People v. Dodson

297 N.E.2d 367, 11 Ill. App. 3d 709, 1973 Ill. App. LEXIS 2500
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 24, 1973
Docket56141
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 297 N.E.2d 367 (People v. Dodson) 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. Dodson, 297 N.E.2d 367, 11 Ill. App. 3d 709, 1973 Ill. App. LEXIS 2500 (Ill. Ct. App. 1973).

Opinion

Mr. PRESIDING JUSTICE STAMOS

delivered the opinion of the court:

Defendant was indicted for murder. After a bench trial he was convicted of the lesser included offense of voluntary manslaughter and sentenced to a term of not less than eight nor more than twenty years. Two issues are presented on this appeal:

(1) Whether the warrantless seizure of defendant’s jacket was illegal; and

(2) Whether the evidence established defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

On October 14, 1969 defendant and his cousin, Myron Violet, went to Elsie’s, a tavern in Lyons, Illinois, in defendant’s vehicle. While in the establishment defendant engaged in an argument with a barmaid, Mary Ludington. His cousin admonished him, “You’re just going to get yourself in trouble, you are out looting for it, I don’t want any part of it and I am leaving.” Violet departed the tavern. Defendant then presented his grievance to the tavern owner.

Decedent, Elizabeth Blondín, was a patron of Elsie’s at the time defendant and Violet were on the premises. Mary Ludington had occasion to observe the contents of decedent’s purse during the evening. She described and identified the purse at trial.

After presenting his grievance to the tavern owner defendant engaged in a conversation with decedent. Decedent then informed Ethel Boesch, another barmaid employed at Elsie’s, that “she was going down the street” and, indicating defendant, “this fellow wants to go with me, I don’t know why.” Ethel Boesch then spoke to defendant. He was wearing a jacket with a Standard Oil Company emblem on it. He responded to her inquiries that his name was Gerry and he was employed at the H and W Standard station located at Harlem and Washington, whereupon decedent said: ‘Write that down just in case.” Defendant and decedent departed the tavern together at approximately 3:00 A.M. on October 15, 1969.

Three prosecution witnesses testified that defendant did not appear to be intoxicated while he was at Elsie’s.

Clif Hiller, a fellow employee of defendant’s at the H and W Standard station, testified that he saw defendant drive past the station at approximately 6:30 A.M. Defendant was traveling in the direction of his apartment.

Dr. Stanley Palutsis testified that he observed an automobile, similar in appearance to defendant’s, being operated in an erratic manner in a park across the street from his house at approximately 6:45 A.M. on October 15, 1969. When the automobile departed, he observed decedent’s body near the site where the automobile had been. He immediately telephoned the police.

Officer John Smith of the Riverside Police Department responded to the report. When he arrived at the scene he observed decedent’s body, naked from the waist down, near the roadway. Upon removing the body, he discovered a button beneath decedent’s left elbow. The button was preserved for evidence and was later determined by crime laboratory analysis to be morphologically similar in all visual characteristics to each of the buttons remaining on a jacket owned by defendant.

Defendant reported for work at 9:30 A.M. on October 15, 1969. Shortly thereafter he engaged in a phone conversation with his wife. She expressed anger in telling him that she had found a purse in his automobile. His wife regularly utilized his automobile in traveling to her place of employment, so defendant borrowed a vehicle and went there. Upon his arrival he entered his automobile and discovered a purse on the rear seat. Defendant testified that there was no identification in the purse, so he discarded it in a garbage can. The purse was subsequently recovered and identified at trial as decedent’s.

Defendant testified that he departed Elsie’s with decedent because “she wanted a lift somewhere and I was getting plastered.” He sat in the back seat of the automobile because he was too intoxicated to drive. Decedent sat in the front seat with his cousin, Violet, who had been waiting at the automobile. The three patronized two additional taverns after departing Elsie’s. At the final tavern they visited, defendant exited alone and went to sleep in the car. When he awoke he was alone in the vehicle and it was located in a parking lot behind his apartment building. He went into his apartment and resumed his sleep.

In rebuttal, Officer Smith testified that he was present at the police station during the morning of October 16, 1969 and heard defendant relate that he was alone when he departed Elsie’s and had driven to two other taverns.

Myron Violet was admitted to Chicago State Hospital on or about October 16, 1969 because he had attempted to commit suicide. His mental problems allegedly stemmed from long standing marital difficulties.

Defendant contends that the warrantless seizure of his jacket was illegal and it was, therefore, reversible error to deny his motion to suppress it from evidence. The following evidence was adduced at the hearing on the motion to suppress:

Fay Dodson, defendant’s wife, testified that she was present at their apartment on October 15, 1969 at approximately 10:00 P.M. when police officers arrived and requested defendant to accompany them to the police station. Defendant complied with the request and returned home in the early hours of the morning. He v/ore his jacket to the police station, but was not wearing it when he returned to the apartment.

Defendant testified that four police officers arrived at his apartment at 9:00 or 9:30 P.M. on October 15, 1969. He invited them into the apartment. The officers requested that he accompany them to the police station as they thought he could assist them in regard to an occurrence at Elsie’s. The police advised him to bring his jacket because it was cold outside. They did not assist him in selecting a jacket nor did they suggest that he wear a particular jacket. He was at the police station for approximately two hours on his first visit. Prior to departing the police station, he requested his jacket, but was informed that he could not take it. When he inquired as to the reason for not being allowed to take the jacket he was told that it was being retained as evidence. He was furnished another jacket to wear home.

Police Officer Donald Gossling testified that he arrived at defendant’s apartment at approximately 11:00 P.M. on October 15, 1969 and was admitted inside. He read defendant his “constitutional rights” from a card; defendant acknowledged that he understood them and declined to give a statement. A request was made that defendant accompany the officers to the Riverside Police Department and he voluntarily did so. Before defendant was released from the police station, Officer Gossling asked him for his jacket and defendant gave it to him. The purpose of taking the jacket was to seek evidence.

Officer Smith testified that he found decedent’s body and discovered a button in the course of his investigation. Later that night he had occasion to talk with defendant at the Riverside Police Station. Defendant’s jacket was hanging on a coat tree and each sleeve was missing a button. The buttons remaining on the jacket appeared the same as the button found near the body.

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Related

People v. Fausz
437 N.E.2d 702 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1982)
People v. Delaney
379 N.E.2d 829 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1978)
People v. Congleton
308 N.E.2d 156 (Appellate Court of Illinois, 1974)

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Bluebook (online)
297 N.E.2d 367, 11 Ill. App. 3d 709, 1973 Ill. App. LEXIS 2500, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-dodson-illappct-1973.