People v. Banks

238 Cal. App. 2d 308, 47 Cal. Rptr. 762, 1965 Cal. App. LEXIS 1141
Procedural entryThis page is a short order in People v. Banks. Read the opinion of the Court — 242 Cal. App. 2d 373
California Court of Appeal·Decided November 22, 1965·No. Crim. No. 4681·Published

Opinion

AGEE, J.

Banks and Anderson were jointly charged in one action with robbery and DeFelice was charged with the same offense in a separate action. The two actions were consolidated for trial. All three defendants were convicted by jury. Only Banks’ appeal is before us.

None of the defendants testified or offered any evidence on the issue of guilt. DeFelice testified on voir dire on the issue of the admissibility of his confession. The court sustained the objection of appellant and Anderson to its admission as evidence against them and admonished the jury that “the statement that you are about to hear is binding only upon the defendant DeFelice and is not to be' considered in any con-, nection as far as the defendants Banks or Anderson are concerned.” This is the only admonition or instruction given by the court on the subject.

The confession of DeFelice named appellant as the driver of, the “getaway” car. It was obtained under conditions which violated the standards set forth in People v. Dorado, 62 Cal.2d 338 [42 Cal.Rptr. 169, 398 P.2d 361], decided aftehthe trial herein.

. The crucial issue on appeal is the collective effect of (1) the erroneous admission into evidence of DeFelice’s confession, (.2) the erroneous references by the trial prosecutor and the trial court to appellant’s failure-to testify and (3) the erroneous admission into evidence of an extrajudicial statement made by appellant- to the police, similar to that considered in Escobedo v. Illinois, 378 U.S. 478 [84 S.Ct. 1758, 12 L.Ed.2d 977].

Facts :

On. Sunday, February 2, 1964, about 8:10 a.m., a car containing three men drove up to a store located in a shopping center in the City of Fremont. Two of the men jumped out and,. at gunpoint, held up the store. These two men were identified as DeFelice and Anderson. The driver of the car was.not identified by any witness. The prosecution’s theory is that he was the appellant.

[310]*310Later that morning, a car proceeding along the highway at a point approximately 16 miles from the scene of the robbery was sirened down by a motorcycle police officer. The officer parked behind the car. Appellant emerged from the driver’s seat and walked back toward the officer. Someone in the front seat slid across to the driver’s side and drove off. The officer later identified this person as DeFelice. The officer thought he saw two persons in the back seat.

A short time later, upon being questioned, appellant stated that “he had been hitchhiking on the freeway near Winton Avenue and that this car had stopped and picked him up and that the people in the car were drunk and had asked him to drive the car.”

This statement is consistent with the testimony introduced by the prosecution that there were three men in the car at the scene of the robbery, and four men in the car at the time the officer stopped it.

One of the witnesses called by the prosecution was a Barbara Banks, who was living with appellant on Tyler Street, in Oakland. She testified that he left from there on the morning of February 2, 1964, “about 8:00 o’clock, 8:30 or 9:00.” If this were true, then appellant could not have been at the shopping center in Fremont at 8 -.10 a.m. on said day.

DeFelice’s confession was obtained on February 7, 1964, at the Oakland City Jail. He was then in custody, having been arrested two days before. The investigation of the robbery had by that time focused upon him. The interrogation was by Lieutenant Crowder of the Fremont Police Department and the questions and answers were taken down in shorthand by a shorthand reporter employed by the Oakland Police Department. Said interrogation was confined to the robbery and was designed to elicit a confession from DeFelice that he had participated in its commission. There is no showing that DeFelice was advised of his right to counsel or of his right to remain silent. (People v. Stewart, 62 Cal.2d 571, 580-581 [43 Cal.Rptr. 201, 400 P.2d 97].) Under the rule of Dorado, supra, it was error to admit the confession in evidence.

The harmful effect of the confession upon appellant’s defense of alibi is that it identifies him as the person who drove the “getaway” car from the scene of the robbery. It is the only evidence heard by the jury which does so.

People v. Aranda, 63 Cal.2d 518 [47 Cal.Rptr. 353, 407 P.2d 265], decided by our Supreme Court on November 12, 1965, involves the armed robbery of a jewelry store. A police officer testified at their joint trial that Martinez voluntarily confessed [311]*311that he and Aranda committed the robbery. On appeal from the judgments of conviction it was held that the confession was inadmissible under the exclusionary rule of People v. Dorado, 62 Cal.2d 338 [42 Cal.Rptr. 169, 398 P.2d 361]. The judgment against Martinez was therefore reversed.

The judgment against Aranda was also reversed, despite the fact that the trial court had instructed the jury on several occasions that the confession was to be considered as evidence only against Martinez, the declarant.

The opinion points out that “we have held that the erroneous admission into evidence of a confession implicating both defendants is not necessarily cured by an instruction that it is to be considered only against the declarant. [Citations.] ”

The court concluded that such error had resulted in a miscarriage of justice as to Aranda, within the meaning of article VI, section 4½, of the California Constitution, in that “it is reasonably probable that a result more favorable to Aranda would have been reached had Martinez’s confession been excluded [citing People v. Watson, 46 Cal.2d 818, 836 (299 P.2d 243)].”

Appellant’s failure to testify. In its argument to the jury the prosecution commented upon the failure of appellant to testify and the court instructed the jury on the effect of such failure. The instruction given is substantially identical1 with that given in Griffin v. California, 380 U.S. 609 [85 S.Ct. 1229, 14 L.Ed.2d 106], a criminal action which had been tried in a California state court.

The United States Supreme Court held therein that it was error for the trial prosecutor to comment to the jury on the failure of a defendant to testify and for the trial court to give the jury instruction quoted herein. That decision was filed on April 28, 1965, after the trial of the instant action. The able trial judge correctly followed the then existing case [312]*312law. (See Witkin, Cal. Criminal Procedure (1963) Trial, § 449, p. 452; People v. Modesto, 62 Cal.2d 436, 447-454 [42 Cal.Rptr. 417, 398 P.2d 753], decided February 11, 1965.)

In People v. Bostick, 62 Cal.2d 820 [44 Cal.Rptr.

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People v. Banks, 238 Cal. App. 2d 308, 47 Cal. Rptr. 762, 1965 Cal. App. LEXIS 1141 (Cal. Ct. App. 1965).

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Related

Escobedo v. Illinois
378 U.S. 478 (Supreme Court, 1964)
Griffin v. California
380 U.S. 609 (Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Aranda
407 P.2d 265 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Modesto
398 P.2d 753 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Dorado
398 P.2d 361 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Watson
299 P.2d 243 (California Supreme Court, 1956)
People v. Stewart
400 P.2d 97 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Bostick
402 P.2d 529 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
People v. Forbs
402 P.2d 825 (California Supreme Court, 1965)
Griffin v. California
380 U.S. 609 (Supreme Court, 1965)