People v. Godsey

162 P.2d 46, 71 Cal. App. 2d 82, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 854
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedSeptember 28, 1945
DocketCrim. 3892
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 162 P.2d 46 (People v. Godsey) 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. Godsey, 162 P.2d 46, 71 Cal. App. 2d 82, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 854 (Cal. Ct. App. 1945).

Opinion

WOOD (Parker), J.

It was charged in 2 counts of an information that appellant and one Godsey committed robbery, a felony, and that they were armed with a gun at the time of the commission of the alleged offenses. Trial was by jury and appellant was found guilty as to both counts as charged in the information. Godsey was found guilty as to count 1 as charged in the information, and not guilty as to count 2. Two previous trials resulted in mistrials—the juries having failed to agree. This is an appeal from the judgment and order denying appellant’s motion for a new trial.

Appellant contends that it was prejudicial error to receive certain portions of the evidence. It is therefore necessary to set forth the evidence in detail.

The two robberies were committed December 31, 1943. The first robbery, alleged in count 1, occurred at a Thrifty Drug Store which is located at 4401 West Slauson in Los Angeles. A few minutes before 9 p. m., the closing time, 2 men entered the store, went directly to the lunch counter, which is in the rear of the store, sat down at a section of the counter which extends east and west, and ordered coffee. There were 2 waitresses behind the lunch counter, and they were preparing to “check out.” They were counting the money they had received that day, and were placing it on a section of the counter which extends north and south. Some of the employees had placed money, received by them during the day, on the liquor counter; and other employees were counting money on the counter in the drug department. The 2 men remained at the lunch counter until the other customers had *84 left the store, and the front door had been locked. They then stood np, each drew a gun, and announced that it was a “stick-up.” The larger of the 2 men, identified by witnesses as Godsey, walked backward toward the front door to a place approximately in the middle of the store and, with one of the employees standing in front of him pursuant to his order, kept watch over the other employees while the smaller man proceeded to take the money from the counters and put it in his pocket. The manager of the store, who was standing by the “liquor register,” went behind a partition, called the “liquor shelf, ’’ where there was a burglar alarm. The smaller man followed her. They later returned and the manager, who at the time had the key to the front door in her hand, screamed and fell upon the floor. After the smaller man had taken all the money from the counters, a total of approximately $320 in paper and silver money, and had taken a few packages of cigarettes, the larger man said, “Hurry up, Doe.” They then demanded that someone unlock the front door and let them out. They questioned different employees as to the whereabouts of the key, and the employees stated they did not know where it was. A search was made for it, and one of the robbers stated in substance that someone would get “hurt” if the door was not unlocked. One of the employees saw the key in the hand of the manager, who was lying on the floor, removed it from her hand, unlocked the front door, and let the robbers out.

A “day or two” after the robbery the manager of the store, upon being shown approximately 15 photographs, identified the one of Godsey as that of one of the robbers. About 3 months after the robbery she identified both Glynn and Godsey at a police “showup” as the robbers, and she again identified them at the trial as the robbers. She testified that before the robbery she was standing by the liquor register where she had a view of the rest of the store; that she had been watching the robbers ‘ ‘ all the while they were sitting there practically, ’ ’ and had just locked up approximately $2,000 in her cash box, and was going to tell the men to leave the store when they “pulled” their guns and said, “Take it easy, it is a stick up”; that Godsey had a “dark” gun, and Glynn a “silver” colored gun; that neither one appeared to be intoxicated; that Glynn followed her behind the liquor shelf and “reached there” just as she “reached for the alarm,” and Glynn said, “ ‘Oh, no you don’t. Give me the money’ ”; that he walked toward *85 her and put the gun against her stomach and said, ‘1 1 Come on, give me the money’ that she fell to the floor where Glynn was standing and he pushed her with his foot; that she arose from the floor just before the robbers reached the front door on their way out; that she saw “Miss Noce,” an employee, unlock the door and let them out; and that the witness went immediately to the telephone and called the police. She testified further that at one time during the robbery she and Glynn were about one foot apart and at that time were facing each other.

The manager’s husband, who was supervisor of the lunch counter, identified Glynn and Godsey as the robbers from a group of approximately 15 men at a “police show-up” about 3 months after the robbery. He also identified them at the trial as the robbers. He testified that on the night of the robbery he went to the drugstore about 9 p.m.; that when he entered he saw the supervisor of the drug department standing behind the lunch counter, in the corner, where 2 sections of the counter meet; that he went over and spoke to him and sat down at the section of the counter which extends north and south, in which position he faced the front of the store; that he saw Glynn and Godsey sitting by the side of the counter which extends east and west, and they were 5 or 6 feet from the corner of the counter; that Glynn wore a wedding ring on the little finger of his right hand; that the witness was still sitting there at the time of the robbery; that the robbery occurred about 9 :20 p. m.; that Godsey had a black or blue black Colt automatic, and Glynn had a nickel plated gun; that on their way out of the store Glynn walked backward, and “Godsey kept turning backwards and kept looking back every few seconds until he got to the door”; and that in his opinion neither one of them was intoxicated.

The supervisor of the drug department identified Glynn and Godsey at the trial as the robbers. He testified that while he stood by the lunch counter he was “right in front” of Glynn and Godsey—“about three feet away from them”; that he observed them about 2 or 3 minutes; that he was facing the front doors and, as they “were being closed the two defendants got up and said, ‘this is a hold up,’ and pulled out guns”; that Godsey had a black automatic, and Glynn had a nickel plated revolver; that Glynn was in his presence 15 or 20 minutes and he was about 4 feet from him; and that both men appeared to be sober.

*86 Lena Noce, another employee, identified Glynn and Godsey at the trial as the robbers. She testified that she saw them at the lunch counter, and saw them stand up and pull out their guns; that Godsey directed her to stand in front of him; that she stood with her back toward him, and could feel his gun against her back; that he said, “ ‘If anyone moves somebody will get hurt’ ”; that she saw Glynn take the money from the lunch counter and go around the counter, but she was so “scared” she did not pay any attention to him; that she saw Glynn again when she let him out the front door; that Godsey was behind her with his gun against her back until they went to the front door; and that she unlocked the door and let them out.

The waitress, who served coffee to the robbers, testified that defendants were the men who committed the robbery.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
162 P.2d 46, 71 Cal. App. 2d 82, 1945 Cal. App. LEXIS 854, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-godsey-calctapp-1945.