People v. Evans

211 Cal. App. 2d 534, 27 Cal. Rptr. 304, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2941
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 2, 1963
DocketCrim. 1725
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 211 Cal. App. 2d 534 (People v. Evans) 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. Evans, 211 Cal. App. 2d 534, 27 Cal. Rptr. 304, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2941 (Cal. Ct. App. 1963).

Opinion

SHEPARD, J.

This is an appeal by defendant from a judgment of conviction of burglary, first degree, and grand theft, and an attempted appeal from an order denying defendant ’s motion for a new trial.

Facts

No challenge is made to the sufficiency of the evidence. Defendant did not take the witness stand nor present any evidence in his own behalf. It is therefore unnecessary to give a detailed account of the testimony. The record shows *536 the following: On the afternoon of October 3, 1961, defendant and one Barry L. Johnson were living at the John Castillo place about 5 miles northerly from Needles, California. There were several wrecked cars at the Castillo place. Knowing this, Roy Warren, who lived and worked at the Quail Hollow Ranch, about 2 miles away, stopped at Castillo’s and asked defendant to get Warren a starter. Defendant agreed to do so if Warren would bring a jug of wine. Warren took defendant and Johnson to the Quail Hollow Ranch, obtained a partly filled jug of wine there, gave it to defendant, returned defendant and Johnson to Castillo’s, and went on to Needles. During Warren’s absence, defendant and Johnson burglarized the Quail Hollow Ranch living quarters, taking guns, ammunition and other property, returned to Castillo’s; left the stolen goods there, caught a ride to Needles; there “hot-wired” and stole a station wagon automobile, eventually returned to Castillo’s, picked up the goods stolen in the burglary and drove back to Needles, where they were apprehended with the stolen property shortly after midnight as they drove into a service station. The owner of the station wagon had, in the meantime, reported its theft. Defendant was found guilty by a jury and after trial on his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity, was found sane.

Instructions on Accomplice

Defendant first contends that the trial court committed prejudicial error in failing to give instructions defining “accomplice” and in failing to directly instruct the jury that Johnson, as a matter of law, was an accomplice. First, it should be noted that defendant, represented by competent counsel, made no request for either instruction. Of course, if there had been any room for doubt in the trial proceedings as to whether or not Johnson was, in truth, an accomplice, the failure to give the specified instructions would be error. He cites People v. Chapman, 93 Cal.App.2d 365 [209 P.2d 121]; People v. Swoape, 75 Cal.App. 404 [242 P. 1067] ; People v. McDermott, 75 Cal.App. 718 [243 P. 485]; People v. Dobkin, 74 Cal.App.2d 269 [168 P.2d 729]; People v. Coffey, 161 Cal. 433 [119 P. 901, 39 L.R.A. N.S. 704]; People v. Featherstone, 67 Cal.App.2d 793 [155 P.2d 685] ; People v. Coakley, 108 Cal.App.2d 223 [238 P.2d 633]; People v. Wallin, 32 Cal.2d 803 [197 P.2d 734] ; People v. Goldstein, 146 Cal.App.2d 268 [303 P.2d 892]; People v. Wade, 169 Cal. App.2d 554 [337 P.2d 502], and other authorities.

*537 However, none of these authorities involve the exact factual problem here presented. A reading of the entire record makes it clear that both the prosecution and defense conceded that Johnson was an accomplice. Defense counsel, during the testimony of Johnson, referred to him, without contradiction from the prosecution, as an accomplice. During the opening argument of the prosecution the district attorney said to the jury, “Of course, we have the testimony of Mr. Johnson who is an eyewitness to this thing, who, of course, is an accomplice, who was there with him. The Court will probably instruct you to view with caution the testimony of an accomplice”; and later proceeded to argue corroboration of the accomplice. During defense counsel’s argument, without objection or disagreement by the prosecution or the court, defense counsel stated to the jury, “. . . the District Attorney has produced the accomplice of Mr. Evans, one Barry Johnson.”

It is clear, therefore, that there was no dispute; both sides freely advised the jury that Johnson was an accomplice and the jury could have been under no possible misapprehension as to Johnson’s position as an accomplice. The trial judge gave a full instruction in the usual form (CALJIC 830 and 829). Thus the jury were fully advised that Johnson was an accomplice and were instructed by the court that an accomplice’s testimony must be corroborated, how to weigh it in connection with other testimony, and that the accomplice’s testimony should be distrusted. We cannot see how any legal opprobrium should attach here to either counsel or the court. It is obvious that everyone concerned conceded Johnson was an accomplice. Both sides so labelled him to the jury. There was no room for misunderstanding by the jury or any one else. If it can be classified as error, it certainly was not prejudicial.

Furthermore, the evidence outside the testimony of Johnson was ample standing alone. Warren’s testimony of taking defendant and Johnson to the Quail Hollow Ranch; his finding that it was ransacked and burglarized that night while he was gone, his tracking two sets of tracks back to defendant’s place of abode; the deputy sheriff’s doing the same and positively identifying the tracks as made by defendant’s moccasins; the theft of the station wagon in Needles; the arrest of the defendant in possession of and driving that car; defendant’s false claim that the car belonged to him; the finding of the stolen property in the ear; the failure of defendant to take the witness stand or otherwise offer any *538 explanation together with other minor details furnished evidence from which the jury would have found it difficult to come to any other conclusion than that of guilt had Johnson never testified. As was said in People v. Davis, 43 Cal.2d 661, 674 [20] [276 P.2d 801] :

“Moreover, it has been frequently held that there is no prejudicial error where the record contains ample evidence to support the judgment without consideration of the testimony of the accomplice.” See also People v. Wade, supra, p. 557 [2]; People v. Johnson, 153 Cal.App.2d 564, 570 [6] [314 P.2d 751] ; People v. McFarland, 58 Cal.2d 748, 754-759 [1-9] [26 Cal.Rptr. 473, 376 P.2d 449].

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
211 Cal. App. 2d 534, 27 Cal. Rptr. 304, 1963 Cal. App. LEXIS 2941, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-evans-calctapp-1963.