People v. Cooksey

95 Cal. App. 4th 1407, 116 Cal. Rptr. 2d 1, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1311, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 1583, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 1353
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedFebruary 7, 2002
DocketNo. B146852
StatusPublished
Cited by35 cases

This text of 95 Cal. App. 4th 1407 (People v. Cooksey) 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. Cooksey, 95 Cal. App. 4th 1407, 116 Cal. Rptr. 2d 1, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1311, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 1583, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 1353 (Cal. Ct. App. 2002).

Opinion

Opinion

TURNER, P. J.

Defendant Raphael Deandre Cooksey, appeals from his conviction for second degree robbery. (Pen. Code,1 § 211.) The trial court also found defendant had previously been convicted of a serious felony. (§§ 667, 1170.12.) He also appeals from the judgment imposed after his probation was revoked in a case where he had earlier pled guilty to discharging a firearm into an inhabited dwelling. (§ 246.) In the published portion of this opinion, we discuss whether a lesser included offense instruction should have been given. Additionally, in the published portion of the opinion, we discuss whether defendant should have received credit for time served on his [1410]*1410subordinate state prison term resulting from his probation violation. We modify the judgment to increase the amount of presentence credits.

First, defendant argues the jurors should have been instructed on the lesser included offense of grand theft from the person. (§ 487, subd. (c).) On April 1, 2000, at approximately 1:00 p.m., Leticia Vasquez purchased a newspaper near Snappy Market. As Ms. Vasquez walked away, defendant ran toward her. Defendant grabbed Ms. Vasquez from behind with both hands. Defendant tried to take the small purse Ms. Vasquez carried. Ms. Vasquez struggled with defendant for approximately two minutes before he successfully took her purse. Ms. Vasquez was scared. She screamed and cried. Ms. Vasquez yelled as defendant ran away. Two motorists observed the incident. Michael Dirks testified defendant was “tussling” with Ms. Vasquez. James Andrews stated defendant was “wrestling” with Ms. Vasquez. Mr. Andrews saw defendant run away carrying a black object that resembled a purse. Defendant got into the passenger seat of a Jeep parked at the Snappy Market. The driver of the Jeep immediately drove away. No defense witnesses testified.

Defendant argues the trial court improperly refused to instruct the jury on the lesser offense of grand theft from the person. Defense counsel requested the instruction based on a alleged lack of sufficient force to constitute a robbery. The trial court stated: “I find, based upon the facts in this case, that there is no deficiency with regards to the prosecution’s theory of the case and the evidence by which the jury could find on the lesser-included.”

A trial court is obliged to instruct, even without a request, on the general principles of law which relate to the issues presented by the evidence. (§§ 1093, subd. (f), 1127; People v. Wims (1995) 10 Cal.4th 293, 303 [41 Cal.Rptr.2d 241, 895 P.2d 77]; People v. Turner (1990) 50 Cal.3d 668, 690 [268 Cal.Rptr. 706, 789 P.2d 887]; People v. Grant (1988) 45 Cal.3d 829, 847 [248 Cal.Rptr. 444, 755 P.2d 894]; People v. Melton (1988) 44 Cal.3d 713, 746 [244 Cal.Rptr. 867, 750 P.2d 741].) When the evidence is minimal and insubstantial, there is no duty to instruct. (People v. Barton (1995) 12 Cal.4th 186, 196, fn. 5 [47 Cal.Rptr.2d 569, 906 P.2d 531]; People v. Bunyard (1988) 45 Cal.3d 1189, 1232-1233 [249 Cal.Rptr. 71, 756 P.2d 795]; People v. Mayberry (1975) 15 Cal.3d 143, 151 [125 Cal.Rptr. 745, 542 P.2d 1337].) The California Supreme Court recently reiterated: “[T]he existence of ‘any evidence, no matter how weak’ will not justify instructions on a lesser included offense, but such instructions are required whenever evidence that the defendant is guilty only of the lesser offense is ‘substantial enough to merit consideration’ by the jury. [Citations.] ‘Substantial evidence’ in this context is ‘ “evidence from which a jury composed of reasonable [persons] could . . . concluded” ’ that the lesser offense, but not the [1411]*1411greater, was committed.” (People v. Breverman (1998) 19 Cal.4th 142, 162 [77 Cal.Rptr.2d 870, 960 P.2d 1094], original italics; People v. Carr (1972) 8 Cal.3d 287, 294 [104 Cal.Rptr. 705, 502 P.2d 513]; see also People v. Birks (1998) 19 Cal.4th 108, 118 [77 Cal.Rptr.2d 848, 960 P.2d 1073].) We conduct independent review of issues pertaining to instructions. (People v. Waidla (2000) 22 Cal.4th 690, 733, 737 [94 Cal.Rptr.2d 396, 996 P.2d 46].) Grand theft person, depending on the facts, can be a lesser included offense of robbery. (People v. Ortega (1998) 19 Cal.4th 686, 699 [80 Cal.Rptr.2d 489, 968 P.2d 48]; People v. Morales (1975) 49 Cal.App.3d 134, 139-141 [122 Cal.Rptr. 157].)

Section 211 defines robbery as: “Robbery is the felonious taking of personal property in the possession of another, from his person or immediate presence, and against his will, accomplished by means of force or fear.” The evidence established all of the elements of robbery in this case, including force. In addition, the evidence definitely demonstrated an element of fear. But there is no evidence which would support a finding that only the crime of grand theft from the person was committed. The uncontradicted evidence indicated: defendant physically grabbed Ms. Vasquez; Ms. Vasquez and defendant struggled for two minutes before he successfully ran off with her purse; Ms. Vasquez was scared; Ms. Vasquez screamed and cried; and as he ran away, Ms. Vasquez screamed at defendant. Such constituted the crime of robbery with the attendant elements of force and fear. There is no substantial evidence defendant merely committed the included offense of grand theft from the person.

Although not conclusive, the facts in this case are materially different from those present in a decision relied upon by defendant, People v. Roberts (1976) 57 Cal.App.3d 782, 785, 787, footnote 1 [129 Cal.Rptr. 529], disapproved on another point in People v. Rollo (1977) 20 Cal.3d 109, 120, footnote 4 [141 Cal.Rptr. 177, 569 P.2d 771]. In Roberts, the defendant appealed from a robbery conviction and argued that there was insufficient evidence to support the judgment. The evidence on the force and fear issue was described by the Roberts court as follows: “On October 5, 1974, at approximately 11 p.m., Carla Jean Spencer was returning to her parked car after spending an evening at the Hollywood Park Race Track. Ms. Spencer left the track prior to the ninth race. At her car, while attempting to remove the car keys from her purse, she heard a ‘shuffle of steps to my left and somebody come right under my left arm, grabbed my handbag jerked it right down and snapped it off the handle.’ ” (People v. Roberts, supra, 57 Cal.App.3d at p. 785.) The court held: “Certainly, the evidence that the purse was grabbed with such force that the handle broke supports the jury’s implied finding that such force existed. (See 1 Witkin, Cal. Crimes (1963)

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Bluebook (online)
95 Cal. App. 4th 1407, 116 Cal. Rptr. 2d 1, 2002 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 1311, 2002 Daily Journal DAR 1583, 2002 Cal. App. LEXIS 1353, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-cooksey-calctapp-2002.