People v. Castro

446 N.E.2d 1267, 113 Ill. App. 3d 265, 68 Ill. Dec. 870, 1983 Ill. App. LEXIS 1590
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedMarch 15, 1983
Docket81-1783
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 446 N.E.2d 1267 (People v. Castro) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Castro, 446 N.E.2d 1267, 113 Ill. App. 3d 265, 68 Ill. Dec. 870, 1983 Ill. App. LEXIS 1590 (Ill. Ct. App. 1983).

Opinion

JUSTICE HARTMAN

delivered the opinion of the court:

A jury found defendant, Alfredo Castro, guilty of aggravated kidnaping and attempted deviate sexual assault of Anthony Sasso, a severely retarded 16-year-old boy. Castro appeals, raising as issues whether: (1) the circuit court properly allowed the State to add and strike certain allegations and correct a citation in the information brought against him; (2) the State proved that he had secretly confined Anthony against his will and forced him to submit to an act of deviate sexual intercourse; (3) testimony concerning Anthony’s I.Q. and social maturity test scores was admissible; and (4) the court committed reversible error when it informed the jury that the confinement of a child under 13 years of age is presumed to be against his will if his parents have not consented to that confinement.

At trial, Anthony’s sister, Rose Marie Sasso, testified that she and her family lived in the 2700 block of west 18th Street, Chicago, on October 30, 1980. At 7:30 p.m. Anthony went to a grocery store nearby where he would go often to perform chores in return for candy or soda. When Anthony did not return home by 8 p.m., the time the store closed, Rose went looking for him, could not find him, and told her mother, Gloria Ortiz, what had happened.

Ortiz testified that after looking for Anthony for almost an hour she called the police. Ortiz described Anthony to investigating police, who communicated this description over the police radio. She and the officers then drove around, unsuccessfully searching for Anthony. Investigating officer Alberta Raymond testified similarly to Ortiz.

Officer Kenneth Maduzia testified that at 10:30 p.m. he and his partner, James Henderson, were on routine patrol. They noticed a late model Chevrolet pickup truck, with a camper on the back, parked within one block of Anthony’s home. It was rocking back and forth. Looking into the back of the truck, they saw Castro roll off Anthony’s back. Anthony was lying face down in the camper; his clothes were in disarray; his pants and underpants down around his ankles, and his hair messed up. Castro’s pants and underpants were also down around his ankles. Castro’s penis was erect. 1

The police notified Ortiz and took Anthony to Mt. Sinai Hospital. The parties stipulated that Dr. Kim, a resident, examined him and observed that there was no tearing, trauma, or bleeding in or around Anthony’s anus. He found no sperm on either Anthony’s or Castro’s underwear. The parties also stipulated that Castro was age 44.

Dr. Traute Page testified for the State. She is a medical doctor and was director of the Esperanzo School for the mentally retarded since 1972, which school Anthony had attended since age 6. The school held a total enrollment of 76 students. Anthony’s I.Q. was 30; a normal I.Q. is between 90 and 100. Anthony’s Vinland Social Maturity Test scale indicated a mental ability of age 7, yet Anthony could not write his name, tell time, or wash or dress himself without help. He could not speak in complete sentences and had difficulty answering even very simple questions. He is a very trusting and affectionate child.

Castro neither testified nor called any witnesses. When the State rested, he moved for a directed verdict on both counts. Count I had charged Castro with the offense of “attempt, in that he, [sic] attempted by force and threat of force, to compel Anthony Sasso to submit to an act of deviate sexual conduct, to wit: anal intercourse, in violation of Chapter 38, Section 11 — 3 Illinois Revised Statutes ***.” The court granted the State’s subsequent motions to strike the words “and threat of force” and to amend count I to charge Castro with violating of section 8 — 4 of the Criminal Code of 1961 (defining attempt) rather than section 11 — 3 of the Code (defining deviate sexual assault).

Castro contends that the words stricken constituted a material element of the offense for which he was charged and were not an unnecessary allegation in light of the conjunctive phraseology used. The State characterizes the words as mere surplusage and argues that the language of the statute rather than the words used in the information determine whether an allegation is essential or not. Less specificity is required in charging elements of an inchoate, rather than completed, offense. (People v. Williams (1972), 52 Ill. 2d 455, 461, 288 N.E.2d 406.) Further, in light of the evidence adduced at trial and the fact the State only had to show that Castro either used or threatened to use force, the words “and threat of force” were unnecessary and properly stricken. (See People v. Simon (1981), 101 Ill. App. 3d 89, 427 N.E.2d 843; People v. Tuczynski (1978), 62 Ill. App. 3d 644, 378 N.E.2d 1200; and People v. Adams (1977), 45 Ill. App. 3d 334, 359 N.E.2d 840.) Moreover, misciting the applicable statutory provision in an indictment is a formal rather than a substantive defect, which may be corrected at any time. See section 111 — 5 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of 1963 (111. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 111— 5), and People v. Boyd (1980), 87 Ill. App. 3d 978, 981, 409 N.E.2d 392.

The State amended count II shortly before trial, adding the words “and did secretly confine said Anthony Sasso,” the information thereby charging Castro with the offense of aggravated kidnaping in that “he knowingly by force and threat of the imminent use of force carried Anthony Sasso from one place to another with the intent to secretly confine him against his will and did secretly confine said Anthony Sasso and attempted to commit a felony, to wit: deviate sexual assault upon him, in violation of Chapter 38, Section 10 — 2(a)(3) Illinois Revised Statutes ***.” Castro contends that the circuit court should not have permitted this amendment on the eve of trial, but cites no authority in support of his argument. “An indictment *** may be amended *** at any time because of formal defects ***” (emphasis added) (Ill. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 111 — 5), particularly where, as here, the insertion of the words did not change the substance of the charge. The amendment does not appear to have affected Castro’s strategy at trial or the jury’s verdict. This objection is without merit.

After Castro moved for a directed verdict, the circuit court granted the State’s motion to strike the words “and threat of the imminent use of force carried Anthony Sasso from one place to another.” As a result, count II actually charged Castro with violating section 10 — 1(a)(1) of the Criminal Code of 1961 (111. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 10 — 1(a)(1)), rather than section 10 — 1(a)(2) of the Code (111. Rev. Stat. 1979, ch. 38, par. 10 — 1(a)(2)). Castro contends that these subsections define separate and distinct offenses and that he was therefore convicted of an offense other than the one for which he was charged. Section 10 — 1 defines but one offense, kidnaping. Subsections 10 — 1(a)(1), (2) and (3) simply define three different ways that the crime may be committed. See People v. Allen (1974), 56 Ill.

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Bluebook (online)
446 N.E.2d 1267, 113 Ill. App. 3d 265, 68 Ill. Dec. 870, 1983 Ill. App. LEXIS 1590, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-castro-illappct-1983.