State v. Oliva

The defendant, Fred B. Oliva, was found guilty by a jury of the offense of first degree assault. The assault victim was the defendant’s wife, Lupe Oliva.

Three witnesses testified for the State. According to Lupe Oliva, on the morning of November 1, 1986, she and her husband began arguing, after which a struggle ensued. The defendant pinned her on the couch and hit her in the face. This episode continued for about 1 hour, during which time the defendant made a number of verbal threats. The defendant used Vise-Grips to hit Lupe and to crush her fingers. During the assault Harold Spoor, the…