People v. Cervantes

87 Cal. App. 3d 281, 150 Cal. Rptr. 819, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2182
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedDecember 14, 1978
DocketCrim. 32056
StatusPublished
Cited by29 cases

This text of 87 Cal. App. 3d 281 (People v. Cervantes) 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. Cervantes, 87 Cal. App. 3d 281, 150 Cal. Rptr. 819, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2182 (Cal. Ct. App. 1978).

Opinion

Opinion

HANSON, J.

Iníroduction

Defendant Daniel Duran Cervantes (hereinafter defendant) who requested and was granted permission to represent himself in the trial court appeals from a conviction, following a juiy trial, of rape in violation of Penal Code section 261, subdivision 2.

Defendant’s guilt was established by the testimony of the victim, Catherine G., corroborated in part by her brother and by defendant’s evasive conduct in order to avoid apprehension and trial.

The Facts

Defendant, a casual acquaintance of Catherine G. (age 17 and engaged to be married to a man away in the military service), drove up to her home unannounced and uninvited and persuaded her to go with him purportedly to meet some friends of his. Defendant drove her to the Airport International Motel and when they entered room 47, no one else was there. As soon as they entered, defendant grabbed her, pushed her down on a couch and told her, “If you are going to have sex with anybody it is going to be with me until your boyfriend gets back.” Catherine G. became frightened and started crying whereupon defendant slapped her, told her to quit “sniffling” and stated: “I am going to show you what a real.Chicano is like.” He slapped her again and grabbed her arm and *284 pulled her into the bedroom where he raped her while she pleaded with him “Please don’t.” Defendant then drove Catherine G. back to her home and let her out of his car on the divider across from her house and warned her that she had better not tell what happened or he would put a “contract” on her and “shoot” up her house. After defendant let her out, Catherine G. ran into her house crying and at first locked herself in the bathroom.

Catherine G.’s brother, David, corroborated the fact that she had initially left the family home with defendant in his car and that later when she returned home shé exited defendant’s car crying and distraught, ran into the house and locked herself in the bathroom and later told him and some other friends visiting their home that defendant had raped her.

When defendant was later apprehended (in the same motel room where the rape occurred) he was found hiding under a pile of clothes in a closet. Defendant also told Detective Sergeant Elizabeth Dickinson who interviewed him at the police station after he was advised of the rape charge and his Miranda rights that he had never heard of Catherine G. and was elsewhere when the rape occurred. Defendant, a parolee, fled to the State of Washington while he was waiting trial on the instant case where he was later arrested and returned to Los Angeles for trial.

Defendant’s testimony at trial that he did take Catherine G. to the motel room, merely offered her a drink and did not even touch her was rejected by the juiy.

Issues

On appeal defendant through the state public defender contends: (1) That he was deprived of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel in that his waiver of his constitutional right to counsel was defective because the trial court failed to advise him of the dangers and disadvantages of self-representation as required by Faretta v. California (1975) 422 U.S. 806 [45 L.Ed.2d 562, 95 S.Ct. 2525]; (2) that he was deprived of his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in that the record does not reflect a knowing and intelligent waiver specifically directed to his Fifth Amendment privilege prior to his testifying in his own behalf (this issue being raised for the first time during oral argument); and (3) that each of the above errors calls for a reversal per se.

*285 Background

The record on appeal reflects that defendant, represented by a deputy public defender, pleaded not guilty to the rape charge and to the amendment to the information alleging one prior felony conviction (forgery in violation of Pen. Code, § 470 in Jan. 1975). Defendant then fled the jurisdiction and was rearrested in the State of Washington pursuant to a bench warrant and returned to Los Angeles County for trial.

At the bench warrant pick up proceeding in Department SW K (Hon. Bernard Lawler presiding) on December 13, 1976, defendant for the first time requested the public defender be relieved and he be granted pro. per. privileges. His motion was granted. Defendant thereafter representing himself made a pretrial discovery motion in Department SW K which was granted in part and the sheriff was directed to supply him with a typewriter and reasonable amounts of legal office supplies. He made a motion for appointment of an investigator which was denied without prejudice but his motion to continue the trial to March 31, 1977, was granted. He then renewed his motion in Department SW K to appoint a legal investigator which was again denied without prejudice. Defendant thereafter filed an affidavit to disqualify Judge Lawler pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 170.6 and the matter was then transferred to Department SW A (Hon. Thomas W. Fredricks presiding). His re-renewed motion in Department SW A for a legal investigator at county expense was granted, a renewed motion to amend discovery was granted and then denied, and his motion to continue the trial to April 13, 1977, was granted.

On April 13, 1977, the case was transferred from Department SW A to Department SW C (Hon. Burch Donahue presiding) where the matter was tried, resulting in a hung jury. Defendant’s motion for transcript of the court reporter’s notes of the testimony of witnesses at the trial for use at the second trial was granted without charge to him and on his motions the retrial was continued first to July 20, 1977, and then to September 14, 1977.

On September 14, 1977, the case was again transferred from Department SW C to Department SW H (Hon. James F. Healey presiding) for retrial and then retransferred to Department SW B (Hon. John A. Shidler presiding) where the matter was tried for a second time resulting in a guilty verdict. Defendant appeals from this judgment of conviction.

*286 Discussion

I

Did the Trial Court Err by Failing to Adequately Warn Defendant of the Risks and Pitfalls Involved in Self-Representation? Yes.

In the instant case the only portion of the record which can be construed as an implied warning to defendant of the risk entailed by self-representation is the court’s statement to defendant on December 13, 1976, in Department SW K that “You know you are not accorded any special privileges and you will be treated the same as if you had counsel.” 1

*287 We conclude that the above statement standing alone does not constitute an adequate warning of the dangers and pitfalls defendant would likely encounter if he represented himself under prc-Faretta or Faretta or post-Faretta requirements. Here the record does not adequately demonstrate that the defendant made a knowing and intelligent election of self-representation.

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Bluebook (online)
87 Cal. App. 3d 281, 150 Cal. Rptr. 819, 1978 Cal. App. LEXIS 2182, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-cervantes-calctapp-1978.