People v. Ford

416 P.2d 132, 65 Cal. 2d 41, 52 Cal. Rptr. 228, 1966 Cal. LEXIS 178
CourtCalifornia Supreme Court
DecidedJuly 25, 1966
DocketCrim. 9229, 9298
StatusPublished
Cited by140 cases

This text of 416 P.2d 132 (People v. Ford) 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. Ford, 416 P.2d 132, 65 Cal. 2d 41, 52 Cal. Rptr. 228, 1966 Cal. LEXIS 178 (Cal. 1966).

Opinions

PETERS, J.

This is the second appeal in this case. The first trial resulted in a first degree murder verdict, and the jury fixed the penalty as death. That judgment was reversed because of errors in the instructions. (People v. Ford, 60 Cal.2d 772 [36 Cal.Rptr. 620, 388 P.2d 892].) The murder charge was retried and again the jury found the defendant guilty and imposed the death penalty. The appeal from this judgment is automatic. (Pen. Code, § 1239, subd. (b).) Defendant also appeals from judgments sentencing him as a result of certain felony convictions obtained at the first trial which were affirmed on the previous appeal.

Defendant in a multicount information was charged in count 1 with the burglary of the home of John B. Roope on June 2, 1961. In the remaining counts, all referring to events occurring on June 9, 1961, defendant was charged with possessing a concealable weapon in violation of Penal Code section [45]*4512021 (count 2), robbing Roope of $29 (count 3), kidnaping Roope (count 4), assaulting Ben Hardy with a dangerous weapon (count 5), kidnaping defendant’s wife, Emma Ford (count 6), and murdering David Harvey Stahl (count 7). Defendant pleaded not guilty to all counts. Pleas of not guilty by reason of insanity were withdrawn when the cause was submitted to the jury on the not guilty pleas. On the first trial the jury convicted defendant on each count, finding the burglary, the robbery, and the murder to be of the first degree. By stipulation the question of penalty was submitted to the jury on the evidence received at the murder trial. The jury fixed the penalty at death, and defendant's motion for a new trial or for reduction of the penalty was denied.

In a unanimous opinion written by Justice Schauer, we affirmed the judgments of conviction on all of the non-homicide counts, except the burglary count, as to which the judgment was modified. We reversed the judgment on the murder count, however, and remanded the cause for a new trial. The grounds for reversal were that the trial court erred in giving improper instructions on intoxication and in failing to give of its own motion the required cautionary instruction as to defendant’s alleged oral admission. These errors were held to have been prejudicial. Except for the testimony of defendant, he not having testified at the retrial, and the evidence on premeditation, the essential facts are set forth in our former opinion and need not be repeated here. (People v. Ford, supra, 60 Cal.2d 772.)

On March 18, 1964, after the remittitur on the previous appeal was filed, the matter came on regularly for arraignment and sentence of defendant on counts 1 through 6 and for setting of a trial date on count 7 in accordance with the remittitur. Defendant appeared without counsel. In accordance with defendant’s wishes, John Seitz, who had been defense counsel at the first trial, was appointed in an advisory capacity for the arraignment. A motion for a continuance to March 30, 1964, was granted for the purpose of determining whether Attorney Seitz would accept appointment as defense counsel at the new trial. Defendant waived time for sentencing and announced that at a time previous to the rearraignment he wished to object to the jurisdiction of the court to rearraign him. Defendant requested and the court ordered that a hearing on that objection be set for March 25,1964. After several continuances new counsel were appointed to represent defendant at retrial, and the judge who presided at the first trial disquali[46]*46tied himself from retrying the ease. Further continuances were granted on motions by defendant.

On July 31, 1964, the superior court vacated and set aside the finding of the jury with respect to burglary of the first degree in count 1, and pursuant to the remittitur found the offense to be of the second degree, and modified the judgment as ordered in our decision. (People v. Ford, supra, 60 Cal.2d 772, at pp. 801-802.)

On August 21, 1964, defendant was arraigned on the information as to the murder charge, and pleaded not guilty, not guilty by reason of insanity, and former jeopardy. Execution of the sentences on the nonhomicide counts was stayed.

Two grounds are presented as the basis for defendant’s appeal from the judgment entered as a result of our affirmance of the nonhomicide counts on the previous appeal.

Defendant first complains that he was improperly sentenced on the nonhomicide counts because sentence was not pronounced within the time limit set in Penal Code section 1191,1 and that he is therefore entitled to a new trial on those counts as provided in Penal Code section 1202.2

When the cause was called in the superior court for arraignment for sentencing defendant moved for a continuance, stating that before arraignment he wished to object to the jurisdiction of the court. Defendant waived the 60-day time limit for trial, but waiver of time to be sentenced was not mentioned. Before the 60 days expired, however, defendant [47]*47moved to have the hearing on his objection continued. This motion was granted. Subsequently, on April 20, 1964, defendant moved for a three-week continuance and waived time as to aU matters.

A defendant cannot complain that he was not sentenced within the time period prescribed by section 1191 of the Penal Code where he waives time for or sanctions the postponement of his sentencing. (People v. Daly, 168 Cal.App.2d 169, 173, 174 [335 P.2d 503].) In the instant case defendant expressly waived time to be sentenced and cannot now be heard to complain that he was sentenced beyond the 21-day period set forth in section 1191.

Further, as stated in People v. Williams, 24 Cal.2d 848, 850 [151 P.2d 244], “Although section 1191 provides that the judgment must be pronounced within a designated period, it has been consistently held that failure to pronounce judgment within the time specified is not jurisdictional. . . . [and] ‘does not automatically entitle the defendant to a new trial under the provisions of section 1202 of the Penal Code, nor does such delay render the judgment void for lack of jurisdiction. A judgment so pronounced may not be reversed on appeal unless the delay results in a miscarriage of justice. . . There was here no such miscarriage of justice.

On August 21, 1964, after several continuances, the trial court pronounced judgment and sentenced defendant on the felony convictions obtained at the first trial in conformity with our earlier ruling. (People v. Ford, supra, 60 Cal.2d 772, at pp. 801-802.) Defendant was separately sentenced to state prison for the term prescribed by law for each of the non-homicide felonies of which he stood convicted, the sentences to run concurrently.

Defendant asserts that the sentences constitute double punishment in violation of Penal Code section 654.3 He argues that he cannot be punished for both the kidnaping and robbery of Roope because they were part of a continuous and nondivisible transaction.

The robbery of which defendant was convicted took place on the morning of June 9, 1961. At that time defendant entered the house of John Roope located near Atascadero and, with a pistol which he had burglarized from Roope’s house on an [48]*48earlier occasion, forced Roope to give Mm $25 and some additional shells for the pistol.

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

Related

People v. Bacon
240 P.3d 204 (California Supreme Court, 2010)
Allen v. State
995 A.2d 1013 (Court of Special Appeals of Maryland, 2010)
State v. Scarbrough
181 S.W.3d 650 (Tennessee Supreme Court, 2005)
People v. Braxton
101 P.3d 994 (California Supreme Court, 2004)
People v. Coffman
96 P.3d 30 (California Supreme Court, 2004)
People v. Barragan
83 P.3d 480 (California Supreme Court, 2004)
People v. Cunningham
25 P.3d 519 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
Stephen Wayne Anderson v. Arthur Calderon, Warden
232 F.3d 1053 (Ninth Circuit, 2000)
People v. Martinez
973 P.2d 512 (California Supreme Court, 1999)
In Re Gutierrez
51 Cal. App. 4th 1704 (California Court of Appeal, 1997)
People v. Rayford
884 P.2d 1369 (California Supreme Court, 1994)
People v. Wilkins
26 Cal. App. 4th 1089 (California Court of Appeal, 1994)
Gutierrez v. Superior Court
24 Cal. App. 4th 153 (California Court of Appeal, 1994)
Dix v. Superior Court
807 P.2d 1063 (California Supreme Court, 1991)
People v. Stankewitz
793 P.2d 23 (California Supreme Court, 1990)
People v. Coleman
768 P.2d 32 (California Supreme Court, 1989)
People v. Bigelow
691 P.2d 994 (California Supreme Court, 1984)
People v. Fields
673 P.2d 680 (California Supreme Court, 1983)
People v. Teddie
120 Cal. App. 3d 756 (California Court of Appeal, 1981)
Hensel v. State
604 P.2d 222 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1979)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
416 P.2d 132, 65 Cal. 2d 41, 52 Cal. Rptr. 228, 1966 Cal. LEXIS 178, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-ford-cal-1966.