People v. Bohannon

98 Cal. Rptr. 2d 488, 82 Cal. App. 4th 798, 2000 Daily Journal DAR 8443, 2000 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6389, 2000 Cal. App. LEXIS 605
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 31, 2000
DocketB115308
StatusPublished
Cited by16 cases

This text of 98 Cal. Rptr. 2d 488 (People v. Bohannon) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Bohannon, 98 Cal. Rptr. 2d 488, 82 Cal. App. 4th 798, 2000 Daily Journal DAR 8443, 2000 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6389, 2000 Cal. App. LEXIS 605 (Cal. Ct. App. 2000).

Opinion

Opinion

GOODMAN, J. *

Danny Richard Bohannon (sometimes referred to hereinafter as Bohannon) and Steven Michael Hagemann (sometimes referred to hereinafter as Hagemann) appeal their convictions following joint trials before separate juries on multiple counts of rape, rape by use of drugs, rape of an unconscious person, sodomy and related offenses. Bohannon was charged with 26 counts and Hagemann with 48 counts. 1

Bohannon was convicted of seven counts against five victims as follows: one count of rape by use of drugs (Pen. Code, § 261, subd. (a)(3)); 2 one count of rape of an unconscious person (§ 261, subd. (a)(4)); four counts of conspiracy to rape by use of drugs (§§ 182, subd. (a)(1), 261, subd. (a)(3)); *802 and one count of attempted rape by use of a drug (§§ 664, 261, subd. (a))(3)). Bohannon was sentenced to 19 years in state prison.

Hagemann was convicted of 43 counts against 14 victims as follows: eight counts of rape by use of drugs (§261, subd. (a)(3)); seven counts of rape of an unconscious victim (§261, subd. (a)(4)); five counts of genital penetration by a foreign object of a victim unable to resist (§ 289, subd. (e)); five counts of genital penetration by a foreign object of an unconscious victim (§ 289, subd. (d)); two counts of sodomy of a person prevented from resisting by use of a drug (§ 286, subd. (i)); two counts of sodomy of an unconscious person (§ 286, subd. (f)); two counts of attempted rape by use of drugs (§§ 664, 261, subd. (a)(3)); two counts of attempted rape of an unconscious person (§§ 664, 261, subd. (a)(4)); four counts of conspiracy to rape by use of drugs (§§ 182, subd. (a)(1), 261, subd. (a)(3)); and six counts of poisoning (§ 347, subd. (a)).

Hagemann was sentenced to 77 years in state prison.

We will affirm each conviction and remand the matter for resentencing of Hagemann.

Factual Summary *

Appellants’ Contentions*

Discussion

1. Hagemann’s discovery request.

Hagemann contends that he was prevented from obtaining the names and addresses of all witnesses in the case, and thereby deprived of his ability to prepare a defense. Neither the record nor applicable law supports this contention.

a. Factual predicate.

Hagemann’s discovery contention is predicated upon proceedings at two pretrial hearings. At the first of these hearings, which took place on January *803 13, 1997, counsel for Hagemann indicated he was anxious to have a timely trial for his client. Later in that hearing the People expressed concern over defense contacts with victims, advising the court that a subpoena for one of the victims who had requested confidentiality 7 had been left for her at the residence of her grandparents. On being told by the person who left the subpoena that their granddaughter “was a witness in a rape case,” the grandparents had become quite upset. Counsel for Hagemann first indicated to the court that he had no knowledge of this action and then advised the court that he had no objection to an order by the court that the defense not contact any victim in the case so long as the district attorney would make the victims available for interview by the defense. The court then made that order.

At a subsequent hearing, counsel for Hagemann asked that the district attorney be ordered to disclose the addresses and telephone numbers of two particular victims, John and Marcus, each of whom the district attorney advised the court had requested that their addresses (but not their full names, which were contained in the information) remain confidential. The stated purpose of the disclosure was to allow the defense to “do record searches.” The district attorney offered to make these two victims available for questioning. The court concurred in this procedure and ordered that the defense could ask these witnesses at those interviews if they wished to disclose their addresses. The court then denied the defense request to order disclosure of the addresses of these victims at that time, but ordered that their birth dates be disclosed to the defense. Hagemann’s counsel does not cite any other portion of the record at which he made a request for information about these or other victims or witnesses. Thus, the record indicates that the discovery contention advanced on this appeal relates only to two victims and only to their addresses. Nor is there any indication in the record of the proceedings below that the court’s order was not carried out, viz., it appears that the victims were interviewed by the defense and that counsel obtained whatever information he sought from them prior to their testifying.

*804 b. Legal analysis.

This record demonstrates that Hagemann has waived his contention as to victims other than John and Marcus (see People v. Collie (1981) 30 Cal.3d 43, 49 [177 Cal.Rptr. 458, 634 P.2d 534, 23 A.L.R.4th 776]) and that Hagemann’s counsel was free to ask each of these victims for his address—or any other information—at the interview arranged by the district attorney. The record indicates that the defense was given all other information (name, birth date and photograph) of each of the victims which it requested. Further, there is nothing in the record which indicates that the defense did not ultimately speak with each of the victims, including John and Marcus, and get the addresses of these victims and any other information the defense needed to prepare for trial. Hagemann does not direct our attention to any subsequent point in the record at which this information was considered still in issue. Finally, there is no indication in the record of how the lack of knowledge of the addresses of these two victims, assuming arguendo, that such information was never disclosed, impeded the preparation of a defense. Rather, at a hearing on June 20, 1997, counsel for Hagemann told the court that since the trial had started he had had an opportunity to speak with the witnesses whose addresses had been withheld earlier. Thus, there does not appear to be any factual basis for the claimed error.

Nevertheless, Hagemann contends that the failure to order disclosure of the addresses of these two victims was error. For the following reasons, this contention is without legal foundation.

The obligation of the People to disclose information to the defense is dependent upon whether that obligation has a constitutional or statutory basis. As articulated by the United States Supreme Court in Brady v. Maryland (1963) 373 U.S. 83 [83 S.Ct. 1194, 10 L.Ed.2d 215], the prosecution has a sua sponte obligation, pursuant to the due process clause of the United States Constitution, to disclose to the defense information within its custody or control which is material to, and exculpatory of, the defendant.

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98 Cal. Rptr. 2d 488, 82 Cal. App. 4th 798, 2000 Daily Journal DAR 8443, 2000 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 6389, 2000 Cal. App. LEXIS 605, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-bohannon-calctapp-2000.