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Hughes v. State (10/17/2002) ap-1835

Hughes v. State (10/17/2002) ap-1835

                             NOTICE
     The  text  of this opinion can be corrected before  the
     opinion  is published in the Pacific Reporter.  Readers
     are  encouraged to bring typographical or other  formal
     errors  to  the attention of the Clerk of the Appellate
     Courts:

             303 K Street, Anchorage, Alaska  99501
                      Fax:  (907) 264-0878
       E-mail:  corrections@appellate.courts.state.ak.us

         IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF ALASKA


SEAN BURDETTO HUGHES,         )
                              )              Court of Appeals No.
A-7713
                                             Appellant,         )
Trial Court No. 3AN-99-1882 Cr
                              )
                  v.          )
                              )                       O  P  I   N
I  O  N
STATE OF ALASKA,              )
                              )
                                             Appellee.          )
[No. 1835    October 17, 2002]
                              )


          Appeal  from the Superior Court,  Third  Judi
          cial  District,  Anchorage,  Larry  D.  Card,
          Judge.

          Appearances:   Rex Lamont Butler,  Anchorage,
          for  Appellant.  John A. Scukanec,  Assistant
          Attorney    General,   Office   of    Special
          Prosecutions  and  Appeals,  Anchorage,   and
          Bruce  M. Botelho, Attorney General,  Juneau,
          for Appellee.

          Before:   Coats, Chief Judge, and  Mannheimer
          and Stewart, Judges.

          MANNHEIMER, Judge.


          Sean Burdetto Hughes entered the house of his estranged

wife  after he learned that another man, Derwin Hunter, had spent

the night there.  Brandishing a chefs knife, Hughes threatened to

kill  his  wife, and then he stormed to the bedroom where  Hunter

was  located.  Hughes tried to break into the bedroom, first with

a knife and then with a screwdriver.

          Hughes  finally succeeded in kicking down  the  bedroom

door.   He  and  Hunter struggled briefly until a friend  of  the

family,  Ricky Meredith, intervened.  Meredith restrained  Hughes

and  advised Hunter to leave the house.  Hunter took this advice:

he gathered his belongings and left before the police arrived.

          Based  on this episode, Hughes was convicted of  third-

degree  assault  (for placing Hunter in fear of imminent  serious

physical  injury  by  means of a dangerous  instrument)1,  third-

degree  criminal mischief (for intentionally damaging  his  wifes

property   by   breaking   the  bedroom  door)2,   and   reckless

endangerment (for recklessly engaging in conduct that  created  a

substantial  risk  of serious physical injury  to  his  estranged

wife, Meredith, and Hunter)3.

          Hughes appeals his convictions on various grounds, each

of  which is discussed below.  For the reasons explained here, we

affirm Hughess convictions.



     The  claim that the State failed to present exculpatory
     evidence  at  grand  jury  regarding  the  third-degree
     assault charge
     

               Shortly  after  the  incident,  an  Anchorage

     police  officer  interviewed Derwin Hunter.   When  the

     officer asked Hunter, Were you afraid?, Hunter replied:

     No, not really.  I didnt think he was gonna do anything

     to  me.  ...  As far as the knife is concerned, I  deal

     with that every day ... .

          Hughes  points  out that a charge  of  third-

degree assault under AS 11.41.220(a)(1)(A) requires the

State to prove that the victim was place[d] ... in fear

of  imminent  serious physical injury.  Based  on  this

statutory  language, Hughes argues  that  he  would  be

innocent of this charge if, despite his actions, Hunter

was   not  afraid  of  being  hurt.   Hughes  therefore

contends   that   Hunters  statement  was   exculpatory

evidence  under the rule announced in Frink  v.  State,

          597 P.2d 154, 164-66 (Alaska 1979), and that the

prosecutor was obliged to present Hunters statement  to

the grand jury.

          Under  Frink,  a  prosecutor  is  obliged  to

inform  the grand jury of evidence that exculpates  the

defendant.    However,  the  States  duty  to   present

exculpatory evidence to the grand jury extends only  to

evidence  that tends to negate the defendants guilt  in

and   of   itself.4    Here,  Hunters   statement   may

conceivably  have  provided  some  ammunition  for  the

defense, but it was not exculpatory in and of itself.

          It  is  true  that  the third-degree  assault

statute  requires  proof  that the  defendant  place[d]

another  person  in fear of imminent  serious  physical

injury.5   But, as used in this statute, the word  fear

does  not refer to fright, dread, intimidation,  panic,

or  terror.   Rather, a person is  placed  in  fear  of

imminent  injury if the person reasonably perceives  or

understands  a threat of imminent injury.  The  victims

subjective  reaction to this perception is  irrelevant.

It  does  not matter whether the victim of the  assault

calmly confronts the danger or quivers in terror.   The

question is whether the victim perceives the threat.

          This  point of law is discussed in  Wayne  R.

LaFave  and Austin W. Scott, Jr., Substantive  Criminal

Law (1986),  7.16(b), a subsection entitled, Assault as

Intentional   Scaring.   Immediately   following   this

heading, the authors provide an explanatory footnote:

     
          The  word scare or frighten is ...  used
     loosely  herein as a short term for the  more
     cumbersome   but  more  accurate   expression
     causing  reasonable apprehension of immediate
     bodily  harm.  See W. Prosser and W.  Keeton,
     Torts,   10 (5th ed. 1984), speaking  of  the
     requirement  of  apprehension  of   immediate
     bodily  harm  required for a  civil  assault:
     Apprehension is not the same thing  as  fear,
     and  the  plaintiff is not  deprived  of  his
          action merely because he is too courageous to
     be frightened or intimidated.
     
     Id., Vol. 2, p. 315 n.26.

               Hunters  statement that he was  not

     afraid  of being injured may have been  false

     bravado     (as    the    State    suggests).

     Alternatively,  Hunters  statement  may  have

     accurately reflected the calm of  a  man  who

     often  faces  physical danger.  (Hunter  told

     the  officer  that as far  as  the  knife  is

     concerned, [he] deal[s] with that every day.)

               But   in   either   case,   Hunters

     statement   did   not   negate   the   States

     allegation that Hunter reasonably perceived a

     danger  of  imminent serious physical  injury

     because  of  Hughess actions.  Thus,  Hunters

     statement was not exculpatory evidence within

     the meaning of the Frink rule.

     

The trial judges ruling that Hughes could not introduce
hearsay  testimony concerning a statement  that  Hunter
made to the police


          At  Hughess  trial, as the  defense  attorney

ended  his cross-examination of Officer Denise Rollins,

the  attorney  asked Rollins, [Is  it  true  that]  Mr.

Hunter  told  you  [that]  he  was  just  watching  the

television while [Hughes was trying to break  down  the

door of the bedroom]?  The prosecutor objected that the

defense  attorneys question called for hearsay; Hughess

attorney  did  not respond.  The trial judge,  Superior

Court  Judge  Larry D. Card, sustained the  prosecutors

objection.  The defense attorney then announced that he

had no further questions of the witness.

          A  few  minutes later, after the witness  had

left  the stand, Hughess attorney offered an answer  to

the   prosecutors  objection.   The  defense   attorney

suggested  that  Hunters  out-of-court  statement   was

admissible  under  the state of mind exception  to  the

hearsay rule.  The defense attorney argued that if  Mr.

Hunter  was sitting up there in the bed[room], watching

TV  while  this fight is going on, then that means  [he

was  not]  placed in fear of imminent physical  injury.

Judge  Card ruled that the state of mind exception  did

not apply.

          On  appeal, Hughes abandons his state of mind

theory  and  instead argues that Hunters statement  was

not  hearsay  at  all.   Under  Evidence  Rule  801(c),

hearsay  is an out-of-court statement offered to  prove

the truth of the matter asserted.  Hughes contends that

Hunters  statement  was important because  of  what  it

tended to prove about Hunters state of mind at the time

of  the alleged assault.  Hughes therefore argues  that

the statement was not offered to prove the truth of the

matter asserted.  But this argument is flawed.

          If  Hunter was watching television  while  an

angry  husband was allegedly trying to break  down  the

door  and  was threatening his wife with a knife,  this

might  tend  to undercut the assault charge.   But  any

inference about Hunters mental state  his apparent lack

of concern  necessarily rests on the premise that there

be  admissible evidence to show that Hunter was in fact

watching  television during all the  commotion.   There

was no evidence of this except for Hunters out-of-court

statement.   Thus,  the  defense  attorney  was  indeed

offering Hunters statement for the truth of the  matter

asserted  offering it to prove that Hunter was watching

television  while Hughes was trying to break  into  the

bedroom.

          The  statement  was  therefore  hearsay,  and

Judge  Card  correctly sustained the objection  to  the

defense attorneys question.

          Hughes  argues for the first time  on  appeal

that  Hunters statement may have been admissible  under

the  catch-all exception to the hearsay rule,  Evidence

Rule 803(23).  We reject this argument for two reasons.

          First, Hughes did not present this theory  of

admissibility to the trial judge.  He therefore can not

raise it on appeal.6

          Second,  hearsay  is  not  admissible   under

Evidence  Rule  803(23) unless  the  proponent  of  the

hearsay  shows that the out-of-court statement  carries

circumstantial guarantees of trustworthiness equivalent

to  the  other  recognized exceptions  to  the  hearsay

rule.7  Hughes does not show that Hunters statement met

this requirement.



The  trial judges denial of Hughess request for a weeks
continuance


          On  the  first  day of trial,  prior  to  the

parties  opening  statements, the prosecutor  announced

that the State had been unable to locate Derwin Hunter,

but  the  prosecutor told the court that he was willing

to  proceed  without Hunters testimony.   In  response,

Hughess attorney asked Judge Card to dismiss the third-

degree  assault  charge.  The defense  attorney  argued

that  Hunter was a crucial witness because Hunter would

concede  that  he was not afraid during  the  incident.

This  concession,  according to the  defense  attorney,

would disprove the States allegation of assault.

          The  prosecutor answered that  dismissal  was

inappropriate.  The prosecutor told the court  that  it

sounds ... like the defense wants [a] dismissal because

they havent bothered to subpoena the victim.  ...  [If]

they  think his testimony is that important, maybe they

should subpoena him.

          The defense attorney replied that he had,  in

fact,  made  attempts to locate Hunter.  He had  traced

Hunter  to  North Carolina or Virginia, but  there  the

trail ended.  The defense attorney conceded that it was

unlikely that Hunter could be found.

          Judge  Card  denied  the  defense  motion  to

dismiss  the assault charge.  The judge ruled  that  if

Hunter was unavailable to testify, each side would have

to deal with that fact.

          This  issue surfaced again at the end of  the

third  day  of trial, after the prosecution had  rested

its   case-in-chief.   Hughess  attorney  argued   that

Hunters absence from the trial constituted a denial  of

Hughess  right  of  due process.  The defense  attorney

contended   that   the  State  had   a   constitutional

obligation  to present Hunter as a witness  if  he  was

available.   Judge Card denied the defense request  for

two  reasons.  First, the record indicated that  Hunter

could   not   be  located   that  he  was,   in   fact,

unavailable.    Second,  assuming   that   Hunter   was

available, he was equally available to both parties, so

the  State did not violate Hughess right of due process

by failing or neglecting to subpoena him.

          At  this  point,  the defense attorney  asked

Judge  Card to continue the trial for one week so  that

the   defense  could  locate  Hunter  and  procure  his

testimony.  Judge Card did not reject this request  out

of  hand, but he told the defense attorney that he  was

not  inclined to declare a recess in the middle of  the

trial  unless  the defense attorney was  able  to  tell

[him] something more about the situation:

     
     The  Court:   [You  must  let  me  know]
whether  ...  you  have  an  idea  of   where
[Hunter]  is, and [then] talk to him  or  his
mother or whomever he lives with and see when
he  could get up here, and how long it  would
take  you folks to get him.  Then well decide
if  were going to recess the trial.   Im  not
going  to recess the trial for a week without
knowing any of that.  ...

     [T]he  State  has  indicated  from   the
beginning  that  they werent  going  to  call
[Hunter]  as a witness.  And so its not  like
the  first  notice was given  today  that  he
wasnt going to be called.  So if you want  to
find  out  ... if you can get in  touch  with
him,  how  long it would take him to  get  up
here, assuming you can get a ticket.  ...   I
may  be  willing  to recess  for  twenty-four
hours,  till  ...  Friday, and  continue  the
trial  Friday  and get done  or  even  [next]
Monday if, for example, he has to finish  ...
a  work shift.  [N.B.:  This conversation was
taking place on a Wednesday afternoon.]   You
know, that sounds reasonable ... .  But not a
week without [any more information].

          Judge  Card  then told the  defense

attorney that he would take the request for a

continuance under advisement overnight.   The

judge  directed the defense attorney to  give

[him] some more information tomorrow morning.

Hughess attorney responded, Okay.  Good.  The

defense    attorney   then   mentioned    the

possibility  that Hunter might  not  come  to

Alaska voluntarily  that Hughes would have to

apply for an interstate subpoena.  Judge Card

responded, Ill sign whatever you need.

          The  next morning, Judge Card asked

the  defense  attorney if he had anything  to

report  about  Hunters  availability   as   a

witness.  The defense attorney answered,


     Defense Attorney:  Judge, Im going to be
honest with you:  I didnt have time to try to
call  yesterday.  I was in court  [all  day],
and  then [I] tried to deal with some  office
matters  before everyone went  home  at  five
oclock,  [so] I didnt have time to call  down
there  realizing that [Hunter] does not  have
a  home phone and it would be nine oclock  on
the East Coast ... , and so I just  it was  a
crash and burn evening, pretty much.

Based  on  the  defense  attorneys  response,

Judge   Card   denied  the  request   for   a

continuance.   The judge reiterated  that  he

was  not  going  to give a weeks  continuance

based on ... no [information] at all.

          On    appeal,   Hughes   does   not

challenge Judge Cards refusal to dismiss  the

assault  charge  because of Hunters  absence.

Hughes  does, however, challenge Judge  Cards

denial of the weeks continuance.  He contends

that  Judge Card unreasonably denied  him  an

extra week to find a crucial defense witness.

          In  Ross  v.  State, 836  P.2d  378

(Alaska  App.  1992), this Court  listed  the

factors  that  a trial judge should  consider

when  deciding whether to grant  a  mid-trial

request  for  a  continuance  to  obtain  the

testimony of an absent witness:


     (1)   whether   the  [absent   witnesss]
testimony is material to the case;

     (2)   whether  the  testimony   can   be
elicited from another source;

     (3) whether the testimony is cumulative;

     (4)  [the]  probability of securing  the
absent witness in a reasonable time;

     (5)  whether  the requesting  party  was
diligent and acted in good faith;

     (6)   the  inconvenience  to  the  court
and/or others; [and]

     (7)  the  likelihood that the  testimony
would have affected the jurys verdict.

Ross,  836  P.2d  at  381  (summarizing   the

discussion in Salazar v. State, 559 P.2d  66,

72-75 (Alaska 1976)).

          Using  these criteria, we  conclude

that  Judge  Card  acted reasonably  when  he

denied  Hughess  mid-trial  request   for   a

continuance.

          With    regard   to   the   defense

attorneys  diligence, Judge Card  noted  that

the  defense  attorney had  known  since  the

beginning  of  the  case that  Hunter  was  a

potential witness, and had known for  several

days that Hunter was not going to testify for

the  State.  Nevertheless, Judge Card did not

deny Hughess request for a continuance out of

hand.   Instead, he gave the defense attorney

a  day  in which to find out more information

about  where Hunter was and whether he  could

be brought to Alaska to testify.

          Despite the defense attorneys claim

that  Hunter  was a crucial witness  for  the

defense,  the defense attorney took no  steps

to  locate Hunter in the time given him.  The

defense  attorney explained that  he  was  in

court  for  much of the day, but  Judge  Card

reasonably  could  have  concluded   that   a

diligent  attorney would have assigned  other

people to this task if Hunter was indeed such

an  important witness.  Moreover, the defense

attorney admitted that, even when he got  out

of  court,  he  attended to  office  business

instead  of using the time to try  to  locate

Hunter   until it was too late  to  call  the

East  Coast.  In short, the defense  attorney

did not act diligently.

          The    probability   that   Hunters

testimony  could be secured in  a  reasonable

amount  of  time appears to have  been  Judge

Cards  central  concern.  He repeatedly  told

the defense attorney that he was not prepared

to  order a recess of the trial without  some

reason  to think that Hunter could be located

and   brought  to  Alaska  to  testify.    As

described  above, when the issue  of  Hunters

testimony  arose  early  in  the  trial,  the

defense   attorney   conceded   that   Hunter

probably  could  not  be  located.   As   the

proponent  of  the continuance,  the  defense

attorney  was obliged to present  Judge  Card

with good reason to believe that this was  no

longer the case  that Hunter could be located

and   his  testimony  procured.  The  defense

attorney did not do so.

          And  with regard to the materiality

of   Hunters  testimony,  we  note  that  the

defense  attorneys claim that  Hunter  was  a

crucial  witness rested on the same  argument

that we rejected in the first section of this

opinion   the argument that Hughes could  not

be  convicted of assault if  Hunter  was  not

subjectively   afraid   of   Hughes.     This

proposition   of   law  is  mistaken.    This

undercuts Hughess assertion that he could not

get a fair trial without Hunters testimony.

          In   the   last  analysis,  Hughess

attorney  asked  Judge Card to  continue  the

trial for a week without giving the judge any

reason  to  believe  that  the  delay   would

achieve anything.  We therefore conclude that

Judge Card did not abuse his discretion  when

he  denied  Hughess mid-trial request  for  a

continuance.



Hughess motion for a judgement of acquittal on the
assault charge


     Hughes  argues  that  he  is  entitled  to  a

judgement of acquittal on the third-degree assault

charge involving Derwin Hunter.  But Hughes argues

the  evidence  in  the  light  most  favorable  to

himself.   The  test is whether  the  evidence  is

sufficient  to support the conviction when  viewed

in the light most favorable to upholding the jurys

verdict.8

          Moreover,   Hughess  primary   argument   for

acquittal is the same argument that we rejected in  the

first  section of this opinion  the argument  that  the

State  could not prove assault if there was no evidence

that Hunter was subjectively afraid of Hughes.  That is

not  the  issue.   The question is  whether  the  State

presented evidence from which the jury could reasonably

conclude  that,  because  of  Hughess  conduct,  Hunter

reasonably  perceived  a danger that  he  would  suffer

imminent serious physical injury.  Viewed in the  light

most  favorable  to  upholding the jurys  verdict,  the

States  evidence  was  sufficient  to  establish   this

element.



Hughess  motion  for a judgement of  acquittal  on  the
criminal mischief  charge


          Under  AS  11.46.484(a)(1), a person  commits

the  crime  of  third-degree criminal mischief  if  the

person intentionally damages property of another having

a  value  of at least $50, and if the person  ha[s]  no

right  to  do so [and no] reasonable ground to  believe

          [that they have] such a right.

          Hughes  concedes  that  the  State  presented

sufficient  evidence  to support  the  conclusion  that

Hughes intentionally broke down the bedroom door.   But

Hughes  argues that he could not lawfully be  convicted

of  criminal mischief for this conduct because  he  and

his  estranged wife were co-owners of the house.  Based

on  this co-ownership, Hughes contends that he did  not

damage property of another.

          Hughes  underlying  argument  is  that,  even

though  his  wife was co-owner of the  door,  the  door

could  not  be property of another so long as  it  also

belonged  to him.  We explicitly rejected this argument

in LaParle v. State, 957 P.2d 330 (Alaska App. 1998).

          Property   of  another  is  defined   in   AS

11.46.990(13) as property in which [another] person has

an  interest  which the defendant is not privileged  to

infringe,  whether  or not the defendant  also  has  an

interest  in the property.  In LaParle, we  noted  that

the  drafters  of this provision, in their  commentary,

had  clearly indicated their intention [that] co-owners

of   property  should  be  as  well  protected  against

depredations  by  other co-owners as they  are  against

outsiders.9  We also noted several decisions from other

states  holding  that  a spouse can  be  convicted  for

stealing  or  vandalizing  property  co-owned  by   the

married couple.10  We then concluded:

     
          Based  on  the [statutory definition  of
     property  of  another], the  commentary  that
     accompanied  the  tentative  draft  of   this
     provision,   and  the  decisions   of   other
     jurisdictions   cited   in   the    preceding
     paragraph, we conclude that the commonly-held
     property  of a married couple can  constitute
     property of another, even as between the  two
     spouses.  That is, it is legally possible  in
     Alaska  for  a  spouse  to  commit  theft  of
     marital property.
     
     LaParle,  957  P.2d at 334.  For  these  same

     reasons,  we  conclude  that  it  is  legally

     possible  for  a  spouse to be  convicted  of

     criminal  mischief  for  vandalizing  marital

     property.

          However,  this does not  completely

resolve the matter, for the criminal mischief

statute   also   requires  proof   that   the

defendant  [had  no]  reasonable  ground   to

believe  [that they had] a right  to  destroy

the  property at issue.  Although Hughess co-

ownership  of the door does not,  in  itself,

give  him a defense to the charge of criminal

mischief,   the   question  remains   whether

Hughess  co-ownership of the  property  might

have given him a reasonable ground to believe

that  he  was entitled to infringe his  wifes

interest in the door by breaking it down.

          It   is   conceivable  that,  under

certain   circumstances,   a   spouse   might

reasonably believe that they were entitled to

destroy   or  intentionally  damage   marital

property   e.g., to accomplish the remodeling

of a room, or to save life or property during

a fire or other emergency.  But this would be

an issue of fact for the jury.

          The question here is whether Hughes

subjectively  and reasonably  believed  that,

given the circumstances of this case, he  had

a  right to vandalize or destroy a door  that

belonged (in part) to his wife.  The evidence

at   trial,  if  viewed  in  the  light  most

favorable to upholding the jurys verdict, was

sufficient  to  support the  conclusion  that

Hughes  had  no such reasonable belief.   (We

note,  moreover,  that when Hughess  attorney

delivered  his  summation to  the  jury,  the

attorney never suggested that Hughes believed

that he had a right to destroy or damage  the

door.)

          In  sum,  the  States evidence  was

sufficient to support Hughess conviction  for

third-degree criminal mischief.



Hughess  argument that his conviction for reckless
endangerment should merge with his conviction  for
third-degree assault on Hunter


     As  discussed above, Hughes was convicted  of

third-degree assault for recklessly causing Derwin

Hunter  to  apprehend  imminent  serious  physical

injury  by  means  of  a dangerous  instrument   a

knife.   In  addition,  Hughes  was  convicted  of

reckless  endangerment under AS  11.41.250(a)  for

recklessly  engag[ing] in conduct that  created  a

substantial  risk  of serious physical  injury  to

another person.

          The   above-quoted  language  is   from   the

indictment as well as the statute.  In other words, the

indictment  did not specify the victims of the  offense

the  people for whom Hughess conduct created a risk  of

injury.   This  lack of specificity in  the  indictment

engendered a legal controversy at the end of the trial.

          After  Hughes  was convicted of  both  third-

degree  assault and reckless endangerment, the  defense

attorney   asked  Judge  Card  to  merge  the  reckless

endangerment  conviction into the third-degree  assault

conviction.  The defense attorney argued that this  was

required because (1) reckless endangerment is a  lesser

offense included within third-degree assault, (2)  both

offenses stemmed from the same conduct, and (3)  Derwin

Hunter  was  the victim of both crimes.11   Judge  Card

rejected this argument because he concluded that  there

were   as   many  as  three  victims  of  the  reckless

endangerment count  all three of the persons present in

the home:  Hughess wife, Ricky Meredith (the friend who

intervened in the fight), and Hunter.

          On  appeal,  Hughes renews his argument  that

the  two  crimes should merge.  He points out that  the

jury  was not asked to fill out a special verdict  form

specifying the person or persons endangered by  Hughess

conduct.   Thus, Hughes claims, the jurys  decision  is

irresolvably  ambiguous regarding the identity  of  the

victim(s) of the reckless endangerment charge.   Hughes

argues  that, because of this ambiguity, it is possible

that the jury concluded that Hunter was the sole victim

of  the  reckless  endangerment   in  which  case,  the

reckless endangerment conviction should merge with  the

third-degree    assault   conviction    because    both

convictions punish essentially the same act.

          But  the alleged ambiguity vanishes when  the

record  is examined.  Although the indictment does  not

specify  the victims of the reckless endangerment,  the

prosecutor  repeatedly told the jury  both  in  opening

statement and in summation  that the conduct underlying

this  charge was Hughess act of waving a knife  in  the

presence of his wife and his friend Meredith (initially

in the kitchen, and then as Hughes first approached the

bedroom).   Hughess  wife and Ricky Meredith  were  the

only people in Hughess presence during this time.

          Hughess  wife  testified  that,  during   the

confrontation  in the kitchen, Hughes  was  waving  the

knife,  making threats, and yelling for Hunter to  come

out  of  the  bedroom.   Meredith  agreed  that  Hughes

grabbed a knife during the confrontation.  But Meredith

testified unambiguously that, at his urging, Hughes put

          the knife down and returned the weapon to the kitchen

before  he  went  back to the bedroom, broke  down  the

bedroom door, and began struggling with Hunter.

          The  prosecutors description of the  reckless

endangerment  charge and the testimony supporting  this

charge  resolved the potential ambiguity in  the  jurys

verdict.   Because  the actus reus of  the  charge  was

Hughess act of brandishing the knife in the presence of

his  wife  and  Meredith, the jury must have  concluded

that one or both of them were victims of this crime.

          It  is  conceivable that the  jury  concluded

that   Hunter  was  a  third  victim  of  the  reckless

endangerment charge.  Hunter never actually saw  Hughes

with  the knife in his hand, but the State argued  that

Hunter  was placed in fear of imminent serious physical

injury  by the commotion outside the bedroom  door,  by

Merediths pleas to Hughes to put down the knife, and by

Hughess  eventual act of breaking down the  door.   But

this  is  not sufficient for Hughes to win  his  merger

argument.

          To  show  entitlement to a merger of the  two

convictions, Hughes must demonstrate either that Hunter

was  the sole victim of both charges or, at least, that

it  is  impossible to tell whether the jury might  have

viewed  Hunter  as  the sole victim  of  both  charges.

Here,  although the evidence conceivably supported  the

conclusion that Hunter was an additional victim of  the

reckless  endangerment charge,  the  evidence  and  the

prosecutors   arguments   ineluctably   lead   to   the

conclusion  that  the jury viewed Hughess  wife  and/or

Meredith  as victims of this crime.  The fact that  the

reckless endangerment charge included two victims other

than  Hunter means that this charge does not merge with

the  third-degree  assault charge  in  which  the  sole

victim was Hunter.

          Compare  State v. Dunlop,  721 P.2d 604,  609

(Alaska  1986),  where the supreme court  held  that  a

single  act  of  reckless driving can support  multiple

convictions for homicide and assault when more than one

victim  is killed or injured; and Cooper v. State,  595

P.2d  648,  649 (Alaska 1979), where the supreme  court

held  that  the  act  of firing one shot  toward  three

people will support three convictions for assault.



Conclusion


          The  judgement  of  the  superior  court   is

AFFIRMED.



_______________________________
     1 AS 11.41.220(a)(1)(A).

     2 AS 11.46.484(a)(1).

     3 AS 11.41.250(a).

4  See Mustafoski v. State, 954 P.2d 1042, 1045 (Alaska App.
1998);  State  v. McDonald, 872 P.2d 627, 639  (Alaska  App.
1994).

5 AS 11.41.220(a)(1)(A).

6 See Jones v. State, 576 P.2d 997, 1000-1001 (Alaska 1978);
Dyer  v. State, 666 P.2d 438, 450-451 (Alaska App. 1982)  (a
defendant  who  unsuccessfully  offers  evidence  under  one
theory  of  admissibility at trial can not argue a different
theory of admissibility on appeal).

7  See Ryan v. State, 899 P.2d 1371, 1379 (Alaska App. 1995)
([T]he  touchstone  for  determining  the  admissibility  of
hearsay   under   [the   catch-all   exception]    is    its
trustworthiness.  The hearsay must possess at least the same
guarantees  of trustworthiness that characterize  the  other
types of admissible hearsay listed [in the rule].).

8 See Hentzner v. State, 613 P.2d 821, 823 (Alaska 1980);
Siggelkow  v.  State, 648 P.2d 611,  613  (Alaska  App.
1982).

9  LaParle, 957 P.2d at 333-34 (quoting Alaska Criminal Code
Revision, Tentative Draft, Part 3, p. 21).

10   LaParle, 957 P.2d at 334, citing:  People v. Llamas, 60
Cal.Rptr.2d  357, 361-62 (Cal. App. 1997)  (holding  that  a
spouse  can  be  convicted  of theft  for  taking  community
property);  Commonwealth v. Mescall, 592  A.2d  687,  690-91
(Penn.  App. 1991) (same); People v. Kahanic, 241  Cal.Rptr.
722,  723  (Cal. App. 1987) (holding that a  spouse  can  be
convicted  of vandalism for destroying community  property);
State  v.  Webb,  824 P.2d 1257, 1262-63 (Wash.  App.  1992)
(same).

11    See  Tuckfield v. State, 621 P.2d 1350,  1352  (Alaska
1981);  but  cf. Todd v. State, 917 P.2d 674  (Alaska  1996)
(holding  that  a defendant can be separately  convicted  of
both  felony murder and the underlying felony).