People v. Garner

530 P.2d 496, 187 Colo. 294, 1975 Colo. LEXIS 705
CourtSupreme Court of Colorado
DecidedJanuary 13, 1975
Docket26139
StatusPublished
Cited by28 cases

This text of 530 P.2d 496 (People v. Garner) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Colorado primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Garner, 530 P.2d 496, 187 Colo. 294, 1975 Colo. LEXIS 705 (Colo. 1975).

Opinion

Opinion by

MR. JUSTICE LEE.

Appellant was convicted by a jury of forcible rape, in violation of 1971 Perm. Supp., C.R.S. 1963, 40-3-401(l)(a). We affirm the conviction.

For a full understanding of appellant’s arguments, we set forth in detail the procedural history of the case against appellant. Appellant was initially charged with one count of rape and an additional count of deviate sexual intercourse by force, in violation of 1971 Perm. Supp., C.R.S. 1963, 40-3-403(1)(a). Upon trial to a jury, a verdict of guilty was returned as to the rape count. The jury could not agree upon the second count of deviate sexual intercourse and a mistrial was declared as to that count.

*296 Appellant’s motion in arrest of judgment or for a new-trial directed to the rape verdict was thereafter granted by the court on the ground that as to that count the information did not state a crime. Accordingly, the verdict of guilty was set aside.

The court then permitted the district attorney to amend the rape count of the information. Count two of the information was also amended to allege the specific nature of the deviate sexual intercourse charged. The court also allowed the district attorney to file six additional counts, which charged appellant with two additional rape counts, three additional deviate sexual intercourse counts, and one count of kidnapping. Before commencement of the second trial, the court, upon motion by the district attorney, dismissed all of the counts except the amended original forcible rape count and two counts of deviate sexual intercourse by force. Appellant was thereupon tried on the three counts and was convicted by the jury of forcible rape and acquitted by the jury of the two counts of deviate sexual intercourse by force.

The transaction out of which the charges against appellant arose, as developed by the People’s evidence, showed that at about 8:30 in the evening on September 16, 1972, the victim, a young woman, was hitchhiking from Boulder to Denver and was given a ride by appellant. During the course of the criminal episode, which lasted over a period of approximately five hours, the victim was assaulted by appellant and forced to submit to various separate acts of sexual intercourse and deviate sexual intercourse. Specifically, she testified that she was forced by appellant to submit to three acts of sexual intercourse and four acts of deviate sexual intercourse.

When she was safely able to do so, the victim made immediate complaint to a police officer, who described her as being in an hysterical condition. A physical examination of the victim conducted at the Denver General Hospital confirmed that she had been choked and struck, as evidenced by abrasions on both sides of her neck and bruises on her right jaw. The examination further revealed the presence of spermatozoa in her vaginal canal.

Appellant testified in his own behalf. He totally denied the accusations of forcible deviate sexual intercourse, while admitting having two acts of sexual intercourse but with the consent of *297 the victim. Other defense evidence concerned the young woman’s purported calm demeanor when she was observed by other persons at different intervals during the course of the evening.

I.

Appellant contends the evidence was insufficient as a matter of law to sustain the conviction of rape. We find no merit to this contention and merely observe from the record of disputed evidence that the People presented ample competent evidence which, together with reasonable inferences therefrom, supported the verdict of guilty on the rape count. The credibility of the witnesses, the weight of their testimony, and the sufficiency of the evidence generally, under admittedly proper instructions of law, were matters for the jury’s determination, with which this Court will not interfere.

II.

Appellant further argues that the guilty verdict on the rape count and the not guilty verdicts on the counts of deviate sexual intercourse were inconsistent as a matter of law, and that under the decision in Robles v. People, 160 Colo. 297, 417 P.2d 232, the rape verdict must be set aside. It is clear from the record of evidence that the Robles principle has no application to the situation here. The evidence in support of the deviate sexual intercourse counts was not “the very same evidence” as that in support of the rape count; rather, the evidence was separate, distinct and independent.

The jury was not bound to accept all or none of the complaining witness’ testimony. And, in accepting the victim’s account of the forcible rape by appellant, it was not thereby bound to accept her account concerning the alleged forcible deviate sexual conduct. It is fundamental that the credibility of a witness is for the jury, which may accept or reject all or any part of the witness’ testimony. People v. Lewis, 180 Colo. 423, 506 P.2d 125; Maisel v. People, 166 Colo. 161, 442 P.2d 399.

III.

Appellant asserts that the judgment of conviction on the rape count must be reversed and an acquittal entered, for the reason that he had already been in jeopardy for the alleged rape in the first trial. He contends that when, after the first trial, the rape *298 conviction had been set aside on the motion in arrest of judgment for the reason that the information failed to charge him with a crime, it was constitutional error to permit the district attorney to amend the information to correct the fatal defect, and to permit the appellant’s retrial for the same alleged criminal conduct. We do not agree that jeopardy had attached as a result of the first trial, under the circumstances.

Article II, Section 18, of the Colorado Constitution expressly provides:

“ * * * Nor shall any person be twice put in jeopardy for the same offense. If the jury disagree, or if the judgment be arrested after the verdict, or if the judgment be reversed for error in law, the accused shall not be deemed to have been in jeopardy.”

The jeopardy provision has been delineated in the criminal code, 1971 Perm. Supp., C.R.S. 1963, 40-1-401. Pertinent to the situation presented here is section 40-1 -401 (2)(b)(ii).

This Court has consistently held that jeopardy does not attach if the information is insufficient in form and substance to sustain a conviction. Maes v. District Court, 180 Colo. 169, 503 P.2d 621; People v. Abrahamsen, 176 Colo. 52, 489 P.2d 206; Krutka v. Spinuzzi, 153 Colo. 115, 384 P.2d 928; Menton v. Johns, 151 Colo. 276, 377 P.2d 104; Markiewicz v.

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

Related

People in the Interest of P.K
2015 COA 121 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2015)
People v. Wilson
114 P.3d 19 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 2005)
People v. Melillo
25 P.3d 769 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 2001)
People v. Williams
961 P.2d 533 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1997)
People v. Valdez
928 P.2d 1387 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1996)
People v. Fueston
749 P.2d 952 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1988)
Cervantes v. People
715 P.2d 783 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1986)
People v. Quick
713 P.2d 1282 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1986)
People v. Roberts
668 P.2d 977 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1983)
People v. Bowen
658 P.2d 269 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1983)
Clegg v. State
655 P.2d 1240 (Wyoming Supreme Court, 1982)
People v. Clark
654 P.2d 847 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1982)
People v. Thimmes
643 P.2d 780 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1981)
People v. Morgan
637 P.2d 338 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1981)
People v. Quintana
634 P.2d 413 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1981)
Born v. State
633 P.2d 1021 (Court of Appeals of Alaska, 1981)
People v. Steiner
640 P.2d 250 (Colorado Court of Appeals, 1981)
People v. Moore
615 P.2d 726 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1980)
People v. Fierro
606 P.2d 1291 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1980)
People v. Baca
562 P.2d 411 (Supreme Court of Colorado, 1977)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
530 P.2d 496, 187 Colo. 294, 1975 Colo. LEXIS 705, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-garner-colo-1975.