People v. Guido Maya

90 P.R. 799
CourtSupreme Court of Puerto Rico
DecidedSeptember 23, 1964
DocketNo. CR-63-388
StatusPublished

This text of 90 P.R. 799 (People v. Guido Maya) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Guido Maya, 90 P.R. 799 (prsupreme 1964).

Opinion

Mr. Justice Pérez Pimentel

delivered the opinion of the Court.

The district attorney charged appellant with an offense of embezzlement consisting in that on May 21, 1962, in Cabo Rojo, P.R., and while acting as salesman for “American Home Sewing Center, Inc.,” he fraudulently appropriated to himself the sum of $160 which was delivered to him by a customer in full settlement of a conditional sales contract of a sewing machine, which sum belonged to the said “American Home Sewing Center, Inc.”

The corresponding trial was held before a jury. Defendant alleged that although it was true that he had collected the aforesaid sum, he had lost it when his wallet was misplaced on a business trip of the corporation which he made to Lares and neighboring towns.

It appears from the record that after the corporation learned that defendant had received the said sum of money, without having repaid the same within the period granted therefor, it dismissed him from employment, payment of accumulated vacation amounting to $142 having been left pending. It also appears from the prosecution evidence that when defendant claimed' his vacation pay, he said to the sales supervisor of the corporation: “Look, let’s do one thing; you pay me my vacation so I can pay that.” The corporation issued a check for the amount of vacation and delivered it [801]*801to the Labor Department. At the time of the trial, that check was still on deposit in that department.

During the hearing of the case the district attorney presented in evidence, and it was admitted, a sworn statement given by defendant before district attorney Luis Ángel Limeres on June 29, 1962. The defense stipulated that that statement had been wilfully and voluntarily given. The jury found defendant guilty and he was sentenced to serve from one to five years’ imprisonment in the penitentiary.

On appeal, he assigns the commission of several errors, the first of which refers to certain instructions which the judge transmitted to the jury.

In the sworn statement given before district attorney Limeres defendant admitted that on May 21, 1962, he collected the sum of $160 from Joaquina Iglesias and gave her a receipt for that amount. He stated further that he had not delivered that amount to American Home Sewing Center, Inc. When the district attorney asked him what happened to that money, he answered: “That day was Monday; it was early in the week. I used to work all over the Island. I carry large sums of money during the whole week. I lost the wallet on route from Cabo Rojo to Lares. I stayed two days in Lares. The district attorney asked him: ‘Did you at any time explain to someone of that firm what had happened to you with the money?’ Defendant answered: ‘No, sir. The day it was found out through the collector, I explained the occurrence to him.’ The district attorney asked: ‘To which collector do you refer? — To Mr. Oliveras.’ ” He further testified that since May 21 and until he spoke with Oliveras he did not visit the firm in Ponce, and that he spoke with René Castelló “after the collector had already gone there. I have explained the occurrence.” Lastly, he told the district attorney that that was all he had to declare.

Before summing up that statement, the judge said to the jury: “In the summary of the evidence which we are mak[802]*802ing to you, of the prosecution evidence which we are making to you, through an involuntary error I had forgotten to sum up part of the prosecution evidence consisting in defendant’s statement, the defendant’s alleged confession given on June 29, 1962, before the district attorney who investigated these facts, Luis Ángel Limeres, which statement was admitted in evidence . . . without objection by the defense, the defense admitting that it was freely and voluntarily given.” (Italics ours.)

He then transmitted the following instructions in connection with that statement:

“Defendant’s statement is proof in the case, and you should consider it also in deciding this case as additional evidence in the case. I shall give you at the proper time 'pertinent instructions on how to consider a defendant’s statement. [Tr. Ev. 68.] [Italics ours.]
“We have seen, however, that the district attorney presented a sworn statement given by defendant in the course of the investigation of these facts. It is the so-called confession to which we have referred in this case. On that question, I wish to instruct you as follows: a confession in criminal law is an admission or statement made by a person accused of a crime to the effect that he is guilty thereof. An admission is distinguishable from a confession in the fact that the term ‘admission’ in criminal law refers to questions of fact which do not involve' criminal intent, while a confession is an acknowledgment of guilt, statements made by the defendant as some time which involve an admission of his guilt, and are admissible in evidence if it does not appear that they were obtained by threat, promise, but were voluntarily made without coercion of any kind. In order for an extrajudicial confession, namely, a confession which is not made in court, to be admissible, it is necessary to prove that it was voluntarily given, and it is always incumbent on the district attorney to prove, as a matter of fact, the voluntary character of that confession.
“In this case the district attorney sought to prove, and the defense admitted it, that it was freely and voluntarily given and [803]*803acquiesced in its admission in evidence, and that is evidence.
“The rule that a confession should be considered in its entirety, namely, in toto, that is, in full, does not bind the jury to give the same credit to each part thereof. The jury may believe that part which in their opinion is worthy of credit and reject any portion which does not deserve credit. The entire confession should be carefully examined, and, taking into consideration all the circumstances of the case, the jury should decide which part to accept and which part to reject.
“In a confession, the exculpatory matter should be treated like any other evidence, the jury being at liberty to believe it or reject it, as well as the rest of the matter contained in the confession.
“The jury is not under the duty to accept that the facts occurred in the exact manner recited in defendant’s confession, since that would amount to leaving to defendant’s discretion the ascertainment of the truth. The jury judges, examines, weighs, and evaluates the entire evidence. The confession in this case is part of the evidence, and the jury may evaluate it in the light and in connection with the rest of it, and then act in such manner as they may consider just, in accordance with their conscience and law principles.” Tr. Ev. 68, 75-77. (Italics ours.)

The defendant specifically “objected” to these instructions and also moved the judge, unsuccessfully, to instruct the jury in the sense that such statement was not a confession.

It is evident that the sworn statement given by defendant before district attorney Limeres is not a confession. According to the judge’s instructions to the jury, “a confession in criminal law is an.admission or statement made by a person accused of a crime.to the.effect that he is guilty thereof ... a confession is an acknowledgment of guilt . . .

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90 P.R. 799, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-guido-maya-prsupreme-1964.