, 29).
• Appellee: The State contended that sufficient evidence supported the jury’s verdict, no fundamental error occurred, and the Defendant’s remaining argument was unpreserved. It also argued that the Defendant withdrew her request to cross-examine a witness with unauthenticated text messages, thus any perceived error was not preserved for review (paras 12, 26, 30).

Legal Issues

• Whether the evidence presented at trial was sufficient to sustain Defendant’s conviction for first-degree, willful and deliberate murder.
• Whether Defendant’s right to confrontation was violated by limiting cross-examination of a witness.
• Whether the trial court erred in denying Defendant’s request to provide the jury her tendered instruction on accident (paras 2, 7).

Disposition

• The Supreme Court of New Mexico affirmed the Defendant’s conviction for first-degree, willful and deliberate murder (para 34).

Reasons

• The Court found that:
  Sufficient evidence was presented at trial for a reasonable jury to find that the Defendant deliberated before killing the Victim. The Court highlighted several facts supporting the jury's finding of deliberation, including the Defendant's actions before and after the shooting (paras 20-22).
  No error occurred in limiting the cross-examination of Ms. Marquez regarding unauthenticated text messages, as the Defendant withdrew her request to use the evidence. Even if it was erroneous, the Defendant’s guilt was not so questionable that it would shock the conscience, thus no fundamental error necessitating a new trial was committed (paras 23-28).
  The trial court correctly denied Defendant’s tender of a jury instruction on accident, as no instruction on this subject shall be given according to UJI 14-5140 NMRA. Additionally, the Defendant withdrew her request, failing to preserve the issue for appeal (paras 29-33).