New Mexico Supreme Court
State of New Mexico, Plaintiff-Appellee v. Mario Bernal, Defendant-Appellant
October 17, 2006140 N.M. 644
Summary
The Court affirmed the convictions, holding that Defendant's attempted armed robbery of Romero was distinct from the completed felony murder of Giron and that separate attempted robbery convictions were permissible because separate acts of force were used against two victims. The Court declined to extend the single-larceny doctrine to robbery or attempted robbery. It also held that Defendant had not presented a prima facie ineffective-assistance claim on direct appeal, without foreclosing a later habeas corpus proceeding.