Lee v. State

1939 OK CR 115, 94 P.2d 5, 67 Okla. Crim. 283, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 141
Court of Criminal Appeals of Oklahoma·Decided September 15, 1939·No. No. A-9437.·Published·Cited by 19 cases

Opinion

BAREFOOT, J.

Defendant was charged with the crime of burglary in the second degree, in Pontotoc county, and with having been a second offender; was tried, convicted and sentenced to serve a term of 15 years in the penitentiary, and has appealed.

*285 Defendant was charged with having entered the dwelling house of M. L. Mullins, on the morning of June 9, 1937, and stealing a gold wrist watch, the property of Mrs. M. L. Mullins. These parties were living over a grocery store in the city of Ada, and visiting them at the time was the father and mother of Mrs. Mullins. On the morning of June 9, 1937, Mrs. Mullins awoke and unlatched the screen door from the outside entrance for the purpose of permitting a lady to enter, who was to do some ironing for her. She went back to sleep and was awakened about 6 o’clock in the morning, and saw a man standing at the foot of her bed, whom she positively identified as the defendant. He made inquiry as to whether a Mr. Carter lived there. He was informed by Mrs. Mullins that no such party lived there, and he said he thought he rented a back room. He thanked her and left. She went to the window and saw defendant leave in a green sedan that was parked nearby. She awoke her husband and upon search they immediately discovered that her wrist watch which had been left on the table the night before had been stolen. They went in search of the automobile they had seen and immediately informed the police. About a week later, at the police station she identified defendant as the party who had entered her home and with whom she had the conversation, as above related. She also identified and recovered her watch which was stolen from her home on the 9th of June.

Bernice Price, a witness for the state, testified she lived in Holdenville, and was acquainted with defendant. That she saw him about five o’clock on the evening of June 9th, 1937, on a street corner, in the city of Holden-ville, and that he was driving a green sedan automobile. That he asked her to drive with him and that after she consented he gave her a wrist watch. She identified the watch, which was the property of Mrs. Mullins, as being the one given her by the defendant, and which was turned *286 over by her to the officers. She also testified that defendant had given her a ring.

Her testimony was corroborated by Edith Lawrence, who was a young lady with whom she roomed in a hotel at Holdenville. She testified that the three of them went to Shawnee on the night of the 9th of June in a green sedan driven by defendant.

The state introduced in evidence the information, warrant of arrest, and judgment and sentence, which revealed that Marshall Lee was convicted in the district court of Seminole county, of the crime of burglary in the second degree, on the 20th day of August, 1925, and was sentenced to the penitentiary for a period of two years. The certified judgment offered in evidence showed his reception by the warden of the penitentiary at Granite.

The state also offered in evidence a certified copy of an information, judgment and sentence of Marshall Lee, in Los Angeles, Cal., where he was charged and convicted of the crime of “burglary, a felony,” and sentenced to be punished “by imprisonment in the State Prison of the State of California, at San Quentin, for the term prescribed by law.” This was on the 20th day of September, 1927.

The state also offered in evidence Clyde Kaiser, the sheriff of Pontotoc county, who testified to certain statements made by defendant in which he admitted certain prior convictions.

The defendant did not take the witness stand, as he had a right not to do under the law. He offered no witnesses in his own behalf.

It is first contended that error was committed in this case by reason of the opening statement of the county attorney. This statement was that the evidence would show that a few minutes prior to the time defendant entered the home of Mrs. Mullins, he had entered the *287 home of Roy Keller, and Mrs. J. L. Parker, and Mrs. Parker being awakened he made some inquiry about somebody and walked out. No evidence was offered to substantiate this part of the opening statement. This court, in the case of Shacklett v. State, 23 Okla. Cr. 4, 211 P. 1063, 1065, said:

“In his opening statement to the jury the prosecuting attorney said:
“ ‘The proof will show that the defendant Bill Freeman entered his plea of guilty and has served his term in the penitentiary.’
“Here defendant’s attorney objected, on the ground that Bill Freeman was not present. The court then announced: ‘He is going to be present here if an attachment will get him.’ It appears, therefore, that it was the intention of the county attorney to have Bill Freeman present to testify in this case. For some reason unknown to us, this testimony was not forthcoming. The purpose of an opening statement of counsel is to apprise the jury of what the respective parties expect to show; the statements so made are in no sense evidence and are not so understood by the jury. Where a statement is made in good faith, as this appears to have been made, and for some cause the witness cannot be procured, such action on the part of the county attorney will not be held reversible error, unless it is done in bad faith or appears to be manifestly prejudicial. 12 Cyc. 570, and cases there cited.”

The record in this case fails to reveal why the county attorney did not present this evidence. It was so closely related to the time and offense as charged in the information that it would have been admissible. Mason v. State, 60 Okla. Cr. 427, 65 P. 2d 203.

There is nothing to show that the statement was not made in good faith, and the record does not disclose that it was made in bad faith. From an examination of the whole record in this case, we are of the opinion that defendant was not prejudiced by the statement of the *288 county attorney. Guest v. State, 56 Okla. Cr. 129, 34 P. 2d 1082.

It is next contended that the court erred in permitting the sheriff of Pontotoc county to testify to a conversation by defendant in which he told the county attorney of previous convictions, for the reason that defendant had been told he would be given certain punishment. In the first place, the county attorney had no right to say what punishment he should receive. This is a matter for the court and jury to pass upon under proper instructions. But the record does not bear out that any promise was made the defendant, and that this matter was not discussed until after defendant had made the statements. The record further reveals that the county attorney refused to talk to defendant except in the presence of the sheriff, and that defendant was advised that any statement made by him could be used against him. His statement was voluntary. The records of the former convictions were introduced in evidence,- and any testimony as to statements made by defendant as to prior convictions would be cumulative, and were not at all necessary for the jury to consider in finding defendant guilty.

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Lee v. State, 1939 OK CR 115, 94 P.2d 5, 67 Okla. Crim. 283, 1939 Okla. Crim. App. LEXIS 141 (Okla. Ct. App. 1939).

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