People v. Dabb

197 P.2d 1, 32 Cal. 2d 491, 1948 Cal. LEXIS 242
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 30, 1948
DocketCrim. 4847, 4848
StatusPublished
Cited by131 cases

This text of 197 P.2d 1 (People v. Dabb) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Dabb, 197 P.2d 1, 32 Cal. 2d 491, 1948 Cal. LEXIS 242 (Cal. 1948).

Opinions

GIBSON, C. J.

Defendants James Dabb, Joel Harrison, and Clayburne Campbell were each charged by indictment with the murder and robbery of Louie DiCioda while armed with a deadly weapon, and the jury found them guilty of murder and robbery in the first degree. They were sentenced under the robbery count to the state prison for the term prescribed by law. Under the murder count Dabb was sentenced for the term of his natural life, and Harrison and Campbell were sentenced to suffer the death penalty. Dabb filed a notice of appeal from the judgment of conviction and from the order denying his motion for a new trial. The appeals of Harrison and Campbell are automatic under section 1239 (b) of the Penal Code.

DiCioda was fatally shot on the night of March 1, 1947, at his liquor store in Los Angeles. With him at the time was Mrs. La von Britson, who testified that she saw Campbell point a gun at DiCioda and heard him say ‘1 This is a stickup. ’ ’ Immediately thereafter a shot was fired, and she saw DiCioda slump to the floor. A few seconds later she heard another shot and saw Harrison standing just inside the store. He pointed a gun at her and she stepped behind some liquor cases. Campbell said to Harrison, “You get that,” and Mrs. Britson, looking over the top of the cases, saw Harrison leap on a ease which was close to the cash register. She heard the cash register ring open, but did not see Harrison take any money from it. When police officers arrived a few minutes later the cash register was open and empty, and some nickels and dimes were found on the floor near by.

[495]*495About four hours later a cab driver was held up not far from the scene of the murder, and he later identified Dabb and Harrison as the men who robbed him. About two weeks after the murder occurred two policemen saw Dabb and Harrison coming out of a restaurant, and one of the officers said to them, “Just a minute, fellows, I want to talk to you.” Harrison started shooting immediately, and both men escaped. The police officers were seriously wounded.

The defendants were arrested about six weeks after the murder, and shortly thereafter made oral and written statements implicating themselves in the homicide. They also reenacted the crime, and their actions were recorded by the use of sound motion pictures. The statements were received in evidence, and the jury viewed the motion picture film in which defendants admitted that they had committed the crime in the manner there depicted. According to this evidence, defendants, pursuant to a prearranged plan, went to the store together. Dabb remained across the street to act as the “lookout” while the others entered the store for the purpose of “looking it over,” pretending to be prospective customers. After having, by agreement, a pretended argument as to what they would purchase, Campbell and Harrison left the store, retiring to a near-by building where they could watch Dabb. Shortly thereafter Dabb signaled that the way was clear, and Campbell and Harrison reentered the store. Campbell said to decedent “This is a stickup,” and then grappled with him and shot him. Harrison also shot at DiCioda. He took approximately $75 from the cash register in the store, and the defendants met later and divided the money.

The confessions were repudiated by defendants at the trial, and each defendant claimed that he was elsewhere when the crime was committed.

The evidence was clearly sufficient to sustain the judgments. Defendants contend, however, that the confessions were inadmissible against them because they assertedly were obtained by force and fear, that the court erred in allowing the sound motion pictures to be viewed by the jury, and that it was also error to admit evidence of the robbery of the cab driver and the shooting of the police officers by Dabb and Harrison.

The rule is elementary that to be admissible a confession must be shown to have been made freely and voluntarily, without any previous inducement, promise or offer of leniency, [496]*496and without duress, intimidation or threat. (People v. Williams, 20 Cal.2d 273 [125 P.2d 9]; People v. Borello, 161 Cal. 367 [119 P. 500, 37 L.R.A.N.S. 434].) It is incumbent upon the prosecution to lay the foundation for its introduction by preliminary proof that it was voluntarily made. (People v. Jones, 24 Cal.2d 601 [150 P.2d 801].) Such a preliminary showing was made in this case before each confession was admitted.

The police officer who heard the oral confessions testified that the statements were made voluntarily without force or threat of force and without offer of reward or promise of immunity. As to the written confessions, another officer testified that the three defendants were together when they voluntarily made the statements which the officer wrote as related to him. A separate statement was written for each defendant, and each of them read and signed not only his own statement but those of the other two as well, and said at the time that they were true. A third officer testified that defendants were asked if they would assist in making a motion picture reenactment of the killing, and each answered in the affirmative; that they freely and voluntarily participated in the reenactment; and that no force, threat of force, promise or offer of reward was used to induce them to do so.

The claim that the confessions were obtained by force and fear was first made after they had been admitted in evidence and during the presentation of defendants ’ case. They related a long story of police brutality beginning at the time of arrest and continuing until, as a result of fear thus engendered, the confessions were given. This testimony was categorically denied by the police officers who obtained the confessions. Although it appears that defendants were questioned intermittently for approximately five hours, commencing at 11 o ’clock at night, they made statements implicating themselves in the crime within one or two hours after the questioning began, and the remainder of the time was spent in securing detailed information concerning the crime. They were together during substantially the entire period and were permitted to be seated and to use the restroom whenever a request was made. No force or abusive language was used by the police officers. At the end of the questioning defendants were taken to separate cells, where they slept the remainder of the night. The statements that were reduced to writing were made late on the following morning.

[497]*497It was the function of the jury to weigh the testimony of the defendants and that of the police officers in determining whether the confessions were voluntarily given (People v. Perry, 195 Cal. 623, 636 [234 P. 890]), and the verdict of guilty shows that the conflict was resolved by the jury against the defendants. The manner in which the defendants were questioned did not require a rejection of their confessions, and under all the evidence the jury was justified in concluding that the confessions were freely and voluntarily given.

The next question concerns the admissibility of three sound motion pictures. The first was a reenactment of the crime by defendants, with one of the police officers acting as decedent. The other two showed the reenactment by Dabb and Harrison of the robbery of the cab driver and the shooting of the police officers.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

People v. Bean CA2/5
California Court of Appeal, 2025
People v. Nguyen CA4/1
California Court of Appeal, 2020
People v. Bryant, Smith and Wheeler
334 P.3d 573 (California Supreme Court, 2014)
People v. Jackson
319 P.3d 925 (California Supreme Court, 2014)
Derrick Lynn Lewis v. State
402 S.W.3d 852 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Andre Nathaniel Hamilton v. State
399 S.W.3d 673 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2013)
Wright v. State
178 S.W.3d 905 (Court of Appeals of Texas, 2005)
State v. Starr
998 S.W.2d 61 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1999)
Emerson Electric Co. v. Superior Court
946 P.2d 841 (California Supreme Court, 1997)
Cave v. State
660 So. 2d 705 (Supreme Court of Florida, 1995)
State v. Anderson
862 S.W.2d 425 (Missouri Court of Appeals, 1993)
People v. Malone
762 P.2d 1249 (California Supreme Court, 1988)
People v. Miranda
744 P.2d 1127 (California Supreme Court, 1987)
People v. Holt
690 P.2d 1207 (California Supreme Court, 1984)
People v. Moran
39 Cal. App. 3d 398 (California Court of Appeal, 1974)
People v. Long
38 Cal. App. 3d 680 (California Court of Appeal, 1974)
People v. Perkins
7 Cal. App. 3d 593 (California Court of Appeal, 1970)
People v. Washington
458 P.2d 479 (California Supreme Court, 1969)
People v. Schader
457 P.2d 841 (California Supreme Court, 1969)
People v. Zismer
275 Cal. App. 2d 660 (California Court of Appeal, 1969)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
197 P.2d 1, 32 Cal. 2d 491, 1948 Cal. LEXIS 242, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-dabb-cal-1948.